Caught behind dull cover and on the right line, driver Yannick Gingras maneuvered 1-5 favourite Ready For Moni to the center of the track and strode to a 1:52.1 victory in the $215,000 Goodtimes Trot on Saturday (Sept. 5) at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Hayek hustled to the lead with Hollywood Story tucking into the pocket moving to a :27.1 first quarter. Jula Trix Treasure into the backside angled first over from third, supplying cover to HP Royal Theo and Ready For Moni, who briefly ducked back to the pylons before tipping back outside. Though Jula Trix Treasure only gained slight ground as Hayek sped to the half in :55.3 before opening his margin into the far turn.
Past three-quarters in 1:23.4, Hayek began to shorten stride. HP Royal Theo swept off cover three wide to take a short lead from his stablemate with Ready For Moni bearing down to his outside. By the eighth pole Ready For Moni slid to the front—still leaning on the right line—and expanded his lead to the finish chased by Hot Wheelz in second, HP Royal Theo in third and Capricornus in fourth.
“I would have like to be closer to the front,” Gingras said after the race. “I don’t know why my horse today was on the right line—he’s never done that really. He was on the right line like something was wrong equipment wise. I brought him back to the paddock before the race, we looked it over and everything was perfectly fine. I’m not sure what the reason was.
“I had a really hard time moving him wide,” Gingras also said. “In the backstretch I was worried because I could barely get him into the two-wide path. But at the top of the stretch I forced him, and that’s the difference between Ready For Moni this year than last year. Last year no doubt he would’ve made a miscue, but tonight he’s just all professional. He’s just a nice horse and beautiful to drive.”
Owned by John Fielding and Herb Liverman, Ready For Moni won his fifth race from six starts this season and his ninth from 14 overall, earning $896,020. Nancy Takter trains the Ready Cash colt who paid $2.40 to win.
The Goodtimes Trot was one of the handful of major stakes events on the Saturday card at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Recaps from the other races are available at the following links:
To view the results from Saturday's card of harness racing at Woodbine Mohawk Park, click the following link: Saturday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.