Need To Breathe back on top in close Preferred

Need To Breathe (Riggins) resumed her winning ways on Friday (Jan. 27) at Woodbine Mohawk Park with a photo-finish win in the $30,000 Fillies and Mares Preferred.

Travis Cullen dropped her in the pocket behind the mare who ended her three race winning streak the week prior, Western Wish (Austin Sorrie). None of the five horses behind the leader made a move into the blizzard through :29, :57.2, and 1:24.3 panels, and Western Wish turned for home on top.

Need To Breathe left the pylons at the head of the stretch and bore down on Western Wish as they headed for home. Need To Breathe made the most of the final strides, surging to put her nose in front and take back the Fillies and Mares Preferred crown in 1:53.1.

Dabarndawgswatchin (Louis-Philippe Roy) came on late for third.

NEED TO BREATHE REPLAY

Need To Breath is now 12-for-37 lifetime and has earned $323,125. She was last season’s Indiana Sires Stakes champion in the three-year-old pacing filly division. Jodie Cullen trains the four-year-old for A1stable of Dundas, Paul Sanders of Surrey, and Blair Kidd of Miniota.

The card also saw the beginning of the Snowshoe Pacing Series for three- and four-year-old colts and geldings.

The Manitoba-owned Emmetts Buddy (In The Irons) exploded out of the pocket in late-stretch to take the opening division in 1:52.3, a fifth of a second short of his lifetime best. He also survived an inquiry into the stretch drive. Roy steered the four-year-old gelding for trainer Michael Kwietniowski and owner/breeder Arthur Rey. Last Beach (Doug McNair) was beaten a neck after cutting the mile. Full Disclosure (Ondrej Gois) finished third.

EMMETTS BUDDY REPLAY

Camara Moment (Control The Moment), winner of December’s Valedictory Series, captured the other division in 1:54.4 with Doug McNair in the bike for Richard Moreau. It was the four-year-old’s seventh career win. Mickey Sudar, Brenton Harris, and James Borke own the gelding. Ontop Rainman (Mike Whelan) took place. Dont Poke The Bear (Jonathan Drury) was third.

CAMARA MOMENT REPLAY

The Snowshoe Series will continue on Friday, Feb. 3 and conclude with a $30,000A final on Friday, Feb. 10.

Woodbine Mohawk Park will end its week with a 12-race program on Saturday, Jan. 28 featuring Canada’s best free-for-all pacers in the $34,000 Preferred.

For complete race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink