O'Brien Award winner Donna Soprano was back in the stakes spotlight on Canadian soil, winning the $160,260 Simcoe for three-year-old trotting fillies on Friday night (Sept. 10) at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Rebounding from a miscue in last week's Casual Breeze Stakes at Mohawk after starting her sophomore campaign stateside, Donna Soprano made a three-wide move mid-race en route to the 1:53.3 triumph for trainer Luc Blais and the Determination stable of Montreal, Que.
Lady Chaos (Jody Jamieson) got the first call leaving from post nine and made front into first turn while Up And Ready (Doug McNair) jumped off stride near the top. Meanwhile, Bob McClure settled Delvin Miller Memorial champion Donna Soprano into third behind the 9-5 favourite, Ontario Sires Stakes star Imextraspecial (Trevor Henry), through the :27.1 opening quarter.
Imextraspecial and Donna Soprano made their moves in tandem during the second panel, with the latter three-wide and clearing to command at the :56.1 half-mile mark.
From there, Casual Breeze victress Amazone Duharas (Louis-Philippe Roy) applied first-over pressure through three-quarters in 1:25.1, but Donna Soprano was game through the stretch, winning by one length over that foe with Imextraspecial finishing well back in third.
Donna Soprano paid $8.60 to win as the 3-1 second choice.
Like mother, like daughter. The Donato Hanover filly is out of millionairess Windsong Soprano, who was a Simcoe Stakes winner in 2009.
Donna Soprano is two-for-seven this year and has now won half of her 14 career starts while banking $755,155 in purses.
Determination's two-year-old trotting colt Drinks At Home celebrated a maiden-breaking victory early Friday evening, taking the $30,000 consolation of the William Wellwood Memorial.
McClure sent the Blais trainee out from post six in search of the top spot while 85-1 outsider Bar Brawl (Gino Toscani) blasted to the lead just an eighth of a mile in, but the longshot blew up on the first turn leaving Drinks At Home in control.
After a :28.3 opener, Drinks At Home stole a second-quarter breather while 2-1 co-favourite Red Overbach (Jody Jamieson) began to roll first-up from fourth approaching the :59 half-mile mark.
However, Drinks At Home trotted on to three-quarters in 1:28.3 and began to open up down the stretch with Red Overbach tiring and Mercutio (Sylvain Filion) breaking stride from the two-hole. Drinks At Home widened to three lengths before hitting the wire in 1:57.1 with Devereux Seelster (Trevor Henry) closing from the backfield for second over Delgado (Scott Young).
Drinks At Home, who finished fourth in his Wellwood elimination last week, paid $6.20 to win. He has hit the board in three of his six career starts while banking $52,683.
A $47,000 yearling purchase from the Standardbred Horse Sale, the Concord Stud Farm-bred colt is by Royalty For Life out of Ontario Sires Stakes star Peach Martini. Drinks At Home is a half-brother to the connections' Grand Circuit stakes winner Macho Martini (by Muscle Mass), who was top three in the Wellwood final last year and will be competing in the $240,000 Goodtimes Trot tomorrow night at Mohawk.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Friday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.