Woodbine Mohawk Park: Favorites toppled in OSS Gold Series splits
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Monalishi and Baden Baden, two daughters of Green Manalishi sent off at 12-1 and 14-1, respectively, captured Thursday night's two C$95,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Series races for 2-year-old filly trotters.
Driven by Jody Jamieson, Monalishi yielded past a 28 3/5 opening quarter to sit behind Exquisite Taste (Louis Roy). Exquisite Taste would go on to reach the half in 58 2/5 and the three-quarters in 1:27 3/5, but Jamieson had Monalishi pointed to the outside before the latter marker. After a duel in the lane, Monalishi went by Exquisite Taste inside the final eighth and would hit the line 2 1/4 lengths ahead of Exquisite Taste in a 1:55 4/5 performance. Lil Sweet (Doug McNair) got third.
"We had three on our list at Harrisburg and she was my favorite," said trainer/co-owner Blake MacIntosh. "Tim (co-owner Tim Klemencic) liked the other two, but the other two went out of our price range and we ended up with her, so I was really happy with it. I just liked the way she looked. To me, she was the best-looking one."
Bred by Shmuel Farhi, Monalishi went for $28,000 at the 2023 Standardbred Horse Sale. She broke her maiden in her second try, has pocketed C$47,500 and paid $27.00 to win.
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Baden Baden (Tyler Jones) lingered back in seventh and sixth through fractions of 29, 58 2/5 and 1:28 2/5 and could only flush dull cover from Green Mans Joy (Mario Baillargeon) in the other clash, but when Incantation (Sylvain Filion) broke while on a clear lead with an eighth to go, the race was thrown wide-open. Thanks to a 27 4/5 final kicker, Baden Baden powered by the remaining contenders and scored by a length and a half over Sprite Seelster (Tyler Borth) in 1:57 2/5. The Green Book (Trevor Henry) collected third.
"Once I got around Mario, I thought Mario had a really nice filly and first-over is a tough trip, but I moved off her cover and let her get into gear. When she took off, she was gone," remarked Jones. "I thought I had a pretty good shot then."
Trainer Duncan Brewer also co-owns Baden Baden with partners Randell Urquhart and Steve Deady. Baden Baden, bred by Overseas Farms Ltd., was purchased for C$20,000 at last year's London Classic Yearling Sale and won for the first time in her third appearance. She has banked C$48,300 and returned $30.20 to win.