Resilience romps for first of season

A Gold winner at two, Resilience (Jimmy Freight) was zero-for-three heading into Friday’s second Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots leg for three-year-old pacing fillies at Woodbine Mohawk Park, and she reversed her form in a big way.

The filly stuck it out on the rim going through the first turn and reached past One More Bet (Sylvain Filion) to put up the first panel of :26.3. Control The Fire (Jody Jamieson) then forged to the lead, but Resilience retook to head the field past the half in :55.

The leader went uncontested to three-quarters in 1:22.3, and Louis-Philippe Roy let her loose to pick up four lengths on her rivals coming down the stretch. Resilience paced on cruise control to the line, winning by five-and-a-quarter lengths in a career-best 1:50.2.

One More Bet held off Third Time Lucky (Trevor Henry) for third.

RESILIENCE REPLAY

Resilience, winner of last year’s Jimmy Freight Stakes, is now five-for-11 lifetime and has earned $167,736. Eric Nadeau trains the three-year-old for Louis-Philippe Roy Racing, Ecurie Francis Richard, and Ecurie CSL.

We Meet Again (Shadow Play) took the night’s first division. Filion had her brush to the front on the backstretch, and the filly resisted pocket-tripper Collusion Hanover (Roy) in the race to the line to win by three-quarters-of-a-length in 1:51.3. Kiss My Cheek (Jonathan Drury) and Wicked Leader (Henry) dead-heated for third.

WE MEET AGAIN REPLAY

It was We Meet Again’s third victory of the season and her career. The Murray Brethour-trained filly has accrued $43,597 in earnings in 12 lifetime appearances for owner The OK Corral.

Ann (He’s Watching) picked up her first tally of the year in the final split. The filly got every call from post eight and prevailed by a length for Bob McClure over How Much (Doug McNair). This Magic Moment (James MacDonald) fell just short of the place spot in third.

ANN REPLAY

Ann, who won a Gold at two, was winless in five this season without a top-three finish before Friday’s victory. She now has four wins and $86,830 in earnings from 12 starts. Wilma and James Mackenzie own the filly, whom Dr. Ian Moore trains.

The three-year-old pacing fillies will continue their Grassroots series on Aug. 2.

Woodbine Mohawk Park will conclude its race week on Saturday, Jun. 22 with a 10-dash card starting at 7:10 p.m. EDT.

For complete race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink