Tuscan Prince and Osceola will headline next week's SBOA Stakes for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings after winning their respective $25,000 eliminations on Friday night (May 12) at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Making his sophomore debut, Tuscan Prince ($4.10) lowered his lifetime mark to 1:52.3 winning the fastest of the two eliminations for trainer Luc Blais and owner Determination.
Driver Louis-Philippe Roy put the popular Kadabra gelding on the front at the quarter in :27.2, and after middle splits of :56.2 and 1:24.4, he held off pocket-pursuer Passarino by half a length despite drifting across the track in the stretch. Snowpiercer, Musical Ride and Lite The Candles rounded out the top five finishers.
Tuscan Prince, who was an Ontario Sires Stakes Gold winner at two, now has four wins and three second-place finishes with $133,725 earned through 11 career starts.
Osceola ($10) also took a new mark winning his season's debut in 1:53.1 for the father-son, trainer-driver team of Gregg and Doug McNair.
After settling away mid-pack from the outside post for splits of :27, :56.3 and 1:25, Osceola got the jump on favourite Hasty Bid in a final quarter sprint and fought tough to win by a head, with race leaders Darbyshire and What An Angel finishing less than a length behind followed by Lava Field back in fifth.
Gregg McNair co-owns the Muscle Mass colt with breeder Willow Oak Ranch and Paul Hawman. A three-time Gold winner last year, Osceola picked up his fourth career win and now has $188,278 banked from 11 stakes starts.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click the following link: Friday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.