Whenever anyone is making their swan song in their respective vocation, they want to go out on top. Trot Insider has learned that is exactly what Top Expectations did last week at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Trot Insider has learned that Top Expectations, who just participated in her fiftieth career race last week at Woodbine Mohawk Park, has been retired from the racetrack. Plans are in place to see the career winner of $532,677 in purses bred to Muscle Hill.
Owner Daniel Plouffe of Bromont, Que. acquired the daughter of Cantab Hall as a yearling in the fall of 2016. Since then, the $120,000 Lexington Selected purchase has hit the board in 30 of her 50 starts, as she has tallied 16 wins, 10 second-place finishes and notched four thirds. The bay lowered her mark to 1:51.1 this year down at the Meadowlands Racetrack.
Top Expectations' biggest career highlights came during her juvenile campaign. She took home a $125,000 cheque late in her two-year-old season when she captured her Kentucky Sire Stakes final down at the Red Mile in Kentucky. She followed that up by recording a win in a division of the Bluegrass Stakes and a close second-place finish in a split of the International Stallion Stakes.
Top Expectations, pictured victorious at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Top Expectations, who is a full sister to My MVP, made the majority of her starts south of the border for Plouffe. She had been particularly stellar at Woodbine Mohawk Park as of late, as she recorded five wins in the preferred and conditioned ranks since September 30.
Daniel and Alexandra conveyed to Trot Insider that they would like to give their thanks to the trainers that conditioned Top Expectations throughout her career, Erv Miller, Mark Silva and Ben Baillargeon.
Now, back to going out on top.
The betting public had a lot of faith in Top Expectations, despite her outside starting spot, in Woodbine Mohawk Park’s $34,000 Preferred Handicap Trot on December 16. When all was said and done, the classy mare capped her racing career off in style.
Sylvain Filion got away fifth with Baillargeon-trained lass while Hemi Seelster motored to the lead and carved out fractions of :27.1, :56.3 and 1:25. Top Expectations popped off the rail and came first over on the way to the half, and she was second and driving while racing on the rim at the three-quarters pole.
Top Expectations sustained her drive and kicked home in :28 to win by one and one-half lengths over stablemate P L Jill in a sharp clocking of 1:53.2. Hemi Seelster finished third in the nine-horse affair.