Woodbine Mohawk Park: Fellows pupils perfect in SBOA male trot elims

The SBOA Stakes eliminations continued Saturday evening with the 3-year-old colt and gelding trot splits contested early on the 12-race card at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

The opening division of the SBOA eliminations delivered a compelling top-level showdown, as Touchedbyanangel held off the heavily-favored Strobe Lite to win in 1:54 1/5.

Driven confidently by Doug McNair for trainer Kyle Fellows, Touchedbyanangel secured a perfect two-hole trip behind Wolverine Legend through fractions of 28, 57 and 1:25 4/5. Touchedbyangel angled into contention turning for home and powered on to secure the victory over the late-closing Strobe Lite.

Strobe Lite, the O'Brien Award-winning standout from last season, made a strong seasonal debut for driver James MacDonald and trainer Benoit Baillargeon. The 1-5 favorite was settled into a mid-pack trip before unleashing a steady late rally. Despite closing ground through the stretch, he came up just a neck short off a 27 2/5 kicker.

Rounding out the top three was Wolverine Legend, who set the tempo for driver Trevor Henry and held on admirably to secure a qualifying spot. Dream For Peace and Stonebridge Mac also made next week's final.

With the win in his season debut on Saturday, Touchedbyangel now has three wins in 13 starts and over C$200,000 earned for owners Yolanda Fellows, Blair Corbeil, Mike McAllister and Peter Porter. The son of Archangel paid $8.40 to win.

The Fellows stable carried the momentum from the first elimination win to a sweep of the top two spots in the second split, as Toss Of The Dice pulled off a 34-1 upset in a scramble of a finish that saw the top-five separated by just two lengths in a blanket finish.

Driven by Mark MacDonald, Toss Of The Dice swept the field from last by going three-wide around the final turn. The three-wide move was forced after longshot In The Black began to fade after being parked throughout. Race favorite First Class Mass was stuck behind the fading rival, while Mike Me Up and Toss Of The Dice got around.

In the stretch, L P Bay, who had been pressured by In The Black, surrendered the lead to Trouble With Names. However, the new leader could not hold off the Fellows trainees, as Toss Of The Dice reached up to win by three-quarters of a length in 1:56 1/5. Mike Me Up was second, while Trouble With Names was third. First Class Mass finished up strong after the last turn traffic to finish fourth, while L P Bay hung in tough to be fifth.

Another a son of Archangel, Toss Of The Dice was winless in two starts this season before Saturday's elimination. He now has four wins in 13 starts and over C$59,000 earned for owners Yolanda Fellows, Leo Fleming, Bill Manes and William Cripps. Toss Of The Dice paid $71.30 to win.

The draw for next Saturday's C$130,475 final took place following the eliminations:

1 - Wolverine Legend - Trevor Henry
2 - Touchedbyangel - Doug McNair
3 - Mike Me Up - Louis-Philippe Roy
4 - Toss Of The Dice - Mark MacDonald
5 - First Class Mass - James MacDonald
6 - Dream For Peace - Billy Davis
7 - Strobe Lite - James MacDonald
8 - Stonebridge Mac - Bob McClure
9 - Trouble With Names - Bob McClure
10 - L P Bay - Travis Henry
AE - Green Nineteen - Todd Ratchford

--press release (Woodbine Mohawk Park)--