Jula Shes Magic and Wine Rack Hanover arrived at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Tuesday evening (Sept. 24) sitting in a tie for fifteenth in the two-year-old trotting filly Gold Series standings.
Both fillies had been victorious in an early season Grassroots event, but a Gold Series win had been elusive due to temperament rather than talent. Fortunately for their connections, everything went flawlessly on Tuesday and the fillies now sit in a tie for fifth.
“It’s not that it’s not there, it is there, it’s just sometimes you know, she’s a little bit of a temperamental woman,” said Susanne Kerwood, who trains Jula Shes Magic. “She’s got a mind of her own, that’s for sure, but there’s lots in there, it’s just you’ve got to try to get it out of her.”
Jula Shes Magic opened the Gold Series action with a commanding victory from post 6 in the first $108,000 division.
Thanks to a sharp move off the gate and early errors by two of her peers, the filly and driver Jody Jamieson were eight lengths ahead of the field at the :27.1 quarter. Jamieson eased off the accelerator heading by the :57.2 half and allowed the field to get back within hailing distance before he let Jula Shes Magic roll on to a 1:25.4 three-quarters. Down the stretch Jula Shes Magic once again pulled away from the field, hitting the wire six and three-quarter lengths in front in a personal best 1:55. Ride To Justice was second and She Rocks Kemp rounded out the top three.
The win was the Kadabra daughter’s second of the season. She was also victorious in a Grassroots division at Woodbine Mohawk Park on July 30. In her other two Gold Series starts she finished seventh and third. In addition to her Ontario Sire Stakes starts Jula Shes Magic also logged a fifth-place result in the Aug. 29 Champlain Stakes and a third in her Sept. 5 Peaceful Way elimination, then made an uncharacteristic break at the start of the Peaceful Way final.
“What she did in the Peaceful Way, Jody just said when he went up to the gate — usually she grabs a hold of you and she wants to leave out of there — that day she went up to the gate and she let go of the bit and he was like, what are you doing. It’s something she’s never done before, never done that training or nothing, she’s always been more than willing to go, so I have no idea. I would be lying if I told you I knew what she was doing,” said Kerwood. “It’s frustrating though because I think, what did they go 1:55 and change in the final (1:55.2)? And I mean she wins tonight in 1:55 flat, so it’s a little frustrating that way, but you know what, at least she won tonight, that’s the main thing.”
Kerwood trains Jula Shes Magic for Jula Racing Inc., who offered $100,000 for the third foal from $1.2 million winner Windsong Soprano at last fall’s Lexington Selected Yearling Sale.
Wine Rack Hanover’s story is similar to Jula Shes Magic’s, but trainer Richard “Nifty” Norman and his staff might even peg their frustration level a little higher than Kerwood’s.
“It’s been a real test because we’ve tried so many combinations of equipment trying to get her to calm down and it’s just been trial and error and trial and error and finally we think, we think, we might have it,” said Norman. “I’ve got to give Scotty (Petherick), my second trainer, all the credit because he’s the one that’s been doing the messing and the trialing and erroring and stuff. So the whole credit’s got to go to him, he’s done a good job with her.”
Like Jamieson and Jula Shes Magic, driver Trevor Henry left smartly from post 5 with Wine Rack Hanover and was able to drop into third behind the fans’ top choices Winter Olympics and Sheer Energy. Winter Olympics led the field through fractions of :27.3, :58 and 1:27.4, but failed to find a bigger gear in the stretch. Sheer Energy tipped out of the pocket heading by the three-quarters and Wine Rack Hanover was able to sprint between the two favourites and on to a four and three-quarter length victory in a personal best 1:56. Alpina closed well to be second and Sheer Energy finished third.
Wine Rack Hanover also won a Grassroots division at Georgian Downs on July 14 and finished seventh and third in her other two Gold Series starts. The Kadabra daughter also tried her hand in the Champlain Stakes, but made an early break and repeated that in a Sept. 9 overnight event, forcing her to requalify on Sept. 17.
“She’s really nice to be around, and jogs fine, and you can train her on her own and she’s fine, but from Day 1 you put her in behind a horse and she’s tried to run it over,” said Norman. “She’s got a great gait and she’s got a bit of speed, and finally, maybe she’s getting her brain to work with her gait.
“I mean the trip worked out great, everything worked out in her favour, but she was very strong down to the wire,” said Norman, who trains the filly for Pinske Stables and Bridgette Jablonsky. “And credit to Trevor (Henry), he’s persevered with her too. He’s been trying to help us and trying to get her to behave.”
Norman said Wine Rack Hanover will compete in the last regular season event at Flamboro Downs on Oct. 2, while Kerwood said she and Jula Shes Magic’s owners will make that decision on Wednesday or Thursday.
Gold Series action continues at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Thursday evening with a single division for both the three-year-old trotting colts and three-year-old trotting fillies. The fillies will compete in Race 5 on the 7:10 p.m. program, while the colts battle in Race 7.
(Ontario Sires Stakes)
To view Tuesday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Tuesday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.