Strobe Lite and Touchedbyanangel won their divisions of the Grade 3 Champlain Stakes for two-year-old trotters at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Thursday, Sept. 11.
Strobe Lite, coming off a maiden-breaking victory in an Ontario Sires Stakes Gold, was an impressive first-over winner in the $81,622 second Champlain division. The gelding sat a gapped fourth for James MacDonald as Crunchintheodds (Tyler Borth) cut a :27 opening quarter and led down the backstretch before the pocket-popping Greenarrow Hanover (Bob McClure) took over at the half in :56.2.
Strobe Lite pulled out as they banked into the last turn and, after spinning his tires to three-quarters in 1:25.4, found another gear coming into the stretch and fired to the front. Kingmen (Doug McNair) then closed off his back, but Strobe Lite held on by a measured neck to win in 1:53.3. Crunchintheodds finished third.
Strobe Lite, a son of Alarm Detector-Shine Bright, has won twice and hit the board in seven of eight career starts, including the William Wellwood Memorial. Ben Baillargeon trains him and shares ownership with Claude Hamel of Orford, Que., Nunzio Vena of Bolton, Ont., and Glengate Farms of Erin, Ont. The gelding has now earned $189,121. He paid $2.80 to win.
Touchedbyanangel unfurled his wings in the last eighth of a mile for a hard-closing victory in the $81,623 first split. Doug McNair floated him out from post six to secure a seat third through :28 and :57.4 opening panels courtesy of Captain Code (Scott Young). He remained on the pylons and was shuffled to fifth through three-quarters in 1:26.3, but the outer flow fizzled out as they straightened for home, and Touchedbyanangel got a clear lane from which to attack.
Captain Code grew weary as they entered the final eighth of a mile, and Touchedbyanangel soared by him to win by three-quarters of a length in 1:54.2. Captain Code was game in defeat, finishing second over Mothers Moni (MacDonald). The winner returned $6.70.
Touchedbyanangel tallied for the first time in eight starts for trainer Kyle Fellows and raised his bankroll to $117,387. The Archangel-Rubys Are Nice colt races for owners Yolanda Fellows of Rockwood, Ont., Blair Corbeil of Leduc, Alta., Mike McAllister of Beaumont, Alta., and Peter Porter of Port Dover, Ont.
There was also a pair of $25,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots Leg 5 divisions for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings. Nickel And Dime ($4.80) exploded off third-over cover to capture the first split in 1:54.2 with Travis Henry holding the lines. The Resolve-Parkhill Nocredit gelding is a three-time Grassroots winner this year for trainer Mark Etsell and owners Frank and Gennarino Lamacchia, Tony Miceli, Deanmar Sons Stable.
The Time Machine ($12.30) rallied at the pylons to prevail in 1:54.3 for driver Trevor Henry and trainer Clark Beelby, who co-owns the gelded son of Green Manalishi S-Time After Time with Coyote Wynd Farms.
The two $16,000 Pop-Up Series divisions were won by Hes Express ($16.40) in 1:52.1 and Blinded By Delight ($2.10) in 1:52.2. The series is for pacing fillies and mares that started for a purse of $12,000 or less in their last start with non-winners of $25,000 in a minimum of 10 starts in 2025 and leg-one starters also eligible. Winners of more than $50,000 this year are ineligible.
To view Thursday’s harness racing results, click the following link: Thursday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
(Standardbred Canada)