Big miles, big upsets on Mohawk’s stakes Saturday

Woodbine Mohawk Park hosted Grand Circuit stakes harness racing action tonight (Jun. 3), including the Somebeachsomewhere Stakes, Miss Versatility, and the Graduate Series.

In all, more than $500,000 in stakes purses were up for grabs on the 11-race program. The card also featured top local open types in a Fillies and Mares Preferred and Open Pace.

Below are race-by-race recaps and replays.

Race 9 — $75,000 Somebeachsomewhere Stakes third division — Three-year-old pacers

Two weeks after missing by a nose in the SBOA Stakes, Stockade Seelster (State Treasurer) reaffirmed his status as a North America Cup favourite with a confident victory in the final division.

Jody Jamieson dropped the 2022 O’Brien Award recipient into fourth behind a :25.3 first quarter set by Moment Is Here (James MacDonald). Stockade Seelster shifted out just past the quarter mile marker and took the second panel to reach the top, putting a nose in front at the midway point in :54.3.

Stockade Seelster cleared before entering the last turn and rushed rolled through three-quarters in 1:22.4 with Blue Hunt (Dexter Dunn) leading the outside flow. Jamieson put Stockade Seelster to a drive as they straightened for home, and the colt beat back all challengers with a strong stretch drive to prevail in 1:50.1.

Moment Is Here provided live pressure down the lane and finished second by a length. Gung Ho (Louis-Philippe Roy) was third.

Jamieson said in his broadcast interview that he did well following a bumpy first start of the year.

“He was a little bit unruly last week, leaving,” he said. “(This week) I let him start up a little bit off the gate, and then I got him in a hole, and then he got a little bit unruly and wanted to be out, so I let him out, figuring I’d find the cover,” he said. “It worked out; I was hoping he’d win, and I thought he probably should’ve won, but he hasn’t raced, and, like  (trainer Dr. Ian Moore) said, the horse needed a couple starts to get ready, and thank God we had this start. I’m just happy to be in the winner’s circle.”

STOCKADE SEELSTER  REPLAY

Stockade Seelster made his yearly debut on May 20 in the SBOA Stakes. Last season, he won the Metro Pace and Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final and was named Ontario’s Two-year-old Pacing Colt of the Year. He has won nine times and has collected $989,170 in purses from 13 lifetime starts. Dr. Ian Moore trains the colt for Sally Macdonald of Souris and Paul Macdonald of Toronto.

Moore said the colt has been training well.

“He was (training) really good,” he said. “We took him to Classy Lane Farm on Saturday past, and Jody trained him, […] and he trained very well. I gave him an extra training on Thursday this week and buzzed him pretty good in the last quarter around the half-mile track at Shamrock Training Centre. He seemed very good, [and] he was much better in the paddock tonight.

“In the qualifier we had with him here, and the race we had two weeks ago, he was actually trembling a little bit and seemed not quite himself — a little nervous maybe. Tonight he was very relaxed, very calm, warmed up excellent tonight, and I’m really pleased. He seems to be a lot more manageable this year, and he wants to work with us instead of against us, so we’re looking forward to the next couple of week here.”

Speaking about his North America Cup chances, Moore said “I have to be confident in him until he gets beat I guess. Of course, we’re going to have to go a lot faster than we went tonight — by the looks of things, there’s going to be a few more of the U.S. horses coming up next week. But it is cool here and it’s got windy a bit now too, so maybe it’s not that bad of a mile. I guess we’ll take it.”

Race 8 — $66,500 Graduate Series first leg second division — Four-year-old pacers

Dreamfair Arnie B (Sportswriter) upset at 17-1 for local connections for his first win in six tries this season.

Travis Cullen sent him firing off the car, and the stallion barreled into the first turn to take the top spot. His leadership was short-lived, as Birthday (Dave Miller) remained two-wide to take over just past the quarter in :26.3. The half was uneventful, and Birthday completed it in :56.1 with a racy Dreamfair Arnie B on his helmet.

Dreamfair Arnie B was locked in the pocket as Pleaseletmeknow (James MacDonald) advanced first-over going to three-quarters in 1:24, but Cullen slotted the stallion through at the rail at the top of the lane. Birthday futilely fought on against Dreamfair Arnie B and Pleaseletmeknow, who both rolled by. The battle was briefly theirs, but Dreamfair Arnie B ended it quickly by kicking away to win in 1:50.4.

Cold Creek Queso (Sylvain Filion), who defeated the winner three times this year, was a late-closing second. Pleaseletmeknow finished third.

Cullen said the horse was looking to get into the race early.

“He wanted to leave a lot more tonight,” he said. “He hasn’t really been wanting to early in the year. He’s always had a lot of gate speed, but this year, he wasn’t really wanting to leave. I think he was just taking a little time to get in shape.”

DREAMFAIR ARNIE B REPLAY

Dreamfair Arnie B finished fourth in every round of the Ontario-sired Graduate Series, losing to Cold Creek Queso in the final. The horse raced in the Ontario Sires Stakes last season and finished third in the Grassroots championship. His record is now seven-for-32, and his earnings total will increase to $164,122. Jodie Cullen trains Dreamfair Arnie B for John Lamers of Mount Brydges.

Race 7 — $75,000 Somebeachsomewhere Stakes second division — Three-year-old pacers

Bamboozler (Dexter Dunn) had his pedal to the metal from before the half but could not hold off Annapolis Hanover (Stay Hungry), who rolled by him in the lane to take the second division.

Annapolis Hanover led to the quarter with Miller at the lines in :26.2, but Bamboozler flew up from fifth to take the lead at the half in :55.2. He maintained high speed going to three-quarters in 1:22, and he and Annapolis Hanover separated from the rest.

Bamboozler raced strongly into the stretch and kept Annapolis Hanover in behind and at bay until nearing the eighth pole. But the mid-race burst took its toll on Bamboozler, and Annapolis Hanover shot by late to win in 1:49.3.

Bamboozler was a game second. Ants Marching (Yannick Gingras) was best of the rest.

ANNAPOLIS HANOVER REPLAY

Annapolis Hanover has three wins in six starts this year, and the 1:49.3 victory will drop his career mark by a full second. Mitchell York owns and trains the gelding, who has won 10 of his 17 lifetime outings. The three-year-old, a top competitor in the Pennsylvania Sires Stakes last year and a leg winner this season, has now earned $315,220.

Miller complimented the gelding after the race.

“He’s a really nice horse, he’s real handy — you can do anything you want with him,” he said. “My plan worked out perfect.

“I thought he had a real good chance as long as things went our way, which they did. It didn’t surprise me that he won.”

Race 6 — $66,500 Graduate Series first leg first division — Four-year-old pacers

Captain Cowboy (Captaintreacherous) stunned some of racing’s top pacers as he rode up the pylons late to catch Energetic Hanover and upset at 22-1.

Gingras spurred on the stallion to make the front from post seven and set a quarter time of :26.4. He was shuffled to third as Layton Hanover (MacDonald) and then Energetic Hanover (Scott Zeron) brushed to the front, with a :55.3 half credited to the latter.

Co-favourite Stonebridge Helios (Dexter Dunn) became the newest challenger on the outside going into the final turn and marched on Energetic Hanover going to three-quarters in 1:22.4. Energetic Hanover kept him and pocket-sitter Layton Hanover at bay and put them away at the eighth pole. Captain Cowboy had the final say though, after finding a way through on the inside, and roared up in the closing stages to catch Energetic Hanover and win in 1:49.3.

Energetic Hanover held onto second over Rocks Shining Star, who charged late for Miller.

Gingras said his eyes were always on the front early.

“I wanted to trip him out and be up close to the pace,” said the Green Hornet on the broadcast. “I wanted to sit second or third if I could and see what was going to happen. And obviously it opened up on the inside, we got a little lucky, but the horse responded and raced really well.”

CAPTAIN COWBOY REPLAY

Captain Cowboy won his prior start, a low-level conditioned race at The Meadowlands. He was competitive in several Grand Circuit events at three last year but won one of 17 tries. 1:49.3 is a new career best for Captain Cowboy; his previous was 1:51.1. Burke Racing Stable acquired the horse at the end of 2022 and co-owns the four-year-old with Weaver Bruscemi of Canonsburg, Knox Services of Mt. Vernon, and Beasty LLC of Las Vegas. Ron Burke trains the horse, who is now nine-for-36 lifetime with $429,604 in total earnings.

“Honestly, I thought he was (capable of this performance),” Gingras said. “I really liked him early last year, and it just maybe didn’t pan out as good as they had hoped for him, and when Ronnie bought him, I thought it was a great buy. He’s (had) up and down years, where he maybe wasn’t so consistent, or things didn’t work out his way, but he was really really good last week at The Meadowlands. I thought if he’d repeat that effort he had a great chance in here.”

Race 4 — $53,200 Miss Versatility second leg — Aged trotting mares

Local star Adare Castle (Muscle Mass) defeated Raised By Lindy (Gingras) in an extended final quarter battle in a lifetime best time.

