MacIntosh scores 1,000th training win

The wait is officially over for harness racing trainer Blake MacIntosh who joined the 1,000-wins club thanks to a pylon-skimming score with homebred Sports Fan in the Thursday evening finale at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

MacIntosh watched driver Doug McNair hustle the colt to the lead in his $20,000 OSS Grassroots Semi-Final. The son of Sportswriter-My Ideal had the field chasing him to the :27.4 opener before taking a backseat to Macho Phil in the backstretch.

Macho Phi whacked out middle splits of :57.2 and 1:26 before drifting off the rail and giving Sports Fan just enough of an opening to shoot through for the score. His :26.4 final frame earned him the win by a half-length margin over Macho Phil in 1:53.1. Icey Shadow took home the show dough.

Leanne Murphy and Stu McIntosh share ownership on the rookie who picked up the fourth victory of his career. The lion’s share of the purse bumped his bankroll to $44,942.

As for MacIntosh, he’s in the midst of a fifth consecutive season in which his barn has managed to rack up more than $1 million in purse earnings. To date, MacIntosh has watched his barn earn close to $16 million in earnings.

For full race results, click here.

From Standardbred Canada