Stepping up in class off back-to-back victories at Woodbine Mohawk Park, Huntress was a wire-to-wire winner in Friday's featured $32,000 Fillies & Mares Preferred 2 Pace, capping off a five-win night for driver Sylvain Filion.
Filion put Huntress on the lead through a :27.2 opening quarter and rejected the first-over bid of So Much More (Scott Young) through middle splits of :54.2 and 1:22.1 en route to the 1:51 triumph for trainer Richard Moreau. The even-money favourite, who paid $4.20 to win, was three lengths the best with a from-last Mystifying (Doug McNair) taking the runner-up honours over Gias Surreal (Tyler Moore), who closed off cover to show.
Taking a new lifetime mark, the four-year-old Huntsville mare is perfect in three Canadian starts since arriving in the Moreau stable this month. She now has eight wins from 20 starts this year and $126,590 banked for Florida owners Let It Ride Stables Inc. and W J Donovan.
With her third straight win, Huntress improved her career record to 29-11-3 from 28 starts and boosted her bankroll over the $200,000 mark.
Filion, who recently joined the elite 10,000-win club, took three of the evening's four $30,000 Pop-Up Series finals for Ontario-sired three-year-olds, catch-driving trotting gelding Nothingbutadreamer ($2.70) in 1:55.4 for trainer Harry Poulton, trotting filly Angeliki ($6.50) in a career-best 1:57 for Mark Etsell and pacing filly Watch Her Dewitt ($122.70), who closed from 10th in deep stretch for a 60-1 shocker in 1:54.3 for Brett Lester.
Filion also picked up a victory with Saulsbrook Boomer ($16) lowering his mark to 1:54.3 for Carmen Auciello.
The Pop-Up Series action concluded with Uriel Blue Chip ($3.70) equalling his mark of 1:52.2 in the pacing colt and gelding final with Jody Jamieson driving for Chantal Mitchell.
The series events were for non-winners of $20,000 in 2023 (minimum five starts),
To view Friday's harness racing results, click the following link: Friday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.