Woodbine Mohawk Park held the opening legs of two harness racing series on Monday, Mar. 8: the Family Day Trotting Series and the Wine and Roses Trotting Series.
Sheswildnfree captured the only division — worth $17,000 — of the Wine and Roses series for three and four-year-old fillies and mares with ease.
Reinsman Sylvain Filion commanded the early lead, urging the 1/9 Sheswildnfree past Impulse Buy (James Macdonald) going past the quarter in 28.4. Fillion then carved out fractions of 58.4 and 1:28.3, and the four-year-old mare needed no encouragement to sprint away from the pack. She won the by three and a half lengths over Impulse Buy, who was second, and Tesla Seelster (Denis St Pierre), who finished third.
Sheswildnfree continued her perfect start to 2021, increasing the win tally to three from three. She's won five dashes from 20 lifetime starts and has now surpassed $55,000 in earnings for owners and breeders Thomas and Elizabeth Rankin of St Catherines. Benoit Baillargeon trains the daughter of Muscle Mass.
Charmbo Prince went wire-to-wire in the first of two $17,000 divisions of the Family Day series for three and four-year-old males.
Mike Saftic hurried that four-year-old gelding off the car, crafting out a two-length advantage past the quarter in 27.4. Saftic then cooled his charge down through the middle splits, taking him to the half in 57.2 and three-quarters in 1:27.1 before first-over pressure arrived in the form of So Long Hanover (Rick Zeron).
He would cease to be a worry, as Charmbo Prince stepped away from him in the stretch. Meadowbranch Noble became the main danger in the late stages, as he advanced off cover and marched on the leader. Charmbo Prince allowed the attacker to reach his saddlepad, but no further, and fought on to win by three quarters of a length in a lifetime-best 1:56. Meadowbranch Noble had to settle for place, and Tesla Seelster held on for third.
That was Charmbo Prince's fourth win from 27 lifetime tries, and it will improve his bankroll to more than $70,000. John Rier of Kitchener trains, co-owns, and co-bred the Royalty for Life gelding with Randy Rier.
The final split of the Family Day series went to a game Franks Angel, who won with a two-move trip.
The four-year-old left hard from post eight under orders from driver Jason Ryan, and they reached the top through the first turn. They hit the quarter in 29.2 and led almost to the halfway point, but an authoritative Doug McNair fired odds-on choice Bronze Yankee out of third, reaching the top just past the half in 59.
Bronze Yankee showed the way to the three-quarters in 1:27.4 and led into the stretch, but 7-1 Franks Angel had upset ideas. Franks Angel gelding initially gained little, but he ate further into the lead with every stride and eventually vanquished Bronze Yankee for a length-and-a-half score in 1:58.4. Archies Star (Louis-Philippe Roy) passed tired foes for second, and Bronze Yankee faded to third.
Franks Angel notched his ninth lifetime win from 32 starts and increased his total earnings to $80,905 in the Mar. 8 victory. Michael Venneri of St Catherines owns the Dagfin Henriksen-trained son of Archangel. The horse paid $16.40 to win.
Also on the card, Camilla Christoforou won in her debut as a trainer with longshot Kameran Hanover in the sixth race. The seven-year-old stallion was buried on the inside, but Camilla's husband, Chris Christoforou, found room in the stretch and urged the horse past four rivals to win by a length and a quarter in 1:55.4.
The son of Donato Hanover took his 17th lifetime victory at 25-1 odds.
For full race results, click here.
by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink