Dabarndawgswatchin ($3.20) held off rivals on both sides in deep stretch during an eventful Friday night at Woodbine Mohawk Park to score the December double in the $30,000 Fillies & Mares Preferred 2 Pace.
Dabarndawgswatchin picked up her third straight victory and second in a row in the Preferred class with Louis-Philippe Roy driving for trainer David Menary.
Need To Breathe (Travis Cullen) crossed in front and led the field of five distaffers through a :27.1 opening quarter before 3-5 favourite Dabarndawgswatchin swept up from third to take over command. After hitting the half in :56.1, she started to pick up the pace to three-quarters in 1:24.2 as Intothemysticmoon (Phil Hudon) moved first-up from mid-pack and then held off rivals closing in on both sides in deep stretch for the 1:51.4 score. Intothemysticmoon missed by a head on the outside with Need To Breath right there at the pylons in third.
A homebred daughter of Hes Watching and Addison Bay with 15 wins lifetime, Dabarndawgswatchin is owned by Julie Ferguson of Greely, Ont. and Lloyd Stone of Portland, Ont. She improved her seasonal record to 6-8-6 from 33 starts and lifted her earnings to $187,910 for her four-year-old campaign.
The Niagara Pacing Series for three-year-olds fillies kicked off on Friday's card with Acrimony ($3.20) taking a new lifetime mark of 1:53.2 while making her Mohawk debut in the $18,000 opening leg.
Also driven by four-time Friday winner Roy, Acrimony took the lead after a :27 first quarter and the 3-5 favourite cruised through middle splits of :56 and 1:25.2 before holding clear of the pocket-popping Baby Bonita (Sylvain Filion) at the end of the mile. J One Twenty (Scott Young) was shuffled back to third after leading early on and she held her position the rest of the way.
The A Rocknroll Dance-Kryptos filly made her first start from the Jean-Francois Maguire stable a winning one after being acquired by her trainer and partners Julie Malenfant and 9299 0522 Quebec Inc. last month for the series, which is for non-winners of $60,000 lifetime as of Oct. 31.
The Pop-Up Series for claiming filly and mare pacers, which began last Friday at The Raceway at Western Fair District, continued at Mohawk this week with three $8,500 divisions comprising the second leg.
Greystone Treasure sprang a 14-1 upset by wiring the field from the outside post 10 in the fastest split, holding off Keep Watching and 9-5 favourite Something Royal by a neck in 1:56.1. Sylvain Filion picked up the winning catch-drive after the four-year-old daughter of State Treasurer finished second by a head in the opening round for trainer Jack Wray, who co-owns with Remedios Papadopoulos.
The other divisions went to 70-time career winner E R Rhonda ($4.20), who was repeating in the series as the even-money choice with a 1:57 mile for Filion and trainer/owner Cameron McQueen, and the popular mare Sheplaysforkeeps ($3.40), who just held on to win in 1:57.4 by a head with Bob McClure in the bike for trainer/co-owner Lindsey Kerr before being claimed for the second straight week.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click the following link: Friday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.