Three-year-old trotting fillies Nuance and Kngtstlkrs Games were the top performers in the eliminations for the Grade 1 Elegantimage Stakes at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Friday, Sept. 18.
With a pair of $35,000 eliminations taking place, a group of 18 three-year-old trotting fillies were vying to secure a spot in the $400,000 final slated for Saturday, Sept. 26.
The Marcus Melander-trained Nuance was able to reach up in the final strides to nail Leading Lady for a 1:52.1 career-best victory in the first elimination.
With James MacDonald aboard for the first of his five winning drives on Friday night, Nuance got away fifth and got a second-over tow behind Sparks (Ake Svanstedt) heading around the far turn. Meanwhile, Leading Lady made a move up the backstretch from third to grab the lead away from Storybook Love (Todd Ratchford) at a :56.4 half. After reaching three-quarters in 1:24.4, Leading Lady looked poised to convert on her 1-2 billing; however, Nuance unleashed a wicked :26.4 final quarter to track down the leader and win by a head. Storybook Love was third, while late closer Upto Laura Hanover (Steven Hudon) and Sparks completed the top five.
Nuance entered the elimination off her first win of the season on Sept. 6 in the Pennsylvania Sires Stakes Consolation. The daughter of Greenshoe-Hillarmbro has been providing consistent efforts, finishing first or second in six straight starts. Friday’s win was her fourth lifetime and pushed her earnings over $200,000 for owner Courant Inc. of Delray Beach, Florida.
A $2 win ticket on Nuance, the 7-2 second choice, paid $9.60.
Kngtstlkrs Games and driver Louis-Philippe Roy pulled off a 57-1 stunner in the action-packed second elimination. A quartet of fillies took turns on the lead until Kngtstlkrs Games reached up in the final strides for the eye-catching 1:51.2 career-best victory.
Cher Hill (Doug McNair) was the fourth leader in the opening five-eighths of the mile, touching down on the front shortly after a :55.4 half. The 2-5 favourite, Busy Miss Lissy S (Ake Svanstedt), was left first-over around the far turn, edging to Cher Hill’s wheel at three-quarters in 1:23.2. Kngtstlkrs Games moved third-over turning for home. Cher Hill dug in gamely to fight off Busy Miss Lissy S, which appeared to be the main threat; however, Kngtstlkrs Games kept on powering on the outside to make it three across coming into deep stretch and did get up in the final stride for the neck victory over Cher Hill. Busy Miss Lissy S was third, while Sharp Seven (Jody Jamieson) and Lainey W (James MacDonald) were the final fillies to advance to the final.
A homebred for Knightstalker Stable of Oshawa, Ont., Kngtstlkrs Games entered the elimination off a victory on Sept. 7 in a conditioned race at Mohawk, her third win in six starts this year. A Grade 3 Casual Breeze Stakes winner earlier this year, the Peter Shody trainee had tried the Kentucky Sires Stakes throughout the month of August. Kngtstlkrs Games is a daughter of Calgary Games out of Pink Pistol. She now has five career wins and $118,479 in lifetime earnings.
A $2 win ticket returned $116.70.
Elimination winners secured a post position anywhere from two through six for the Elegantimage final. The post draw for the Grade 1 event was conducted on Friday night and the field is listed below.
$400,000 Elegantimage Stakes (Grade 1)
1. Leading Lady
2. Sparks
3. Sharp Seven
4. Lainey W
5. Kngtstlkrs Games
6. Nuance
7. Storybook Love
8. Cher Hill
9. Upto Laura Hanover
10. Busy Miss Lissy S
AE. Shimmering Hanover
Mohawk also held the post position draws for two other graded stakes that did not require eliminations and will be held on Saturday, Sept. 26. The fields for the $590,000 Canadian Trotting Classic for three-year-old trotters and the $510,000 Shes A Great Lady Stakes for two-year-old filly pacers are listed below.
$590,000 Canadian Trotting Classic (Grade 1)
1. Yankee Boost
2. Touchedbyanangel
3. Apex
4. AI
5. Strobe Lite
6. Magic Punk
7. Highland Destiny
8. Nix Nacken
$510,000 Shes A Great Lady Stakes (Grade 1)
1. Treacherous Nova
2. Rockin Jade Deo
3. Money Carlo
4. Twin B Mayreau
5. Twin B Copacabana
6. Waves Of Fortune
7. Mericana Hanover
8. Mauritius
9. Jersey Bulldog
10. Qued Up
11. Aceandaten
Mohawk hosted the fifth and final preliminary leg of the Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots Series for three-year-old pacing fillies during Friday's program.
Trainer Zach Carroll's homebred Cant Turn You Down ($2.90) extended her win streak to seven with a 1:51 victory in the first of two $30,000 Grassroots divisions after taking command down the backstretch for driver Bob McClure then turning down a final-turn bid from Lavender Seelster (Louis-Philippe Roy) to prevail by three-quarters of a length. My Girl Friday (James MacDonald), the division leader entering the final preliminary leg, was pocketed by the winner after a brief front-end appearance and chased the rest of the way in third at the pylons.
Unraced as a two-year-old, Cant Turn You Down now has eight wins, including three Grassroots stakes victories, from 10 starts with earnings on the verge of the six-figure plateau. Carroll shares ownership of the Cattlewash-Amulet Seelster filly with Sean Downey of Strathroy, Ont.
The other Grassroots division went to 3-5 favourite Romantic Beauty as she retook command down the backstretch and fought off Tainted Love (Jason Bartlett) in a final-quarter duel to prevail by a neck in 1:51.2 for the father and son, training and driving team of Gregg and Doug McNair. A homebred for owner James Avritt Sr. of Lebanon, Kentucky, the Bettors Delight-Precious Beauty filly secured her second Grassroots win of the season. McBubbles (Jody Jamieson) closed well for third.
In Friday's $44,000 Fillies & Mares Open Pace, Talk Curdy To Me picked up her first victory of the season, taking down the favoured backstretch leader Absolution (Trevor Henry) in deep stretch and holding off Lets N Joy N (J.R. Plante), who closed off her back, by half a length in a :25.4 sprint to the finish. The Dave Menary trainee prevailed in 1:50.2 with James MacDonald aboard.
Despite going winless in her first 14 starts of the season, the six-year-old Betterthancheddar-Keepers Destiny mare boasts a six-figure annual income thanks in large part to cheques earned from graded stakes action. She has won 19 races lifetime with total earnings now just shy of $950,000 for owner Pollack Racing of Venetia, Pennsylvania.
Live harness racing continues on Saturday, Sept. 19 at Mohawk, with eliminations for the Grade 1 Metro Pace.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click the following link: Friday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
(Woodbine & Standardbred Canada)