First Preferred win for Osceola

Canadian-sired Graduate Series winner Osceola (Muscle Mass) lowered his lifetime mark in his first career top-level overnight harness racing victory in the $32,000 Preferred-2 at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Monday (Jul. 8).

Doug McNair had the stallion sitting third to the quarter in :28.2 but sent him to the engine soon after, wresting control before the half in :56.2. Osceola chiseled out a three-length advantage by three-quarters in 1:24, and he held on by three-quarters-of-a-length over the advancing Handsome Sebastian for the 1:51.4 win. Patriarch Hanover (Trevor Henry) was third over the line.

OSCEOLA REPLAY

Osceola has won four of seven starts this season, including a sweep of the Canadian-sired Graduate Series and a leg of the Grand Circuit’s Graduate Series. Gregg McNair trains the four-year-old and co-owns him with Willow Oak Ranch of Rogersville and Paul Hawman of Collingwood. Osceola has now collected 10 victories and $576,655 in earnings from 32 career appearances.

Also on the card was three divisions of the first Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots leg for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings.

Tito N Cheddar (Betterthancheddar, Louis-Philippe Roy) rallied from fourth at the top of the stretch and out-kicked Tip Of Time (Travis Cullen) for the half-length win in the first division in 1:54.1. Sunsational (Sylvain Filion) came third. It was the winner’s second start; he was a length back in third on debut on Jul. 2. Murray Brethour conditions the colt for Hutt Racing Stable.

TITO N CHEDDAR REPLAY

$205,000 Lexington Select purchase Crack Shot (Bettors Delight, Doug McNair) won his debut in the second division. The Gregg McNair-trained colt took the first turn wide but reached the lead at the first station and commanded the race from there, drawing clear by three-and-a-quarter lengths to score in 1:55. Wicked Weston (Bob McClure) finished second with Belmont Blazer (Cullen) third. Crack Shot is owned by Gregg McNair, Dale Hunter, Frank Brundle, and George Kerr. The colt won two qualifiers, his most recent in 1:58.

CRACK SHOT REPLAY

Blue Bar (All Bets Off, Cullen) captured the third division, leading from the second quarter and crossing the line two-and-a-quarter lengths ahead in 1:55. Zander (Filion) held off Boyd Bay (Roy) for place. Blue Bar is now one-for-three with $13,255 in earnings for Cullen, who owns and bred the colt. Jodie Cullen trains the two-year-old.

BLUE BAR REPLAY

Woodbine Mohawk Park will host more Ontario Sires Stakes action on its next card on Tuesday, Jul. 9. The program will feature the first Gold leg for two-year-old trotting males and the first round of the Grassroots for rookie pacing fillies. First post is set for 7:10 p.m. EDT.

For complete race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink