Canada’s best score in Ontario Graduate

2022 O’Brien Award divisional winners Silver Label (Bettor’s Delight) and Adare Castle (Muscle Mass) captured their respective harness racing divisions of the Ontario-sired Graduate Series second leg on Friday (Apr. 21) at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

Silver Label returned sharper after her loss last week and produced a front-stepping victory in the second leg for pacing mares.

She easily out-sprinted her rivals from post nine, reaching the top for James MacDonald before entering the first turn. Raptors Won (Sylvain Fillion) came calling in the third panel and besieged the leader into the stretch, but Silver Label turned her away and marched home to victory in 1:52.

Intothemysticmoon (Phil Hudon) snuck up the pylons late for second. Raptors Won finished third.

SILVER LABEL REPLAY

Silver Label, 2022’s Three-year-old Pacing Filly of the Year, is now 13-for-24 lifetime and has earned $854,364. She began her 2023 campaign last week and was a hard-charging fourth. The Millar Farms homebred won the Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final last year, along with two Gold legs and the SBOA Stakes, and finished second in the Breeders Crown. Nick Gallucci trains the four-year-old.

Adare Castle doubled up in the open trot division in similar style. She made front for MacDonald with minimal resistance and had a worry-free first half. Esplosione (Sylvain Filion) mounted a challenge on the backstretch and put her nose in front on the homeward turn. But Adare Castle beat back the attacker at  the top of the lane and glided home to victory in 1:55.

Esplosione was a clear second-best. Mischievous Rose (Louis-Philippe Roy) closed for third.

ADARE CASTLE REPLAY

Adare Castle is perfect through two this year after also winning the first leg for trotters. The mare won four Ontario Sires Stakes Golds, the SBOA Stakes, and the Casual Breeze en route to Three-year-old Trotting Filly of the Year honours. Her career record is 16 wins and $1,179,691 in earnings through 24 outings. Mark Etsell trains the mare and co-owns her in partnership with Robert Newton of Walkerton, Graham Hopkins of Chelsey, and Peter Porter of Port Dover.

The third leg of the mares pace and open trot divisions are set for Friday, Apr. 28, while the pacers will race their second leg on Apr. 22 and their third on Apr. 29. The $75,000A finals of the series for Ontario-sired four-year-olds will all race on May 6.

The next program at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Saturday, Apr. 22 features the finals of the Ontario-sired Spring Series. The four races are worth a combined $186,700. The card also contains a $42,000 Free For All Pace.

For complete race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink