Duly Resolved’s sister hauls in own OSS glory

Righteous Resolve (Resolve), a full sister to five-time Ontario Sires Stakes Gold winner Duly Resolved, earned her first OSS Gold harness racing victory on Monday (Jul. 12) in the $102,200 second division of the second leg for two-year-old trotting fillies.

The filly muscled to the lead after biding time in the three-hole through the :28.2 first panel. She hit the half in :57.4, and Paul MacDonell ensured a breather for the filly with a 1:28.3 third split.

Sweet Determination (Lookslikeachpndale, Doug McNair) nearly overwhelmed the leader with a burst of speed on the final turn, but Righteous Resolve found top gear and held off that rival with little encouragement needed. She kept Sweet Determination a length at bay as she finished the winning mile in 1:57.2.

Shiny New Penny (Alarm Detector, Sylvain Filion) took third.

RIGHTEOUS RESOLVE REPLAY

Righteous Resolve won two back on debut but lost to Sweet Determination in the Gold first leg on Jul. 3. John Bax trains the former, a homebred for Bet Max Stables of Casco and Benenati Inc. of Clinton Township. The filly is the third OSS Gold winner in four foals for Muscle Mass mare Motown Muscle. Bright Eyes M won four legs, and Duly Resolved has scored in five to date.

Believe U Me (Muscle Mass) motored past four foes in the last quarter to win the $102,200 first split.

Louis-Philippe Roy placed the filly, who finished third behind the first division top two in leg one, in the five-hole as Its Your Choice (Muscle Mass, McNair) carved out :28.3 and 1:00 first-half fractions. Believe U Me ended up second-over rounding the far turn due to an opponent’s break and remained on cover through the three-quarter station in 1:30.4.

Roy gave the filly open racetrack at the eighth pole, and she surged by The Dealers Ace (Wheeling N Dealin, Bob McClure) and Its Your Choice for the 1:59.1 victory. The latter two finished second and third, respectively.

BELIEVE U ME REPLAY

Meg Crone conditions Believe U Me for W J Donovan of Delray Beach. Donovan spent $115,000 on the filly at the Lexington Select sale. The filly is out of Andover Hall dam I Believe, who has produced eight winners in nine starters.

Woodbine Mohawk Park also hosted leg four division of two of the Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots for three-year-old pacing fillies on the evening.

Warrawee Xpat (Sportswriter, Jody Jamieson) hung on by a head in a lifetime-best 1:57.4 over Morethanmyhometown (Austin Sorrie) in the opening contest. Queen Of Soul (Phil Hudon) finished third.

WARRAWEE XPAT REPLAY

Warrawee Xpat has won five times in 14 career starts and has earned $89,271 for owners Jeff Courchesne and Martwest Racing Stable. She has two previous tallies in Grassroots competition.

Girl In A Tavern (Big Jim, Roy) similarly prevailed in a photo in the second group and lowered her career mark to 1:53. Sake Tumi (Filion) was narrowly defeated in second; Quebecoise (McClure) was also gaining and missed by a neck. Kin Pace winner Velvet Stinger (James MacDonald) was fourth.

GIRL IN A TAVERN REPLAY

It was the first win this season for Girl In A Tavern but her eighth lifetime. Her two-year-old campaign took place in the Maritimes before she moved to the Teesha Symes barn in Ontario. Donald MacRae of Vernon Bridge owns his $30,000 Atlantic Classic sale purchase, who has made him back $69,583 to date.

Roy guided Momentarily (Control The Moment) to a front-end win paced in 1:50.3 in the third division. Delight Bayama (Filion) was two-and-a-half lengths back in second. J One Twenty (Trevor Henry) picked up the show cheque.

MOMENTARILY REPLAY

The clocking knocked two seconds off the winning filly’s previous best. Daniel Lagace trains her and shares ownership with Ben Mudry of Toronto, Edwin Buhler of Wantagh, and Robert Van Ostrand of Lakeworth. The filly’s overall record is now five-for-15 with a $57,446 bankroll.

The Ian Moore-trained I Love Ongait (Sunshine Beach) captured the final Grassroots dash in 1:50.4. Fade Out (McNair) was second by a length. Addictivebehaviour (Roy) finished third.

I LOVE ONGAIT REPLAY

The time was a new lifetime best for I Love Ongait, who competed at the stakes level for much of her two-year-old season. She has raked in $176,000 in 19 starts but has won just twice for breeder Let It Ride Stables and co-owners Bottom Line Racing and Mac Nichol.

Woodbine Mohawk Park’s next card on Thursday, Jul. 14 showcases more Ontario Sires Stakes action with two Gold divisions each for two-year-old pacing fillies and freshman trotting colts.

For complete OSS standings, click here.

For complete race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink