58-1 winner thrown out in Mohawk Preferred-2

Reactor Now A (Auckland Reactor) appeared to have landed a 58-1 harness racing upset in the $32,000 Preferred-2 at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Thursday, but the gelding was disqualified for interference.

Reactor Now A, driven by Doug McNair, and eventual winner Codename Cigar Box (Travis Cullen), got away seventh and sixth, respectively. They sat on the cones through the opening half fractions of :26.2 and :54.4. The two horses shifted out passing the midway point, taking the third and fourth positions on the outer flow.

Codename Cigar Box remained on his cover through three-quarters in 1:23.1 while McNair took Reactor Now A three-high from fourth-over. Reactor Now A produced full power as the field reached the eighth pole, but the reaction proved unstable as he swerved in and interfered with Saulsbrook Victor (Brett MacDonald). Reactor Now A straightened and took off again, soaring past leader Rockabilly Rebel N (James MacDonald) and crossing the line first in 1:51.4.

Codename Cigar Box closed widest of all and got up to snatch what became a crucial second place. The replay review showed Reactor Now A’s left wheel made contact with Saulsbrook Victor’s leg and caused several missteps in the latter horse. The judges disqualified Reactor Now A and placed him fifth. Codename Cigar Box, a long shot in his own right at 12-1, inherited the victory in what is official a seventh-to-first rush in the last eighth of a mile. Livinthebeachlife (Sylvain Filion) and Rockabilly Rebel N moved up to second and third, respectively.

CODENAME CIGAR BOX REPLAY

It was the third victory of the year for Codename Cigar Box and his 30th in 108 career attempts. He jumped in class twice with back-to-back wins in January and has raced at the Preferred level for the last three weeks. The Jodie Cullen trainee has competed solely at Woodbine Mohawk Park since moving to the track from Alberta in 2022. Paul Sanders of Surrey and A1stable and Ron Cullen of Dundas own the six-year-old, now an earner of $531,323.

The race night also saw Canada’s first sub-1:50 mile of the year as Whichwaytothebeach (Somebeachsomewhere, Sylvain Filion) took the second race in 1:49.2. It was the first win of the season for the six-year-old and came after two narrow seconds in a row. Garry Merner trains the gelding, a 19-time career winner, for Gino Toscani.

WHICHWAYTOTHEBEACH REPLAY

James MacDonald led the driving colony on the day with three wins.

Woodbine Mohawk Park will be back in action on Monday, Feb. 12 at 7:10 p.m. EST.

For complete race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink