Grassroots colts clash before Mohawk cancels

Woodbine Mohawk Park ended its Saturday (Jul. 15) card of harness racing after four dashes due to a heavy downpour before the fifth race.

Both Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots events on the program, divisions of the first leg for freshman trotters, went forward before the cancellation.

Coppereagle (Muscle Mass) took the first division in a nailbiter on his career debut. He was third over for James MacDonald turning for home and exploded from four lengths back at the eighth pole. He hunted down Come On Stanley (Jody Jamieson), who had taken a two-length lead in mid-stretch, nipping him by a nose at the line to score in 1:59.2.

Tymal Loverboy (Jason Gilchrist) was third.

COPPEREAGLE REPLAY

Stephen Bossence trains Coppereagle, whom the No One Knows Us Stable bought for $70,000 at the Harrisburg sale. The colt is the second foal and first starter out of the Cantab Hall mare Pistol Penny.

North Of Nine (Royalty For Life) earned a perfect 10 in his second start in the other split. Tyler Borth fed the colt the lead, rated him through the middle panels against no pressure, and got him home over Alexander (MacDonald) in 1:59.2. Alexander was a closing second, three-quarters-of-a-length adrift. Stomper Tom (Brett MacDonald) finished third.

NORTH OF NINE REPLAY

North Of Nine is now one-for-two lifetime for trainer Keith Jones. The colt went for $27,000 at the London Classic sale. Douglas McCarthy of Holland Landing owns the freshman out of the unraced Windsongs Legacy mare Bedtime Song.

The next leg for the freshman colt trotters is set for Jul. 30 at Georgian Downs.

Live racing will continue on Monday, Jul. 17 at Woodbine Mohawk Park at 7:00 p.m. EDT.

For complete race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink