Woodbine Mohawk Park: Athenas Girl romps in Peaceful Way Stakes final

Athenas Girl and Dexter Dunn grabbed control of the race shortly past the first quarter and drew away from nine rivals, capturing the Grade 1 C$425,000 Peaceflui Way for 2-year-old filly trotters at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Saturday night. The Marcus Melander-trained filly won in 1:53 for driver Dexter Dunn a career-best clocking.

City Of Lights and Scott Zeron blasted from post nine to the front before the opening bend and hit the quarter in 27 2/5 while parking the heavily-favored Athenas Girl. Dunn would seize control of the race and then proceed to back the half down to 57 2/5 while Loves Passion moved without cover and towed Creamy Armitage and Dataprivacy into the race in the outer tier.

Athenas Girl marched to three-quarters within herself in 1:25 3/5 as the outside horses advanced but did not threaten, and then once into the stretch, she was off by herself, with Dunn comfortably guiding her away from her nine rivals quite effortlessly. The battle for place saw Verily angle off the pylons in mid-stretch and rally for second, with Athenas Girl showing strong trot in the stretch for the second consecutive week but settling for third. Nevis Peak advanced along the pylons late for fourth with Major Contender fifth across the wire.

► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter

A daughter of Walner from the stakes-winning mare Fashion Athena, Athenas Girl is owned by Brad Grant, who purchased her for $300,000 at the Harrisburg Sale last fall from the Fashion Farms consignment. Now a winner three times in six starts this year, Fashion Athena paid $2.70 as the prohibitive choice.

"It was very frustrating because training down I don't think she made one single break," said Melander about the issues that led him to put hopples on the filly following a series of breaks in stakes action in New Jersey. "Training down she felt like one of our best ones."