Woodbine Mohawk Park: Elegantimage elims go to Righteous Resolve, Bond

Three-year-old trotting fillies competed in a pair of C$35,000 Elegantimage Stakes eliminations on Saturday night at Woodbine Mohawk Park, and it would be Righteous Resolve and Bond who came out on top.

Righteous Resolve took the top early in the first Elegantimage elimination and put up fractions of 27 1/5, 57 and 1:25 3/5. Off those stations, she could not be caught down the lane, and she stopped the timer in 1:53 1/5 with James MacDonald in the bike. Quick Stop, Baroness Hill, Pure Hope S and Mass Hysteria crossed the wire in that order to qualify for next week's final.

Last year's O'Brien Award winner as Canada's best rookie trotting filly, Righteous Resolve was notching her second win in eight starts this year for just over a quarter million made and over C$850,000 lifetime for owner/breeder Bet Max Stable and Benenati Inc. The Resolve daughter is trained by Matt Bax.

As the second elimination field entered the first turn, Climb The Pole made a costly miscue as she tried to challenge for the front. Meanwhile, Rose Run Yolanda was on top at the 28 second opener, but she was soon passed by favorite Bond, who trotted easily by the half in 57 1/5 and the three-quarters in 1:25 1/5 and withstood a late rush by Rose Run Yolanda to win in 1:52 1/5. Rose Run Yolanda was a neck back in second, with Call Me Go third, followed by Tactical Mounds and Lindys Irishcream.

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Svanstedt trains and co-owns the winner, a pretty daughter of Southwind Frank, with Little E LLC. and L Berg Inc. Bond was recording her fifth win in eight tries this year for C$338,000 earned this year and C$925,000 in her career.

"She's a good horse, of course; she almost always wins," Svanstedt laughed.

The field for next Saturday's $381,000 Elegantimage final will line up as follows:

1 – Lindys Irishcream
2 – Baroness Hill
3 – Rose Run Yolanda
4 – Mass Hysteria
5 – Bond
6 – Righteous Resolve
7 – Pure Hope S
8 – Tactical Mounds
9 – Call Me Goo
10 – Quick Stop
AE – Tactical Planner

--press release (Woodbine Mohawk Park)--