Adare Castle asserted herself with an early sweep to the top from post six under command of MacDonald. She trotted the first half panels in :27 and :56.3, and Raised By Lindy ranged up and forced the mare into high gear as they raced level through three-quarters in 1:24.4.

Adare Castle etched out a marginal lead entering the stretch clawed tooth-and-nail with Raised By Lindy down the stretch. Raised By Lindy, in her full drive, could not break through on Adare Castle, and Adare Castle came home a triumphant winner in 1:52. Raised By Lindy was edged out of second by late-flying longshot Swans Eye (Doug McNair).

MacDonald heaped praise on the mare in his post-race interview.

“She doesn’t really need to elevate her game, ever, she’s a special horse,” he said. “She just goes out there, does her business, and just finds a way to the winner’s circle almost every time she races. She’s amazing.”

ADARE CASTLE REPLAY

Adare Castle has five wins in six starts this year, including a sweep of the Ontario-sired Graduate Series. The Mark Etsell-trained mare was one of the top Ontario Sires Stake Gold mares last year and won the SBOA Stakes and the Casual Breeze. She has earned $1,264,861 and won 19 times in 28 career starts for owners Etsell, Robert Newton of Walkerton, Graham Hopkins of Chesley, and Peter Porter of Port Dover.

MacDonald, in response to being asked how dominant Adare Castle will be in the Grand Circuit, said “it’s such a good bunch of mares, I don’t know about ‘dominant,’ but hopefully we can take our turn. If she can win one or two, I’m sure the ownership group would be pumped. She’s just been spoiling everyone over and over with great efforts, and I hope she keeps doing it for as long as she races.”

Race 3 — $75,000 Somebeachsomewhere Stakes first division —Three-year-old pacers

Redwood Hanover (Stay Hungry) lowered his career best by nearly three seconds as he got room from the pocket and chased down Fulton from several lengths back to win the first division.

MacDonald put the colt on the lead but paid the price to get there in a :25.4 opening panel. He soon saw the back of No Control (Tyler Jones), who drove on and took command nearing three-eighths. No Control completed the half in :54.1 but was forced to up the tempo as Fulton (Dunn) fired up on the outside going to there-quarters in 1:22.1.

No Control went inside pylons and into the safety lane coming down the stretch, giving Redwood Hanover space and a big cushion to Fulton. Fulton was pacing strongly into the final eighth, but Redwood Hanover exploded and charged by the favoured colt to score in 1:49.

“We were pretty confident coming into it, he’s been great so far this year,” said trainer Tony Beaton after the win. “There was obviously a couple of tougher ones tonight, but he stepped right up.”

Fulton finished second with Dupree Hanover (Andrew McCarthy) back in third.

REDWOOD HANOVER REPLAY

Redwood Hanover is four-for-five on the year, with his only loss in the Pennsylvania Sires Stakes. His previous best time of 1:51.4 was set on May 20. Anthony Beaton trains the colt for himself, Mac Nichol of Burlington, McKinlay and Fielding of Toronto, and David Mercer of Westmount.

Regarding the win’s bearing on next week’s North America Cup elimination, Beaton said “it’s nice for sure, and we hope to draw good next week and let him do his stuff.”

Race 2 — $99,750 Graduate Series first leg — Four-year-old trotters

Jiggy Jog S (Walner) exemplified her name and impressed as expected, cruising to a 1:50.3 victory in her seasonal debut.

The 2022 Breeders Crown champion claimed the lead, contrary to driver Dunn’s pre-race hope to get a helmet, and cut fractions of :26.2, :55.1, and 1:22.4. She was trotting strongly coming into the final turn with no challenge in sight, and she soared away in the lane to take the victory. Pretender (Andrew McCarthy) kicked into gear late to take second from Slay (Joe Bongiorno).

“It was a brilliant mile from her,” said Dunn in his post-race interview. “She got out of the gate really good, nothing else really came (after her), but it was obviously a pretty hot first quarter anyways. She wandered around a little bit on the front like she can do, but I asked her at the top of the stretch, and she kicked really good, and then she just was in cruise control for the last eighth of a mile.”

JIGGY JOG S REPLAY

Jiggy Jog S won her division’s Breeders Crown last year and captured other major stakes such as the Kentucky Filly Futurity and Zweig Memorial. She was also fourth in the Hambletonian. She now has 11 wins in 25 career appearances and $1,300,168 in earnings for owner Jorgen Sparredal. Ake Svanstedt trains the top trotting mare.

“She had an incredible year last year,” Dunn said. “She’s come back — it’s the first time I’ve sat behind her — but her rear end’s got a lot bigger and stronger, so she could be in for hopefully another good year.”

For complete race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink