Grand slam for Dontpokethedragon

Dontpokethedragon (Custard The Dragon) extended his harness racing winning streak to four on Monday (Jan. 8) at Woodbine Mohawk Park in his second start for new connections.

The gelding got to the lead just past the quarter in :26.4 after pressing forward around the first turn. Rated by Tyler Borth, he reached the midway point in :55.1 and tussled with the first-up Lyons King (Trevor Henry) on the final turn to three-quarters in 1:24.1.

Dontpokethedragon slipped away from that challenger as they came down the stretch, but St Lads Beat It (Doug McNair) picked up the torch from the pocket. The chasing gelding closed to within three-quarters-of-a-length, but Dontpokethedragon held him off for the victory in 1:52.1.

St Lads Beat It finished second. Instantaneous (Louis-Philippe Roy) got up over Lyons King for show.

DONTPOKETHEDRAGON REPLAY

Dontpokethedragon’s four-start streak began on Dec. 10, and he was claimed a week later in his win on Dec. 18. He now races for trainer Kyle Fellows and the ownership group of Patrick Dillon and Patti Hoskin of Port Hope and Steve McGill of Bewdley. The seven-year-old gelding is now 37-for-125 lifetime and has earned $362,640.

Pikachu Hanover (Andover Hall, Doug McNair) took the night’s conditioned feature, coming from the pocket to get up by a head over odds-on favourite Oney Hall (James MacDonald). The winner, a 10-year-old stallion, has now taken 37 wins in 135 career appearances and has racked up $594,589 in earnings. Gregg McNair trains him for High Stakes Stable of Farmington Hills.

Borth won the first three races on the card and tied with McNair for the day’s top driving performance.

The next card at Woodbine Mohawk Park is set for Thursday, Jan. 11. It will begin at 7:10 p.m. EST.

For complete race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink