Woodbine, Mohawk Million hit the mark for Lawson in 2021

The road traveled when attempting to create reality from a vision is often littered with obstacles. For Woodbine CEO Jim Lawson, the Mohawk Million concept, now in its second year, is starting to deliver on the premise of bringing together the best 2-year-old trotters in the sport for a million-dollar showdown.

"Absolutely," said Lawson when asked if the 2021 Mohawk Million field was what he envisioned when the race was conceived. "I think this is just a much deeper field than last year. The top two finishers from last year, Venerate and Donna Soprano, were at the time two of the best, but this is exactly what we hoped for. There will be six states or provinces represented, and that is truly the vision of showcasing Woodbine Mohawk Park and what we have to offer."

Indeed the 2021 Mohawk Million is stacked with trotting talent. The three richest 2-year-old trotters in the sport this year - King Of The North (colt), Venerable (filly) and Duly Resolved - are signed on. They are joined in the 10-horse field by the undefeated Indiana-bred Dover In Motion, Ohio Champion The Mighty Hill, and the fastest rookie of the year Selfie Queen (1:51 2/5).

An idea originally hashed from the Pegasus World Cup concept at Gulfstream Park for Thoroughbreds, the concept of a million-dollar event for trotters was supposed to debut at The Red Mile in 2019 before getting canceled due to a date conflict. In stepped Woodbine with an announcement that the $1,000,000 (U.S.) Mohawk Million would occur at Woodbine Mohawk Park in 2020.

Hopes were high for a grand event that would be the showcase for the industry. Then COVID-19 hit, limiting travel of potential participants and on-track participation from fans. While the race still went as planned, the side effect for 2021 was fewer people willing to put up money after seeing a field with a number of questionable horses on display. After seeing nine separate owners put up $110,000 to get a Mohawk Million ticket in 2020, only six were willing to take the leap (three owners bought two slots to make nine total) in 2021, with only two repeat slot purchasers.

"It is difficult to sell these slots, but at the same time I'm optimistic that it grows in popularity," said Lawson. "We are going to do a better job this year - and when I say better I'm not being critical - of hosting these slot owners and thanking them. It is a tough concept, but something I think is really great for the sport."

One of the changes made from 2020 to 2021 was lowering the cost for a slot in the Mohawk Million from $110,000 (U.S.) to $100,000 (CDN), and Lawson isn't afraid to keep tinkering with the conditions of the race until the formula is perfect.

"In all things in the industry, we need to be flexible," said Lawson. "I like where we are at, but is it perfect? Nothing is perfect. This industry is facing a lot of challenges from competition and other factors, the entire industry including Thoroughbreds, and I think we have to be nimble and flexible.

"This is good for the industry. This is good for the breeders. We have that mindset and are effectively a company with a non-profit mandate, and what we want to do is promote racing. If we have to tweak this to support the breeders and owners, we will."

A clear winner in the Mohawk Million has been the William Wellwood Memorial. As the prep for the Mohawk Million and offering a free slot in the race to the winner, the stake has seen nominations grow from 154 in 2019 to 199 in 2021. This year, King Of The North captured the automatic invitation.

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The September 25 Mohawk Million card, which also includes the C$824,000 Metro Pace for 2-year-olds and C$500,500 She's A Great Lady for rookie filly pacers among other major events, will offer just over C$3 million in purses. The event will effectively cap off a spectacular five-week run of Grand Circuit stakes action at Woodbine Mohawk Park that included the C$1,000,000 North America Cup, an event normally contested on the Saturday prior to Father's Day.

Whether the September placement for the North America Cup will remain after its two-year run in that spot due to the pandemic, is still up in the air, though reading between the lines it seems unlikely.

"That hasn't been determined yet," said Lawson on a possible permanent shift in date for the NA Cup. "If it would've been raced in June, it still would've been five great weeks of stakes racing. We've always had September as that Grand Circuit season and the richest month of horse racing at Mohawk. We will continue that. I don't know as we speak about the NA Cup and the placing of it. I, like you, love having all of the stakes together. I think it was Chad Rozema, though I'm not sure, who coined this year the September to Remember, and I think we've generated some excitement around these five or six weeks."

Lawson on many occasions has made it known that he wants Woodbine, both Thoroughbred and Standardbred, to be a leader in the industry in terms of commitment to racing and handle, but he's also realistic. While they may never reach the top, they are chipping away at the leaders.

"In terms of #1 it is a far stretch to compete with NYRA and Gulfstream on the Thoroughbred side. They are behemoths when you look at their handle," said Lawson. "On the Standardbred side, the quality year-round racing that we offer at Mohawk makes it a great place for these trainers and drivers to settle in and raise a family. We don't move from place to place. Milton and the surrounding area is a great place. Our purses are stable and sustainable for years to come.

"We are in the midst of an exciting real estate development on 700 acres of land at Woodbine and the profits from that will be used to support the Standardbreds and the Thoroughbreds. We are very well placed in an industry that has all sorts of challenges for many reasons. The Woodbine brand is very strong right now and our investment in technology and innovation sets us apart from a lot of our competitors. I couldn't be happier or prouder of where Woodbine sits today in the North American and International markets, both on the Standardbred and Thoroughbred sides."

With nearly $27 million (CDN) in handle during the weekend of September 17 at Woodbine and Mohawk Racetracks and over $8 million (CDN) wagered at Mohawk Park alone the previous two Saturdays (9/11 & 9/18), Lawson has good reason to be optimistic about the future and his commitment to the sport clearly runs deep.

"I love this industry and we are going to continue to expand this brand," said Lawson. "I'm all about keeping horse racing and the jobs it represents going for generations. We are in a unique position to make that statement because of our non-profit mandate. We don't have any shareholders. We are quite uniquely placed to make sure this industry and all the jobs it represents are sustainable for years to come."

As Lawson enjoys the Mohawk Million on Saturday, race nine with an approximate post time of 10:20 P.M., he made it clear that the success of the race is a direct reflection of the people who supported it this year.

"I want to thank all of the slot owners from the bottom of my heart; EquineX, Brad Grant, the Crawfords, Gino Toscani, Steve Heimbecker, and of course Determination. It means a lot to us because they stepped up to make this go. It is people like them who make this sport go and they deserve much of the credit."

The Mohawk Million is truly a unique race which in 2021 will provide fans of Harness Racing with a chance to see the best young trotters the sport has to offer compete for a huge payday. It will bring together a combination of horses that wouldn't be possible in any other race this year since some of the participants aren't eligible to the Breeders Crown or other Grand Circuit races. It's a concept which is worth embracing, hopefully for years to come.