Mare beats boys in first Open victory

P L Opportunity (Kadabra) nailed Pikachu Hanover at the wire for her first top-level victory at Woodbine Mohawk Park in Monday’s $38,500 Open Trot.

She reached the front swiftly from post six and led into the first turn before Pikachu Hanover (Louis-Philippe Roy) strode past at the quarter in :27.1. Trevor Henry kept P L Opportunity bottled up through :55.3 and 1:23.4 middle fractions and was rewarded with room at the pylons as the field entered the stretch.

Pikachu Hanover and P L Opportunity matched flat-out strides down the lane and hit the line together in 1:52.2. The outstretched nose of P L Opportunity created a miniscule gap in the photo and gave her the victory.

Patriarch Hanover (Doug McNair) finished third. The winner provided a 5-1 upset.

P L OPPORTUNITY REPLAY

The mile time was a career best for P L Opportunity – a solid sweetener to go with her first Open win. She debuted last season at three for owner/trainer Matt Dupuis, winning seven times including the Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots Final. She has now had her picture taken 11 times in 24 lifetime tries and has earned $172,444 in earnings.

Woodbine Mohawk Park also hosted two splits of the Grassroots second leg for two-year-old trotting fillies.

The Ballykeel Deal (Wheeling N Dealin) exacted revenge for her debut loss with a late-closing victory in the first division for driver James MacDonald. She surged past Angelic Kt (Archangel, Chris Christoforou) and Sister Twister (Prestidigitator, Henry), who were second and third, respectively.

THE BALLYKEEL DEAL

Josh McKibbin trains The Ballykeel Deal, a homebred for the Tillsonburg-based Ballykeel Racing Inc. She is out of Majestic Son mare Ballykeel Majestic, who also foaled six-figure earner Los Ballykeelamigo.

Lucy Who, also by Wheeling N Dealin, was in another world in the second division. The debuting filly, under orders from Jean Bernard Renaud, marched from third to first on the way to three-quarters and streaked away to score by 12-and-a-quarter lengths in 2:00.1. Match Meif You Can (Resolve, Matthew Bax) caught Cunning Connie (Muscle Mass, MacDonald) for place.

LUCY WHO REPLAY

The Julie Walker-trained Lucy Who proved wrong much of the public who sent her off at 13-1. Murray Bradshaw of Wilsonville owns and bred the filly who is now the first winner out of unraced Angus Hall mare Jayport Destiny.

Woodbine Mohawk Park continues racing on Tuesday, Jul. 12. The card features rookie trotting fillies in two Ontario Sires Stakes Gold divisions totaling $204,400 in purses. Four Grassroots contests will also go to post.

For complete OSS standings, click here.

For complete race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink