Right Match catching fire in Spring Series

Right Match (Sportswriter) produced another harness racing spark on Thursday (Apr. 18) at Woodbine Mohawk Park to go undefeated in the Ontario-sired Spring Series preliminary legs for pacing fillies.

The filly strode out from post six to take an early lead, cutting a :28.1 first quarter before handing the front over to Always A Catch (Louis-Philippe Roy) at the half in :57.2.

Tyler Jones kept Right Match in the pocket until pulling her out coming off the final turn. The filly chipped away until striking the lead in deep-stretch, and she prevailed by a half-length over the game Always A Catch in 1:53.

Le Bec Fin (Austin Sorrie) finished third from a three-hole trip.

RIGHT MATCH REPLAY

Right Match, a Bob McIntosh-trained filly, has won both preliminary rounds of the Ontario-sired Spring Series with the same margin and time. She is three-for-nine lifetime with $41,051 in earnings. Robert McIntosh Sables co-owns her with Dr. David Fisher of Belle River and Ian Fisher of Windsor.

In the second leg of the series for trotting fillies, Kinnder Hotblood (Kadabra, James MacDonald) surged off third-over cover to score by a half-length in 1:55.1. She out-kicked Billie Jean Queen (Sylvain Filion), who finished second from the pocket. All Out Marilyn (Roy) was third.

KINNDER HOTBLOOD REPLAY

The win was the second lifetime for Kinnder Hotblood, who won a single Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots race at two. She has earned $26,113 in eight starts for trainer Matt Bax and owners Bax Stable of Campbellville, Dave Hudson of Dallas, and Gaelic Stable 2 and The Cavalier Stable of Sharon. The filly was fourth in the first leg of the series.

Rick Zeron recorded his first driving win of the year, steering Star Hairdresser (Cantab Hall) to a maiden-breaking victory in a 22-1 upset. Zeron, who trains the homebred for John Donato, put her on top and took her all the way in 1:57.3.

STAR HAIRDRESSER/RICK ZERON REPLAY

One of the top reinsmen on the Woodbine Entertainment circuit from the mid-1990s to the early 2010s, Zeron began reducing his yearly drives in 2013 and has made fewer than 100 starts in each of the past three years. He has 8,176 career victories and more than $114 million in earnings from 50,680 starts.

The $40,000A finals of the Ontario-sired Spring Series for fillies are set for Apr. 27, the same as those for male horses.

The latter group will compete in their second leg on the next card at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Friday, Apr. 19. The program will also feature the second legs of the Canadian-sired Graduate series for trotters and mare pacers. First post is set for 7:10 p.m. EDT.

For complete race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink