Woodbine Mohawk Park: Bax with plenty of power for Wellwood, Peaceful Way finals

If you listen to trainer John Bax speak about Righteous Resolve's training this winter, you'd be surprised that she's even in Saturday's C$362,000 Peaceful Way stakes for juvenile trotting fillies at Woodbine Mohawk Park, let alone the likely favorite.

"She really didn't show much," Bax said. "She just went around the track like every other horse."

To Bax's surprise the full sister to last year's Mohawk Million runner-up Duly Resolved came out of her shell once she arrived in Ontario. "The lightbulb just went off," Bax said. "That first race when she trotted a last quarter in 27 was something I didn't expect."

Paul Macdonell guided the daughter of Resolve from well off the pace in her first pari-mutuel start on June 23 and she came from far back to win in a 1:59 3/5 mile. The last quarter indicated she was stakes material. Since then Righteous Resolve has gone on to win two of her three Ontario Sire Stakes Gold races, with last week's Peaceful Way elimination clocked in a career-best 1:55 3/5.

Asked to compare Righteous Resolve to her older brother, Bax saw notable differences. "She's actually a bit more masculine and stronger than he was," Bax said of Righteous Resolve.

On Saturday Righteous Resolve drew post three in the 10-horse field (race 5) with Bax having a second filly in the race named Quite Fast starting from post nine.

"I have three Walner's this year," Bax said. "I didn't have any last year, but I know they have a tendency to get hot."

Quite Fast is a filly out of Juanitas Fury, who finished second in the 2014 Peaceful Way for Bax. "Juanitas Fury was a sweetheart," Bax said in contrast to Quite Fast, who enters the Peaceful Way with five starts and no victories but did finish a solid third behind her stablemate in the elimination.

"Matt has done a great job with her keeping her calm and she's coming around," Bax said, describing how his son who drives Quite Fast has helped the filly mature and fulfill the promise of her pedigree.

The C$665,000 William Wellwood Memorial (race 10) could be a wide-open affair and Bax has three in the 10-horse field including elimination winner Oh Look Magic (post five).

"He's a big goofy kid," said Bax, describing the gelding that has won three of his first five starts. James MacDonald will be back in the bike for the final. "He chose another horse in the elimination. He knows him and he's the best driver in Canada right now."

Oh Look Magic showed true resolve in his elimination score, setting a pedestrian half-mile clocking of 58 2/5 and then holding on under pressure late in a 1:55 1/5 career-best mile.

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Bax had high expectations for Snowpiercer (post nine), a $130,000 yearling purchase that he's been fiddling with equipment to get the most out of. Bax changed the bridle before Snowpiercer's Wellwood elimination, but the colt didn't respond as expected and was a bit too relaxed during the mile. Already a two-time winner in five career starts, the son of Muscle Mass will be driven by Paul MacDonell on Saturday.

Southwind Coors (post eight) is another Walner-sired offspring with a legitimate chance in the Wellwood. "We've been careful with him not getting too aggressive," Bax said. The results have been steady improvement including a second-place finish behind likely Wellwood favorite International Man in last week's elimination race timed in 1:56.

International Man, a colt from the first crop of International Moni, has won two of his first three races including a stroll-in-the-park victory in his elimination race for Yannick Gingras last week. International Moni drew post six.

The husband-wife team of Andy and Julie Miller send out French Wine from the pole position in the Wellwood. The son of Bar Hopping had a long overland trip in his elimination race but finished a solid third behind Oh Look Magic to set him up nicely for the final. Already a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes winner this year, French Wine is looking for his fourth win.

Ghostly Casper has yet to win in seven career starts but the son of Resolve hasn't lacked for determination, racing parked from outside posts and fighting to the bitter end. Ben Baillargeon trains Ghostly Casper, who landed post two in the field.

The well-bred Winners Bet (post four) gets Dexter Dunn back in the bike after the driver was too late on the scene to pilot him in last week's elimination victory. A son of Walner, Winners Bet has a 1:55 record taken at The Meadowlands in a Kindergarten division.

With a Wellwood victory producing an instant ticket to the Mohawk Million on September 24, we wondered where Bax stood when it came to putting a filly up against the colts in the rich event.

"I've got three owners that have spots in the Mohawk Million," Bax said. "It would obviously be up to the owners, but I think a 2-year-old filly can go against the colts."

Last year it was the filly Venerable that defeated the Bax-trained Duly Resloved in the second Mohawk Million. Perhaps his little sister will get a chance for revenge this year?

Saturday's Wellwood and Peaceful Way are part of a stacked card featuring a variety of top horses and hopeful stars of the future. Two divisions of the Nassagaweya for 2-year-old pacers and a pair of filly companion events also for rookies go as races 3, 4, 7 and 8. Perhaps the highlight for some will be the fastest pacer in history Bulldog Hanover starting in one of two seven-horse Canadian Pacing Derby eliminations. The top five in the sixth and ninth races will return for the final.

Post time for the 12-race card kicks off at 7:00 PM.