Logan Park upsets in $93,750 Graduate leg

Logan Park (Archangel) defeated top four-year-old trotting foes, including Mohawk Million champion Venerate, in the $93,750 Graduate Series second harness racing leg on Friday (Jun. 3) at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

The gelding strolled to the top spot for Sylvain Filion and brought the field to the quarter in :27.3. Take All Comers (Doug McNair) took over as they approached the half in :56, and he soon came under pressure from Venerate (Andy Miller) going to three-quarters in 1:24.2.

Take All Comers repelled Venerate handily, but Logan Park swung off the cones in mid-stretch and got past the leader to score by half a length in 1:53.

Take All Comers held the place spot over Inaminute Hanover (Bob McClure). Venerate finished fifth. Two-to-one second-choice Incommunicado (James MacDonald) was never in contention after breaking before the start.

LOGAN PARK REPLAY

Robert Don Fellows trains Logan Park for Outofthepark Stable of Rockwood, Reg Higgs of Strathroy, and Arpad Szabo of Bradford. The gelding passed half a million in earnings with the win, his eighth lifetime. He has now brought in $540,472 in 29 career tries.

The Graduate Series continues with a pacing contest at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Saturday, Jun. 4. The next leg is set for Jun. 10 at Tioga Downs. The series finals are scheduled for Jul. 7 at The Meadowlands. The mares trotting event that was slated for Friday was cancelled due to a lack of entries.

Also on the card, two divisions of horses and geldings contested the first Pop-Up Series preliminary leg.

Vicious Aloicious (Always A Virgin), driven by MacDonald, pushed to the front in mid-stretch after a first-up move in the third quarter and beat the favoured Pipewrench Charlie (Travis Cullen) to the finish for the 1:52.1 score in the first split. Lyons Johnnyjr (Tyler Moore) was third.

VICIOUS ALOICIOIUS REPLAY

Vicious Aloicious is an eight-year-old Joe Pereria trainee that has won 17 times in 174 starts and has amassed $117,838 in earnings. Owner James Berry claimed the gelding on Apr. 25 for $9,000.

In the second division, Dontpokethedragon (Custard The Dragon) secured his first win of the season with a decisive second-quarter move to the front. He kicked away in the third panel and won over Springbridge Jim (MacDonald), whose rally tailed off in deep stretch. Mr Mach Jimmy (McClure) finished third.

DONTPOKETHEDRAGON REPLAY

Driver Travis Cullen and trainer Jodie Cullen campaign Dontpokethedragon, a five-year-old that they brought in from Fraser Downs in March. The gelding improved his lifetime record to 18-for-65 and upped his earnings total to $186,230 with the victory, his first in 11 starts in 2022. Travis Cullen co-owns with J J J Stables of Prince George and Paul Sanders of Surrey.

The Pop-Up Series second leg for horses and geldings goes forward on Friday, Jun. 10 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

Woodbine Mohawk Park continues action at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, Jun. 4.

For complete race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink