Tight finishes in Pop-Up Series finals

The conclusions of a pair of harness racing Pop-Up Series at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Thursday (Nov. 17) produced close contests, with a favourite and longshot both winning in photo finishes.

12-1 outsider Cocktail Carol (Believeinbruiser, Sylvain Filion) sat sixth for much of the way, flushing out double cover as the field headed to three-quarters. Filion kept her on the helmet until deep-stretch, when she shifted out and surged to victory by a neck over the late-closing Sunburnt (Jody Jamieson) in 1:55.3.

Sunburnt lunged at the pylons to take second. Mending Fences (Doug McNair) finished third.

COCKTAIL CAROL REPLAY

Cocktail Carol had finished fifth and fourth in the first two legs of the pacing series with similar trips. The win was her second in 26 career starts and came with a new lifetime mark. Louie Eftimiadis trains the homebred for Gerald Mijal of Westland.

Brash Lady (Royalty For Life, Bob McClure) braved the snowstorm first-up to take over entering the final turn and held on by a head on tired legs over Zip Me Up (Louis-Philippe Roy) in 1:58.4. Make It Easy (James MacDonald) was third.

BRASH LADY REPLAY

It was the third straight week that Brash Lady crossed the line first; she was denied a trotting series sweep by a disqualification in the second leg. Those two wins were her first in her nine tries to date. She has earned $31,240 for owner/breeders Thomas and Elizabeth Rankin of St. Catherines. Shane Weber trains the three-year-old mare.

Both series were for four-year-olds and younger which has not won a race. The former for pacers was restricted to fillies and mares.

Woodbine Mohawk Park will continue racing on Friday, Nov. 18 at 7:00 p.m. EST.

For complete race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink