On Thursday, March 5, Woodbine Entertainment proudly revealed the names of the nine slot owners for the inaugural Mohawk Million, which will be contested on Saturday, September 26 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
A total of nine slots were available for purchase at the cost of $110,000 (USD) for entry in the Mohawk Million. The deadline to purchase a slot passed on February 18, 2020 with all slots sold. The tenth and final slot in the $1 million (USD) race for two-year-old trotters will be awarded to the winner of the William Wellwood Memorial on September 12, 2020.
The Mohawk Million will become harness racing’s richest race for two-year-olds.
The nine slot owners for the inaugural Mohawk Million are listed below.
Brad Grant
Courant Inc. (Anders Ström)
Determination (Serge Godin)
Diamond Creek Racing (Adam Bowden)
Dreamland Farms (Gina Ghent)
Fashion Farms (Jules Siegel)
Glengate Farms (Jim Bullock)
Jeffrey Snyder
John Fielding
The owners of the slots are not required to declare a two-year-old trotter for the race until entry time (September 22, 2020) and the slot is an entity that may be sold, traded or subject to lease.
“As a racetrack operator and industry leader, we can create the opportunity, but without the investment and commitment from leading owners, this exciting event wouldn’t be possible,” said Jim Lawson, CEO of Woodbine Entertainment. “Thanks again to all of the owners who purchased a slot.”
The Mohawk Million will take place along with the $850,000 Metro Pace for two-year-old pacers on September 26, 2020, putting the sport’s two richest races for freshmen on the same card.
“The month of September at Woodbine Mohawk Park will be must-see racing as we reach the height of our lucrative stakes program,” said Lawson. “We take pride in being able to offer industry-leading events and look forward to hosting the best young Standardbreds at our facility.”
The $550,000 Shes A Great Lady for two-year-old pacing fillies will also take place during the Mohawk Million card, which will feature total purses of more than $2.7 million.
Fans can track the march to the Mohawk Million by following @WoodbineSB on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The official hashtag of harness racing’s newest million-dollar event is #MohawkMillion.
A profile of each Mohawk Million slot owner is available below.
Brad Grant
It’s been a tremendous run of success in recent years for Canadian trucking magnate Brad Grant. The Milton, Ontario resident has led all Woodbine owners in wins since 2016 and has become one of the most prominent and successful owners in the entire sport. Grant was introduced to harness racing by his father, John, a member of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame, who owned a farm and breeding operation in nearby Hornby, Ontario. Grant followed his father’s footsteps by launching his own trucking company, Active Transport, in the 1980s and later purchased John Grant Haulage from his father. Grant’s involvement in sports included a successful 15-year run as owner of the Milton Merchants Jr. Hockey Club, which won multiple championships. Grant’s investment in harness racing has grown since the devasting 2016 Classy Lane Stables barn fire that took the life of his millionaire pacer Apprentice Hanover. Grant immediately purchased several horses for his trainer, including eventual millionaire Easy Lover Hanover. A major player on the Grand Circuit, Grant has owned superstars such as 2018 Hambletonian champion Atlanta and Breeders Crown winner Stay Hungry. A member of the Milton District Hospital Foundation board of directors, Grant was recognized with the 2019 USHWA Humanitarian Award after using his horse’s earnings to raise funds for the Humboldt Broncos bus crash victims.
Courant Inc. (Anders Ström)
The Swedish-born horseman behind Courant Inc. deserves straight ‘A’s for his trio of ‘G’s,’ namely, Gimpanzee (co-owns with SRF Stable), Greenshoe, and Green Manalishi S. Ström’s Courant Inc., which teams with individual partners on numerous horses, watched his fearsome threesome trot their way to stardom – with trainer Marcus Melander orchestrating their campaigns – in the three-year-old colt ranks last year, as they combined to earn over $3 million in 2019. The trotting titans were three reasons, albeit big ones, behind Courant Inc. receiving 2019 Owner of the Year honours, as selected by the United States Harness Writers' Association. With just 16 starters, Courant and partners posted $3.9 million in earnings, good enough to place them in the top 10 in the North American rankings. Courant, which recently spent over $1.6 million at the yearling sales in Lexington and Harrisburg, also remains a major force in Sweden and in France.
Determination (Serge Godin)
Information-technology mogul Serge Godin has enjoyed major success in both the business world and Standardbred racing. In 2013, Godin was seeking a private trainer to take over his Determination stable, and opted for conditioner Luc Blais. Last year, the duo celebrated Hambletonian glory when Forbidden Trade took the iconic race, with Bob McClure in the sulky. The son of Kadabra was named Canada’s Horse of the Year and Three-Year-Old Trotter of the Year, both in 2019. The now-retired Intimidate delivered Godin (who co-owned with Judy Farrow) and Blais stirring scores in both the Breeders Crown (2012) and Maple Leaf Trot (2014). Founding the CGI Group in 1976, Godin, in 2016, was elevated from a member of the Order of Canada to an officer.
