Driver Doug McNair got longshot Windor home in the $159,745 Champlain Stakes and teamed Crack Shot to a commanding victory in the $80,062 Simcoe Stakes first division, the highlights of a five-win evening for the reinsman on Saturday, Sept. 6 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Windor scored a 29-1 upset in the lone dash of the Grade 3 Champlain Stakes as the third-longest shot on the board when persevering through a first-over trip to clinch the win in a 1:51.2 mile.
Odds-on favourite Tilthecowscomehome (Jody Jamieson) swooped for the lead out of post six as Sweet Lovin Lou (James MacDonald) grinded forward on the outside to take point past a :27.1 first quarter. Tilthecowscomehome circled back to the front on the backstretch and took the field by the half in :55.4, where Doug McNair readied Windor for a first-up blitz on the far turn.
Windor steadily gained ground on the march to three-quarters in 1:24.2. Tilthecowscomehome quickened in the lane, but Windor kept clawing to the outside and successfully powered by for a neck win in the closing strides. Sweet Lovin Lou gave pursuit from a locked pocket in third.
“He’s been top three with [Tilthecowscomehome and Beau Jangles] all year and never had any luck,” trainer Mike Vanderkemp said after the race. “He’s been first-up, he got his wheel hooked one night, and he had a tough first quarter last week and still had go on the end.
"I was happy we got a clear run at them. I wasn’t worried about the first-over; he doesn’t really get tired.”
A homebred colt by Bulldog Hanover-Winx for owner Dianna Secord of Fergus, Ont., Windor collected his second win from eight starts and has now earned $141,930. Windor returned $61.30 to win.
McNair teamed up with his father, trainer Gregg McNair, to win with Crack Shot, who cruised as the 1-9 choice to a 1:51 win in the first division of the Simcoe.
Doug McNair gathered speed from post seven with Crack Shot and fired him past Sterling Choice to take the lead into a :26.2 first quarter. Crack Shot coasted up the backside with no challengers incoming and snagged a breather to a :55.4 half, at which point Welcometotheshow (Josert Fonseca) began an uncovered bid out of fifth and pushed forward through the turn to reach the leader’s wheel passing three-quarters in 1:24. McNair gave the chalk his cue to sprint spinning for home, and Crack Shot easily peeled away from the competition while drifting off the pylons to register a 4-1/2-length win over pocket-sitter Sterling Choice (Billy Davis Jr.) in second. Control Rocks (Tyler Borth) was third.
Gregg McNair of Guelph, Ont. co-owns Crack Shot, a son of Bettors Delight-Beautyonthebeach, alongside Dale Hunter of London, Ont., Frank Brundle of East Garafraxa, Ont. and George Kerr of Gowanstown, Ont. The colt won his fourth race from 12 starts this season and his ninth race from 20 starts in his career, good for $514,160 in earnings. He paid $2.30 to win.
Doug McNair's quintuple on the 12-race card also included a victory with Taurasi in the overnight feature, the $30,000 Preferred 2 Pace. McNair sent his regular drive to the top from post four, and Taurasi set the fractions of :26.2, :55.3, and 1:22.3 before digging in to hold off Century Komodo (Jamieson) by a head and Dublin Dasher (Travis Cullen) by a neck in 1:49.3. The win was the 27th in 76 career starts for Taurasi ($11.80), a son of Racing Hill-Voluminous who has now earned $823,124. Gregg McNair trains the six-year-old for Brad Grant and Alagna Racing LLC.
Doug McNair's other driving wins came with Write Me A Rose ($5.70) and Eternal Delight ($4.70).
In the $79,062 second division of the Simcoe, Ayeaye Captain Deo lifted off cover in the stretch and held firm to post a 1:50.1 win.
Fifth And Five (Jody Jamieson) rushed outside of Joel And The Jets (Bob McClure) for the top into a :26.1 first quarter as D A Love Boat pressed forward outside. D A Love Boat (Doug McNair) crossed to the lead moving for the backstretch, and Fifth And Five promptly pulled outside to retake command well before a :55 half.
As action settled towards the front, Boxer Seelster (Trevor Henry) tipped first-up out of fourth with Ayeaye Captain Deo (James MacDonald) in tow rounding the final turn. Boxer Seelster increased pressure on Fifth And Five coming off three-quarters in 1:22.4 and grabbed a narrow lead in the lane as Ayeaye Captain Deo kicked off cover. Within a few strides, Ayeaye Captain Deo built momentum and towered past Boxer Seelster to hit the front in mid-stretch while Joel And The Jets emerged out of a shuffle with a late rush to the centre of the track. Ayeaye Captain Deo withstood the late sweep from Joel And The Jets to win by a half-length with Boxer Seelster back in third.
“We went to Kentucky and just the shipping and stuff to Oak Grove took its toll on him; he’s not used to a long ship,” trainer Garry Merner said after the race. “I think he got a little sick. He had a little trouble with his blood and he lost a bunch of weight. I decided to take the horse home – I went down and raced him myself in the last start and he was real ordinary. So I decided to take him home and give him a month to try and freshen him up and get him in the right direction. I was very happy with the way he raced last week against the older horses and tonight I was glad he came back and raced good again.
“He’s still not a hundred per cent – he’s at about 85 per cent right now. I’ve never seen him tired. I’ve seen him where he’ll wait on horses, but he doesn’t usually get tired."
Gino Toscani of Mount Hope, Ont. owns Ayeaye Captain Deo, a colt by Captaintreacherous-Oceania who has now won five races from 11 starts this season and is seven-for-19 lifetime with $286,758 in earnings in his coffers. Ayeaye Captain Deo paid $3.60 to win.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click the following link: Saturday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
(With files from Woodbine; photo of Crack Shot winning on Sept. 6)