Woodbine Mohawk Park will host Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) Gold Series events this weekend with four divisions across two nights of racing.
The OSS Gold action begins on Friday night with a pair of $101,300 divisions for sophomore trotting fillies in races three and six.
Race six includes Baroness Hill (pictured above), a talented Kadabra filly trained by Chantal Mitchell whose campaign started with breaks in both qualifying and pari-mutuel efforts before rebounding with an impressive OSS Gold win in a career-best 1:54.2 on June 13 at Mohawk.
“We just made slight changes, raised her head a little bit, that was really all it was,” said Mitchell. “She just needed to get herself into the right headspace. That’s all it’s been, it wasn’t any technical issues. She just needed to get into her own headspace and get the driver and the horse on the same path.”
The filly’s two starts last year were won from off the pace, but she led start to finish in her recent OSS victory. On Friday, she’ll have O’Brien Award winner Righteous Resolve, and her excellent gate speed, to contend with.
“I think my filly is better off a helmet anyways,” said Mitchell. “So, if we can follow a horse like Righteous Resolve, it will benefit her, but time will only tell. I like to think that my filly is just getting better, so going up against [Righteous Resolve] will be a good test.”
Baroness Hill, the 7-2 second choice on the morning line, drew post four on Friday and Doug McNair will sit behind her for owner Tom Hill.
Righteous Resolve, the 2-1 early favourite, will leave from post two with regular pilot James MacDonald in the bike for trainer Matt Bax. It will be the seasonal debut for the standout daughter of Resolve who was scratched from her division in the first Gold leg. She has never finished off the board in 10 career starts for owners Bet Max Stables Inc. and Benenati Inc.
The other division winner from leg one, HP Extra Ice is 2-1 on the morning line in race three. The Alarm Detector filly has already banked $135,885 in nine starts this season for owners Benoit Baillargeon, Claude Hamel, Santo Vena and Nunzio Vena. Baillargeon trains the filly and has tapped James MacDonald to drive her from post two.
On Saturday night, the Glamour Boys will take centre stage with two $100,400 divisions in races three and eight as their OSS Gold season gets underway.
In the first division, Verdun, a Roland Trudel homebred, is looking to build on a strong start to the season in the conditioned ranks. The Bettors Delight colt comes in off back-to-back wins, including a 1:50.4 career-best effort and a 1:51 score on the Pepsi North America Cup undercard.
“He’s coming in at the top of his game,” said trainer Jean Tourigny. “It’s going to be a good test for him.”
He has faced Gold company once before in his rookie season and was fifth against Grand Circuit foes in a division of the Somebeachsomewhere Stakes on June 3.
Louis Philippe-Roy will pilot him from post four. Tourigny said his colt is better racing from behind, so watch for him down the stretch if the pace develops in his favour.
North America Cup starter Moment Is Here is the 7-5 favourite on the morning line from post two with James MacDonald listed back aboard the All Bets Off gelding for trainer Bob McIntosh.
The second division is headlined by dual O’Brien and Dan Patch Award winner Stockade Seelster, the 9-5 favourite on the morning line. He rebounded from a heartbreaking third in his North America Cup elimination to win the consolation in a lifetime best 1:49.3. Regular driver Jody Jamieson will be in the bike for trainer Dr. Ian Moore. The son of State Treasurer passed the million-dollar earnings mark for his owners Sally and Paul MacDonald with his latest victory.
Post time is 7 p.m. EDT on both Friday and Saturday.
(With files from OR)