Great Britain import takes first Canadian win

Great Britain import Teatimepreacher Gb scored her first harness racing win in Canada in Woodbine Mohawk Park‘s co-featured condition pace event on Friday, Mar. 5.

The seven-year-old went right to the motor for driver Bob McClure, setting a 27.2 first quarter. Team Kiwi N (Doug McNair) drove on and took the lead briefly going by three-eighths, but Teatimepreacher went right back around and cleared going to the half in 56. Kounnis (Sylvain Fillion) moved out of the three-hole and applied pressure going past the three-quarters in 1:25.1, but Teatimepreacher turned her away as they entered the stretch.

McClure needed only mild urging to get the daughter of The Preacher Man home as she cruised to a one-length win. Team Kiwi N consolidated second, and Nectar (Robert Shepherd) closed late for third.

Teatimepreacher took her 13th victory from 29 starts and surpassed $30,000 in earnings lifetime with the win. Colin Johnson has taken over training duties during the mare’s Canadian campaign for owner Raymond Huschka of Penrith Cumbria, Great Britain. She went off as the heavy favourite and paid $3.20 to win.

Earlier in the card, Born A Dragon gained four positions in the last eighth of a mile to win the other co-feature pace.

Driver Travis Cullen dropped her into fourth from post five through the first turn as Major League N (Ed Hensley) controlled the pace early. Major League hit the quarter in 26.4 and half in 55.3. Meanwhile, Born A Dragon stepped around a gapping Majestic Virgin to move up to third. Major League led past three-quarters in a speedy 1:23.2 as the top five contenders separated themselves from the bottom three.

Born A Dragon, who was shuffled back to fifth in the third quarter, stalled upon first asking from Cullen. However, she exploded in the last 1/16th of a mile and got up with half a length to spare to win in 1:52.2. She broke the heart of place finisher Sly Elanor N (Chris Christoforou), who took over the lead just past the eighth pole but couldn’t hold onto it. Bestseller Hanover (Louis-Philippe Roy) converted a pocket trip into show money.

Born A Dragon, a six-year-old mare by Custard The Dragon, took her first win of 2021 and her 17th lifetime from 74 starts. Cullen and Paul Sanders of Surrey own the Jodie Cullen-trained mare that has now earned more than $165,000.

Woodbine Mohawk Park will resume racing on Saturday, Mar. 6 with a 10-race card that kicks off at 7 p.m. EST.

For full race results, click here.