Soaring Pemberton takes $32,000 Mohawk Preferred

Pemberton (Wheeling N Dealin) was back at his best on Monday (Aug. 28) at Woodbine Mohawk Park with a come-from-behind harness racing win in the $32,000 Preferred-2 Trot.

The gelding was effectively last through the first three quarters, trailing all but one off-stride rival. Paul Walker right-lined him into the outside flow as the field traveled to the last turn, and the gelding began to pick off rivals in mid-stretch.

His late speed showed most in the late stages as he flew to nab the three-abreast leaders under the shadow of the wire in 1:52.2.

Perfetto (Dagfin Henriksen) was nipped by a head but held second by a similarly fine margin over Patriarch Hanover (Doug McNair).

PEMBERTON REPLAY

The win was Pemberton’s first in a top-level open event. The 2020 Ontario Sires Stakes Champion was injured after his rookie season at three and spent much of 2022 on the comeback trail. His career record is now 13-for-31 with $463,179. Walker trains the six-year-old for Brenda Walker of Owen Sound and Christine Walker of Tara.

Of the 12 races at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Monday, nine were Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots events. Five divisions made up the fourth leg for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings, and their filly counterparts needed four groups. T H Mcmurry highlighted the action with a 1:51.2 victory that capped off a great night for sire Mcwicked. The winners were:

• Bonitas Best Bet (All Bets Off, McNair, 1:53) brushed from third on the backside and survived a stretch chase to take the first split.

BONITAS BEST BET REPLAY

• Mcwicked Time (Mcwicked, Travis Cullen, 1:53) hustled from sixth on the rim to the front in the second quarter and held the lead from there.

MCWICKED TIME REPLAY

• Wickedwoman De Vie (Mcwicked, James MacDonald, 1:52.3) converted a pocket ride to victory as the odds-on choice.

WICKEDWOMAN DE VIE REPLAY

• T H Mcmurry (Mcwicked, Louis-Philippe Roy, 1:51.2) impressed with a speedy front-end performance.

T H MCMURRY REPLAY

• Greatest Pleasure (Bettors Delight, Roy, 1:52) rallied from third-over and got the job done in the closing stages.

GREATEST PLEASURE REPLAY

• Moonwalker (Mcwicked, Cullen, 1:53) struck the front from the pocket in mid-stretch and narrowly survived the final surge from Stonebridge Thrill (Tyler Borth) to win by a head.

MOONWALKER REPLAY

• Make Out With Me (Bettors Delight, MacDonald, 1:52.2) came off second-over cover at the top of the stretch and prevailed in a long stretch fight.

MAKE OUT WITH ME REPLAY

• Sinatra Hanover (Bettors Delight, Borth, 1:52.2) collared the pacesetter in the stretch and fended off fellow closer Like A Glove (Tyler Moore) for the win.

SINATRA HANOVER

• D A Mcdreamy (Mcwicked, Jonathan Drury, 1:52.2) stormed to the front early and went coast-to-coast, easing up near the line.

D A MCDREAMY REPLAY

The colts will contest their final preliminary leg on Sep. 7 at Woodbine Mohawk Park, and the fillies will wrap up their regular season on Sep. 11 at the same venue.

Woodbine Mohawk Park’s next card is set for Tuesday, Aug. 29 with a first post of 7:10 p.m. EDT.

For complete race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink