Mohawk Trail ($25.60) runs down Queen Picasso in Ontario Colleen
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ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Kentucky-based longshot Mohawk Trail ran down the favored Queen Picasso in the final furlong to annex her second consecutive Woodbine stakes in Saturday’s Grade 3 Ontario Colleen for 3-year-old fillies.
With Adam Beschizza aboard, Mohawk Trail bided her time about five lengths off the lead while racing three-wide on the backstretch in the one-mile turf event.
Over a course labeled as good, Queen Picasso set tepid fractions under Declan Carroll. She seemed headed for victory in early stretch before Mohawk Trail blew by her to prevail by 1 1/2 lengths, in a time of 1:34.68.
Love to Shop rallied outside for third in the nine-horse field. She was followed by Ryder Ryder Ryder, Last Call, Blind Spot, Preliminary, Violent Gibson and Born to Boogie.
Mohawk Trail ($25.60) earned $90,000 of the $150,500 purse for NBS Stable and trainer Kelsey Danner. The daughter of the late Pioneerof the Nile had won the 6 1/2-furlong Alywow Stakes here in her previous race, also under Beschizza.
“She has a great will to win, which stacks up in her favor.” Beschizza said. “The last (time) she won here, she got to the front pretty soon, and just idled and waited for horses to come and approach her again. At the mile, I tried to draft and get there as late as we could. When she had the target in front of her the last eighth of a mile, she dug deep. She’s definitely maturing in the right direction. Kelsey has done a great job with her.”
*** Leading rider Kazushi Kimura won his third of four races on Saturday’s Woodbine card aboard favored Loyalty in the Grade 3 Hendrie.
Loyalty tracked the leaders along the inside before closing along the rail in the stretch to prevail by 2 1/2 lengths over Maryland shipper Clitheroe. Talk to Ya Later, a 41-1 outsider, edged out Miss Speedy for third in the seven-horse field. The final time was 1:15.16.
“She was quite easy to ride,” Kimura said. “She was able to stay close. There were so many options for me. She was so comfortable behind the front-runners.”
Loyalty ($4.30) banked $90,000 of the $155,400 purse for the partnership of Gainesway Stable and LNJ Foxwoods. Josie Carroll trains the 4-year-old daughter of Hard Spun.
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