Woodbine Mohawk Park: 3YO trotting fillies meet in Casual Breeze Stakes

Global Heritage and R Dutchess came away victorious in a pair of Casual Breeze Stakes divisions for 3-year-old trotting fillies on Friday night at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

Global Heritage pulled a slight 7-1 upset when holding 1-9 chalk Lasting Dream at bay with a pillar-to-post 1:52 win in the first of two divisions of the C$155,500 Casual Breeze. Driver Dexter Dunn worked to take the lead from Lasting Dream into a 27 2/5 first quarter and managed to snag a breather to a 57 second half before hitting the accelerator in a 55 second back- half with just enough in reserve to hold off Lasting Dream's pocket pounce by three-quarters of a length. Stormont Beautiful finished third, another seven lengths behind, and Medley Seelster took fourth.

"She felt good on the front," Dunn said after the race. "Obviously Louis' horse has been racing out of her skin lately, so I thought whether we're following or she's behind us she'll be hard to beat. Domenico (trainer Domenico Cecere) had this filly ready to trot tonight. We got a pretty good second quarter and started getting moving around the last turn [and] she kicked hard; credit to her."

Global Heritage, a 3-year-old filly by International Moni, won her fifth race from 13 starts and has now earned C$124,051 for owner-breeder Lindy Farms of Connecticut. She paid $17.40 to win.

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While the favorite was foiled in division one, Tim Tetrick delivered 1-5 chalk R Dutchess to a 1:52 victory in the C$77,250 second division. Tetrick moved methodically with the John Butenschoen trainee from the pylon post and made a brush for the lead after a 27 3/5 first quarter to clear before a 55 3/5 half. R Dutchess stayed on the muscle to three-quarters in 1:23 4/5 and then stayed brave to the finish under increasing pressure from Zette Athena to win by a neck. Sprite Seelster finished third and Foxy Amee took fourth.

"We've been tickled to death with her," John Butenschoen said after the race. "She's come back real strong, a lot better mannered. We scheduled her to start later and have her ready for the Hambo Oaks. She came first-up, but that wasn't her problem; she was done at the head of the stretch. [She] had a little mucous, we ran SAA tests on her the next morning and it was quite elevated. We started her on some antibiotics. She raced great [in the Delmonica Hanover], she got shipped to Canada and came back six days later to win in [1:]52 here again tonight and fought down the stretch. We're very pleased."

A 3-year-old daughter of Father Patrick, R Dutchess has now won six races from 19 starts and banked C$435,764 for lessee M And L of Delaware and Armitage Farm. She paid $2.50 to win.

--press release (Woodbine Mohawk Park)--