The fastest mile time on Thursday's card at Mohawk Racetrack belonged to a rookie pacer, winning for just the second time in six lifetime starts.
On a card heavy on the rookie side -- with six of the 10 races written for two-year-olds -- the fastest freshman of the night was Burning Midnight, who hadn't won since his pari-mutuel debut on July 20. On that night, Louis-Philippe Roy guided the pacer to a seven-plus length winning score in 1:53.2 at Mohawk. Two months and no wins later, the duo was reunited at Mohawk in a $16,000 two-year-old open.
Roy left stoutly with Burning Midnight to gain position and make the quarter in :27.2, but he was quickly fronted by co-favoured When You Dance (Doug McNair) heading into the backstretch. Trevor Henry also had designs on the front, pointed the other favourite Western Passage to the lead from third and cleared before the :55.4 half.
Western Passage maintained control through the 1:23.4 third station and maintained a decent lead at the head of the lane. From sitting third along the rail, Roy was able to find room between horses and stick-handled Burning Midnight up inside Western Passage to pick off that foe late and score the lifetime best 1:51.3 win by a half-length. Sports Legend (Travis Cullen) was charging hard late and completed the triactor.
Corey Giles trains Burning Midnight (Mach Three - Respectednbeloved) for Ontario-based owners Brad Gray and Denise Guerriero. The colt has a 2-0-2 summary from six seasonal starts with a bankroll now exceeding $54,000.
Mohawk's Jackpot Hi-5 continues to grow, with the carryover now at $681,768.40 heading into Friday's card after a single punter couldn't take down the entire pool in the finale.
For results from Thursday's card, click the following link: Thursday Results - Mohawk Racetrack.