Woodbine Mohawk Park: Fast As The Wind is just that in Goodtimes final

Fast As The Wind backed up his elimination victory last Friday with a 1:52 2/5 life's-best tally in Saturday night's C$251,000 Goodtimes Stakes final for 3-year-old colt and gelding trotters at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

Dexter Dunn put Fast As The Wind in the four-hole and watched as Looks Like Moni (Andy McCarthy) hustled to the top from post eight and hit the quarter in 27 2/5 and the half in 55 1/5. Southwind Domino (Louis Roy) was behind Looks Like Moni in the pocket, with Pretender (Yannick Gingras) sitting in third.

Looks Like Moni continued to show the way onto the far turn, but then he made a break in stride with about three-eighths of the mile left to go, leaving Southwind Domino and Pretender side-by-side at the 1:23 1/5 three-quarters and Fast As The Wind now poised to strike from third rather than fourth.

Dunn swung Fast As The Wind to the outside late on the far turn, and he was able to trot by Pretender and Southwind Domino in the stretch. Nobody could chase down Fast As The Wind from there, as he won by about two lengths over a closing Twin B Archie (James MacDonald). Pretender wound up third, followed by Testing Testing (David Miller), who finished well after trailing from post ten. Southwind Domino checked in fifth.

"I was really concentrating on getting my fella around. He was running in a touch coming off that last turn and I was having to nurse him there a bit. Once Andy made a break, that got us a little closer to the front, and he laid down like he has been this year," said Dunn. "He's definitely going in the right direction, but he has since the first qualifier I sat behind him back this year after a break. He's doing everything right, and he hasn't put a foot wrong so far. He's finishing his races off really strongly.

"He is versatile. Last week I put him on the front, but most of his runs have been off cover. He's got a good last quarter in him."

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Tony Alagna trains Fast As The Wind, a Cantab Hall colt bred by Tony Holmes and Walter Zent, for owners Leblanc And Kribbs, Joe Sbrocco, and Joseph Barbera. He has a record of 7-2-4 from 19 lifetime starts, has now pocketed C$713,227, and paid $2.90 to win as the favorite.