Filion fires for six

Harness racing driver Sylvain Filion swept the Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots third leg at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Friday (Jul. 15) as part of a six-win performance.

He hustled Resolving (Resolve) to the lead in the first Grassroots division for three-year-old trotting fillies and let the Robert Don Fellows trainee do the work. The filly powered to a new mark of 1:54.3 in her third lifetime victory for owners N. Yolanda Fellows, Blair Corbeil, and Edward Wilson.

RESOLVING REPLAY

Filion then gave Stormont Molly (Angus Hall) no excuses in the second division with a pocket steer, and the filly capitalized for a lifetime-best 1:54.4 win. The Stormont Meadows homebred is perfect through the first three Grassroots legs for trainer Kevin Benn.

STORMONT MOLLY REPLAY

The driver earned his first of six wins in the second race with Best Keepsake (Betterthancheddar). The four-year-old mare suffered a third-quarter shuffle to fifth but rallied past three rivals in the stretch to score by a neck in 1:51.2. Anthony Beaton trains the mare and co-owns her with David Mercer, an Alberta numbered company, and Michael Lindley.

BEST KEEPSAKE REPLAY

Filion guided Century Gigalo (Sunshine Beach) through a hard-fought front-end victory in the fourth race. The five-year-old gelding went toe-to-toe with Rockinmydream (Trevor Henry) and shrugged off the challenge to win in 1:52.1. The gelding recorded a new lifetime best as he was claimed for the second week in a row. Joe Carnovale will be the new owner.

CENTURY GIGALO REPLAY

Voelz Delight (Bettors Delight) went coast-to-coast in the ninth to give her regular driver Filion his fifth of the evening. The OSS Gold-winning mare was clocked in a lifetime-best 1:51. Benoit Baillargeon trains her for breeder/owner Richard Berthiaume.

VOELZ DELIGHT REPLAY

Julerica (American Ideal) rewarded the reinsman for a pocket trip with his sixth win of the evening. The gelding paced hard down the lane to beat Speaking Of Art (Travis Cullen) in a 1:51.3 victory. Richard Moreau conditions the Brandon Chiarot-owned 10-year-old.

JULERICA REPLAY

Mia Culpa (Shadow Play) completed a Pop-Up Series sweep, shifting three-wide on the final turn for Louis-Philippe Roy and surging late past Custard Lite (Doug McNair) in the final. Tuggingoncredit (Trevor Henry) finished third.

MIA CULPA REPLAY

It was the 13th career win in 80 starts for Mia Culpa. The five-year-old has amassed a $215,613 bankroll. Jean Tourigny trains the mare for Roland Trudel and Andre Lagare.

The next Woodbine Mohawk Park features five OSS Grassroots dashes on a 12-race program beginning at 7:00 p.m. EDT.

For complete race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink