The countdown is on for this year’s OSS Super Finals, and Monday night was crunch night as many of the program’s stars were on the lookout for some late-season points leading up to that rich night of racing.
L A Delight certainly wasn’t one those horses looking for any points – she has more than enough. That didn’t stop her from bolstering her already impressive totals as she dominated a field of seven in her $105,000 OSS Gold Series division for two-year-old pacing fillies.
Free Show made the lead and chopped out the opening quarter in :27.1 before coughing up the top spot to L A Delight and Randy Waples. The Bob McIntosh miss cleared without a tussle and took the field through middle splits of :56.4 and 1:26.1 before using a :27.2 closing panel to win – despite suffering broken equipment - by 1-1/2 lengths over Free Show in 1:53.3. Twin B Thong rounded out the top three finishers.
It was the tenth straight victory for the homebred daughter of Bettors Delight-West Of L A. The career winner of $579,335 is owned by Robert McIntosh Stables Inc, C S X Stables and Al McIntosh Holdings Inc.
Good Will Hanover was a down-the-road winner in the second division in a career-best clocking of 1:52.3. Paul MacDonell hustled the Dr. Ian Moore trainee to the lead from Post 4 and the youngster led the way through fractions of :27, :56.2 and 1:24.4 before finishing off the competition with a :27.4 closing panel. She won by 3-1/4 lengths over Heavenly Hill. Taking home third prize was Maniana.
The daughter of Big Jim-Go For Best now boasts a 4-2-0 record from just six trips to the track for GLB Stable of Lakeview, NS. The $52,500 payday helped her bankroll to $163,095.
Three-year-old trotting colts and geldings sparred in a trio of $70,000 divisions during Monday evening’s card, with the first division going to the Julie Walker-trained Rubber Duck in 1:54.4. Jack Moiseyev got away fourth with the gelding while Olympic Son and race favourite Luck O The Irish took turns on the lead through fractions of :28 and :57. Rubber Duck was first-over and pressing Luck O The Irish going into the final turn, and there wasn’t much separating those two at the three-quarter pole in 1:25.4. Rubber Duck used a :29-second kicker to win by 4-1/4 lengths over Winning Wizard, while Luck O The Irish weakened late and had to settle for the show dough.
Sent off at odds of 7-1, the son of Muscle Mass-Ringside Rosie improved his 2015 record to 3-1-4 from 13 starts with the win. The $35,000 payday bumped his bankroll to $156,296. He is owned by Blair and Erna Corbeil of Beaumont, AB.
Setanta went to the front and didn’t look back en route to a 1:55.2 score in the second division for driver Steve Condren. The gelding, who was making his debut on Lasix, carved out splits of :27.2, :57 and 1:26.2 before kicking home in a :29-second clip to seal the deal by half a length over race favourite Muscle Up The Goal. Taking home third prize was the late-rushing Stormont Wizard.
Trainer Alan Richardson co-owns the homebred with Jeff Ruch of Innisfil, ON. Together, they’ve watched the son of Kadabra-Fighting Irish assemble a 3-2-2 record from 14 trips to the track this season. His $35,000 share of the loot bumped his overall cash stash to $84,760.
Dont Rush survived a first-over journey for driver Chris Christoforou and took home the hardware in the final division. Hemi Seelster stole away with sensible fractions of :28, :58 and 1:26.3, but he couldn’t fend off late pressure from Dont Rush. The Dustin Jones pupil came first-over past the half and wore down Hemi Seelster en route to the quarter of a length decision over that foe. Caulfield was third.
The homebred son of Infinitif-Color Me Pretty won for the fourth time this season for Dustin Jones Stables Inc of Waterdown and Greg Judson of Athens, ON. The eight-time winner has stashed away close to $460,000 to date.
To view results for Monday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Monday Results – Mohawk Racetrack.