CAMPBELLVILLE, August 18 – The Define The World Series Final turned into a final-quarter sprint Thursday at Mohawk Racetrack and rookie trotter Seven And Seven put on quite a display to score the harness racing victory.
Just a field of four competed in the $36,000 Define The World Series Final, but that didn't stop a pair of the rookie trotters from turning heads.
Tom Durand trainee Seven And Seven captured the first leg, but was outsprinted home in the second leg and finished second to Luc Blais trainee Jake. The preliminary leg winners met up again on Thursday and once again they dueled in a final-quarter sprint.
Blais trainee Awol Hanover took the early lead and posted an opening-quarter of :30. Stablemate Jake and driver Sylvain Filion circled around from second to grab command and took the field by the half in 1:01.
Around the final turn, trainer/driver Durand opted to angle out from third with Seven And Seven and rush towards the leader, ultimately drawing to within a neck of Jake at the three-quarter pole in 1:32.
The easy fractions set up a sprint for home and both trotters unleashed a :26.3 final-quarter. Seven And Seven used his momentum from the final turn to take a slight lead at the top of the lane and was able to keep Jake half a length back for a 1:58.3 victory.
Cant U Spell finished third, while Awol Hanover made a stretch break and was fourth.
Seven And Seven was sent off as the 2/5 favourite and Durand noted after the race that even with only four horses, he knew the race went through his trotter.
"It was me that was going to make the race one way or another," said Durand "A normal horse I would probably have pushed the pace a little early, but this horse has got so much sprinting speed that I thought I could get him from anywhere."
Seven And Seven is from the first crop of sire Chapter Seven. Bred by June Durand and passing through the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale ring for $17,000, Seven And Seven now has two wins in four starts for earnings of $29,620. Allan Smith shares ownership of the rookie trotting colt with Tom and June Durand.
Staked up to several upcoming Grand Circuit events at Mohawk, Durand was hopefully he would be on this path with Seven And Seven.
"I thought he might make a nice New York sired colt or the course that we are on and maybe getting into the Grand Circuit," he said. "He's a colt that always did everything right, he never made breaks and he was always game to challenge other horses."
The Durand stable has been well represented on the WEG and Grand Circuit by veteran trotter Whiskey Tax over the last several years. The eight-year-old is approaching millionaire status, but is also lending a helping hand to his trainer.
"Strangely enough we did the last end of (Seven And Seven's) training with Whiskey Tax," said Durand. "Whiskey is such a good ol' boy, he kind of taught him the ropes of how to stay relaxed and then go when you're asked to go and stuff like that.
"Normally people train their colts with other colts, but trained him with an eight-year-old and it worked out good."
Durand confirmed after the race that Seven And Seven has the Champlain Stakes up next on his schedule.
Seven And Seven
Live racing continues Friday night at Mohawk Racetrack. Post time is 7:30 p.m.
Mark McKelvie