Tyler Borth takes first Mohawk win

Harness racing driver Tyler Borth won at Woodbine Mohawk Park, Canada’s premier track, for the first time on Thursday (Jan. 26).

Borth guided Cutting Class (Mach Three) in the finale, his only listing at the track for the night. He sat the gelding eighth in the first quarter an slid him out nearing the half. Moving up but still fourth-over in eighth as the field rounded the final turn, Borth unleased the gelding with a three-wide move and put him to a drive. Cutting Class picked off horses one-by-one down the lane and overcame the late resistance of R Bazingga (Doug McNair) for a half-length win in 1:56. McNair, recognizing the achievement, gave Borth a fist bump after the finish.

CUTTING CLASS / TYLER BORTH REPLAY

Borth began driving in 2012 with 452 starts in his debut season. He was the  2014 Future Star O’Brien Award recipient and has racked up 1,352 total wins from 10,131 starts and has guided horses to earnings of $7,668,674. He had a breakout season in 2022, more than doubling his previous best totals for wins – with 310 – and earnings – with $2.1 million. So far, less than a month into 2023, he’s on pace to break each of his personal records again.

The Mohawk win wasn’t the only piece or type of driving Borth did on the evening – he took the lines in the first three races at Flamboro Downs before making the 30-minute trip to Campbellville to steer Cutting Class. The six-year-old gelding had hit the board only once since his most recent victory on Sep. 4, but he was making his first start off three-week’s rest for the new connections of trainer Shayne Barrington and owner Gary Bickford.

Also on the card, Getting Euchred (All Bets Off) and Shesasharpshooter (Huntsville) won Canada’s first stakes races of the season – the opening two divisions of the Blizzard Series.

Getting Euchred drew off after taking over mid-stretch in the first contest, scoring by four-and-a-quarter lengths in 1:57.1 for McNair. Brent Belore trains the sophomore for Ronald Thomson of Embro. The filly was five-for-seven in her rookie year. Among those wins, she took both preliminary legs of the Autumn Series but missing the final due to sickness. She is now six-for-nine with a bankroll of $27,662.

GETTING EUCHRED REPLAY

Shesasharpshooter, under the guidance of Steve Hudon, popped the pocket entering the final turn and easily stepped around the pacesetter, then fended off attackers on either flank down the lane to win in 1:55. It was a back-to-back win to start the season for the four-year-old mare, who is trained by Laura Toscani for Gino Toscani of Mount Hope. She has won three times in 22 tries and has earned $41,151.

SHESASHARPSHOOTER REPLAY

The second leg of the series for three-year-old pacing fillies and mares will go forward on Thursday, Jan. 26. The $30,000A final is set for Thursday, Feb. 2.

Their male counterparts will be in action on Friday, Jan. 27 in the Blizzard’s sister series, the Snowshoe. The first division will kick off the card at 7:00 p.m. EST.

For complete race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink