Valedictory winner takes Snowshoe Series leg

Valedictory Series winner A Class Yankee (Always B Miki) made progress towards another harness racing series victory as he captured the first Snowshoe Series second leg division on Friday (Jan. 24) at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

He settled in fifth for Mike Whelan, where he sat through :27.1 and :56.4 fractions before pulling out onto cover on the final turn. Third-over to three-quarters in 1:26.4, he was sixth and last at the top of the lane but picked off rivals throughout the stretch, building up speed as he rolled by them all to a 1:54.3 victory. T H Boomtown (Tyler Moore) was second-best by a half-length. Miki Ray (J. Bradley Harris) completed the ticket.

A CLASS YANKEE REPLAY

The victory was A Class Yankee’s first of the season after a place finish in Snowshoe Series leg one in his 2025 debut. Walter Whelan trains the gelding for Chris Nicol of Dundas. The four-year-old is five-for-27 lifetime with $114,576 in earnings.

G A Speed Expert (Sportswriter) made it back-to-back victories in the series as he won the second split. After sitting fourth for much of the mile, McNair moved him three-wide as the field turned for home, and G A Speed Expert rumbled to the front to win by a length-and-a-half in 1:55.1.

Betterdealmein (Travis Cullen) rolled from the backfield to take the place spot. Gansbaai (Mike Whelan) was third.

G A SPEED EXPERT REPLAY

G A Speed Expert has now won eight straight races, the last two for trainer Dave Menary and new owner Jenn Bongiorno. The four-year-old has scored 10 times in his first 18 career starts and has earned $49,394.

The final card of racing at Woodbine Mohawk Park this week on Saturday, Jan. 25 will feature a $36,000 Preferred Pace. Action will begin at 6:30 p.m. EST.

For complete race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink