CAMPBELLVILLE – Oh Well lived up to his superstar billing on Saturday.
The two-year-old son of Muscle Hill scored a straightforward win in the $1 million Mohawk Million and stamped himself as a future star.
Racing at Woodbine Mohawk Park for the first time after making his first five starts at the Meadowlands, Oh Well started evenly from the rail but driver Tim Tetrick took him to the outside flow early. Oh Look Magic struggled to take the lead which he carried to the turn, leaving Oh Well to chase him on the outside. Oh Well took the lead for good at the quarter pole and with main rival Winners Bet breaking stride before he had a chance to threaten, Oh Well stretched his lead down the lane, eventually winning by three lengths over longshot Silly Me Hanover in 1:53 4/5.
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“It was a big move having to be out there the whole way but the colt is big and strong and those following him had to be out there as well,” Tetrick said. “I thought my colt could do it and he proved me right.”
“He’s got a big engine. He never gets tired. And he’s a really nice colt.”
Trained by Marcus Melander for S R F Stable of Florida, Oh Well has racked up four wins in six starts and has earnings of $858,000.
The Mohawk Million is a ‘buy-in’ race. Nine horse owners bought spots in the starting gate earlier this year for $110,000 which they could use on one of their horses or make a deal with another owner. The 10th spot was claimed by Winners Bet after he won the William Welwood Memorial last month. Steve Stewart, who bred the first two winners of the Mohawk Million (Venerate and Venerable), bought the spot that Oh Well raced in.
STOCK-ING TRIP: Stockade Seelster did everything he could to make Save America’s life difficult. His persistence paid off.
The two-year-old colt had enough in the stretch to get by the heavy 3-5 favorite and win the $900,000 Metro Pace. Driven by Jody Jamieson, Stockade Seelster followed Save America’s move early in the backstretch and in a rare occurrence, found an opening between Tickertape Hanover and Save America to get to the rail and force Save America to do even more work to finally secure the front. In the stretch, Stockade Seelster came out of the pocket early and grinded by the pacesetter to win by a half-length in 1:50 1/5.
“He’s a tough horse to drive. He’s green. He wants to go fast all the time,” Jamieson, now a three-time winner of the Metro said. “There was a gap there so I took it. It was as simple as that.”
Trained by Dr. Ian Moore, Stockade Seelster won his first six starts this year including three Ontario Sires Stakes Gold events but was defeated in his Metro elimination. The win pushed his earnings near $750,000.
AMAZING RECOVERY: Early in the stretch, Slay broke stride while in the pocket. But he recovered quickly and in a furious stretch run, stormed home to win the $615,000 Canadian Trotting Classic.
Driven by Joe Bongiorno and sent off at 8-1, Slay found himself behind pacesetter Pretender around the first turn, following that one all the way to the top of the stretch. Meanwhile behind him, breaks in stride by race favorite Branded By Lindy and contender Twin B Archie made their lives a bit easier.
Then came the drama at the top of the stretch and Slay’s miscue. But Bongiorno was quick to get him back on stride and with plenty of space available to him, he got by Pretender in 1:52 1/5 at odds of 8-1.
An inquiry was called to see whether Slay lost sufficient ground during the few seconds he was on the run. But the judges ruled he had done everything correctly.
“We just got a little bit jammed up in there and he caught a boot,” Bongiorno said. “But as a great horse does, he clawed back really quick.”
“I figured for this kind of money I need to just drive him through the wire and let the judges make their decision.”
Trained by Tony Alagna, the three-year-old now has seven career wins and $700,000 in earnings.
NO QUIT: At the top of the stretch there was concern that Sylvia Hanover could be swallowed up. But the young superstar found some courage and another gear to win the $525,000 Shes A Great Lady Stakes. Driven by Bob McClure and sent off as the 1-2 post-time favorite, Sylvia Hanover took a while to get the lead in mid backstretch. She had her advantage around the turn but at the top of the stretch, second-choice Charleston came to within a length. But Sylvia Hanover forged on to win in 1:51 4/5 for her sixth win in seven career starts.
“She was stretching herself, she could have cleared a lot sooner,” McClure said. “Once she got the front it was pretty much business as usual. She held them at bay.”
A two-year-old daughter of Always B Miki, Sylvia Hanover went into the race having won her elimination. Earlier, she captured the Eternal Camnation and the two-year-old pacing filly division of the Champlain Stakes.
Trainer Shawn Steacy said she will be given some rest before the Breeders’ Crown eliminations on Oct. 21.
RAISING HER GAME: Raised By Lindy took command early and carried the field the rest of the way in the $350,000 Elegantimage Stakes. Driven by Yannick Gingras and sent off as the even-money favorite, Raised By Lindy started near the front, taking the lead just after the opening quarter. She raced sensibly around the turn and in the stretch, she didn’t allow close pursuers Adare Castle and Mon Cheval to get within a length of her, winning in 1:52 1/5.
Trained by Domenico Cecere, Raised By Lindy now has four wins in eight starts this season. Gingras said the filly is still fresh and has lots of racing left this year. A Breeders’ Crown shot is a possibility for the three-year-old filly trotter.