Woodbine Mohawk Park: Fields set for Peaceful Way, William Wellwood Memorial

The Ice Dutchess, already a winner of the Jim Doherty Memorial, took a first step to capture another major contest for juvenile trotting fillies when she scored in the first of two C$30,000 Peaceful Way eliminations at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Saturday night.

Yannick Gingras re-moved the Muscle Hill-sired The Ice Dutchess before the half, then cruised to a 1:55 4/5 score for trainer Jimmy Takter. Evident Beauty rallied well late for the place spot, with Presto Change O, Angies Luckeylady and H P Titania Runner following into the final.

"I think she could have done it without hopples," said Gingras, noting that following consecutive breaks in stakes action The Ice Dutchess's connections had gone to a safer approach.

Coyote Wynd Farms owns The Ice Dutchess, a 1-2 betting favorite.

Sisters Promise and Tim Tetrick spoiled the Takter-Gingras sweep of the Peaceful Way preliminaries with a solid first-over effort that produced a career-best 1:55 4/5 victory. Linda Toscano trains Sisters Promise for Brittany Farms.

Betting favorite Susy made two moves to the lead in a 57 3/5 half for Gingras, and then was put to the test when Sisters Promise challenged through three-quarters in 1:26 3/5. Tetrick had the Father Patrick filly in front from early stretch and maintained his advantage over Susy to the wire, with Speed Titan, Tommi Canu Hearme and Teddys Littleangel rounding out the qualifiers.

A week removed from posting a major upset in the Maple Leaf Trot with Crazy Wow, trainer Marcus Melander had odds-on favorite Green Manalishi primed for the first William Wellwood elimination for 2-year-old male trotters.

Green Manalishi secured the front into the first turn and never looked back, posting a 1:54 4/5 mile, his career-best, for driver Tetrick. The son of Muscle Hill set fractions of 28 2/5, 57 4/5 and 1:26 2/5, with Tetrick urging him a bit in the stretch to keep an open-lengths advantage through the wire. Kings County was a distant second, with 62-1 shot Smart As Hill third. Southwind Avenger and Hudson River round out the qualifiers from this division.

Courant Inc. own Green Manalishi, now a winner in three of five career starts.

Union Forces spoiled the unbeaten streak of 1-5 favorite Swandre The Giant in capturing the second Wellwood elimination in 1:55 3/5 for driver Scott Zeron.

Swandre The Giant, making his first start for trainer Jimmy Takter after a purchase, was able to control the pace after yielding early, with fractions of 27 4/5, 57 3/5, and 1:27 2/5, but when Union Forces, who snapped out of the gate alertly from post eight to set up the surprise, rallied from the pocket he had no answer as the Domenico Cecere-trained son of Cantab Hall marched to a personal-best score at odds of 33-1. Swandre The Giant held second ahead of White Tiger, Okeanos and While Your Up.

Lindy Farms shares ownership of Union Forces with David Anderson, John Fielding and Robert Rudolph.

The fields for each final are listed below.

C$385,000 Peaceful Way

#1 Presto Change O
#2 Susy
#3 The Ice Dutchess
#4 Sisters Promise
#5 Evident Beauty
#6 Angies Luckeylady
#7 Teddys Littleangel
#8 Tommi Canu Hearme
#9 Speed Titan
#10 HP Titania Runner
AE: Fraulein Blucher

C$400,000 William Wellwood Memorial

#1 White Tiger
#2 Okeanos
#3 Green Manalishi S
#4 Union Forces
#5 Hudson River
#6 Smart As Hill
#7 Swandre The Giant
#8 Kings County
#9 Southwind Avenger
#10 While Your Up
AE: CT Conabra