Diamond Creek Racing (Adam Bowden)
Adam Bowden established Diamond Creek Farm in 2005 at the age of 24, with the vision of creating a breeding operation that focused on influential bloodlines and producing quality horses for the sales ring and racetrack. Introduced to racing by his father and grandfather at a young age, Bowden pursued his passion immediately following graduation from college. Diamond Creek opened for business in Kentucky during the fall of 2005 and expanded its operation to Pennsylvania in 2012. Diamond Creek’s racing side has owned multiple champions, including Creatine and Pure Country. The Diamond Creek stallion roster is an impressive collection of superstars, including World Champion pacer Always B Miki and two-time Breeders Crown champion trotter Father Patrick.
Dreamland Farms (Gina Ghent)
Gina Ghent has taken the reins of running the day-to-day operation of Dreamland Farms, a picturesque 105-acre property found in Cream Ridge, New Jersey. The farm was built nearly 30 years ago by Ghent’s uncle and longtime Standardbred racing figure, David Molski, a hands-on horse owner and breeder who enjoyed a great passion for the sport. When Molski was killed in a single-car accident in 2007, his wife, Clara, took charge of Dreamland. One of the couple’s first broodmares was a Big Towner mare, Breeders Crown champion Hardie Hanover, whom the couple bought at the Standardbred Horse Sale at Harrisburg. After Clara’s recent passing, Ghent picked up the torch, determined to carry on the traditions and values associated with the farm. “She always told me, ‘You’ll know what do,’” said Ghent, of her aunt and godmother. “This was her dreamland.”
Fashion Farms (Jules Siegel)
Hall of Famer Jules Siegel’s Fashion Farms has been a powerhouse in both racing and breeding for multiple decades. A retired pharmacist who operated a successful chain of drug stores, Jules and his late-wife Arlene established Fashion Farms in New Hope, Pennsylvania in 1984. After selling his drug store chain in 1995, Jules Siegel acquired first-rate broodmares, bred them to top sires to produce successful racehorses, then retained the mares for future breeding, building success upon success. The 1995 Hambletonian champion Tagliabue provided Siegel with his first of many award-winning trotters and pacers, including Galleria, Broadway Hall, Village Jolt, Broadway Schooner and Broadway Donna. Siegel has been recognized with several top honours during his time in racing, including being named the recipient of the United States Harness Writers Association’s Owner of the Year award in 2002 and 2009. Siegel became a member of the U.S. Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 2017.
Glengate Farms (Jim Bullock)
It was over 10 years ago when Jim Bullock shuttered the doors on Glengate Farms as a commercial breeding operation. One of the largest of its kind in Ontario, Glengate was home to all-star stallions Angus Hall, Apaches Farm and Balanced Image. While he remained in the sport after the closure of Glengate, Bullock’s passion for Standardbreds and Standardbred racing led him to renovate a Thoroughbred farm close to the Town of Erin, a spot he purchased a few years back, using it to build up a strong trotting broodmare band (there is room on the farm for nearly 40 broodmares). Friend and racing partner John Bax purchased the original Glengate Farm to be closer to Woodbine Mohawk Park. Bullock was president and CEO of Cadillac Fairview Corporation between 1987 and 1993 and held the same title at Laidlaw Inc. from 1993 to 1999. He is also a former board member at Woodbine Entertainment Group.
Jeffrey Snyder
Manhattan-based businessman Jeffrey Snyder is one of harness racing’s most prolific owners, who holds the record for most wins by an owner in Pepsi North America Cup history with four. Snyder’s rise to the top of sport began in 1994 with Horse of the Year Cams Card Shark. Never afraid to make a statement at the yearling sales, Snyder has had tremendous success with high-priced purchases, such as Rocknroll Hanover, Royalflush Hanover, Village Jolt and Well Said. Snyder has also hit the jackpot on multiple occasions with broodmare Michelles Jackpot, who has provided the New York native with homebred champions Michelles Power and Michaels Power.
John Fielding
One of horse racing’s most impactful and accomplished figures, John Fielding grew up in Toronto riding the streetcar with his brother to Greenwood Raceway where their passion for the sport first began. Fielding was introduced to harness racing by his father and owned his first Standardbred at just 16. Now, he is one of the highest profile and successful names in harness racing, a two-time owner of the year, whose star pupils include Pinkman, Father Patrick, Shake It Cerry, Maven, and 2018 Hambletonian Oaks winner, $2.2 million earner, Manchego. Fielding, who has won over 20 Breeders’ Crown races, has also enjoyed success with Thoroughbreds. In the late ‘90s, Fielding met Standardbred and Thoroughbred breeder Fred Hertrich at a Standardbred sale at Woodbine. They recorded their first win as breeders in the 2017 Thoroughbred World Championships when ‘TDN Rising Star’ Rushing Fall won the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. Fielding, founder of Array Marketing, a leading global provider of retail merchandising solutions, has been on the board at Woodbine Entertainment Group since 2004, and as a director since 2015.
(Woodbine Mohawk Park)