Woodbine Mohawk Park: Forbidden Trade grinds out OSS Gold Series score

Hambletonian champion Forbidden Trade resurfaced in the second of two C$105,600 Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Series contests for 3-year-old colt and gelding trotters tonight at Woodbine Mohawk Park, and he was able to overcome an extended first-over trip to prevail over a dead-game All Wrapped Up in 1:53.

All Wrapped Up (Louis-Philippe Roy) made front passing the 27 3/5 opening quarter, and then he was able to back down the half to just 57 seconds flat, with Forbidden Trade and driver Bob McClure moving first-over from third at that point. All Wrapped Up was able to rebuff Forbidden Trade around the far turn and to the 1:24 3/5 three-quarters, and when All Wrapped Up continued to show the way in the stretch, it looked like Forbidden Trade might be in trouble. However, Forbidden Trade found another gear in the last eighth and edged by his challenger, prevailing by a head. Cool Clifford (Sylvain Filion) finished third.

"He's pretty tough. Once he's by them, he doesn't let them go by," said McClure. "I didn't pull the plugs until late. I was pretty confident the whole way.

"He felt great. We went a 57 second first half, and then I tried to move to the front, but it didn't work out. I was pretty hard on him. I think he had more left, but he likes to win by a head when he's on front. I didn't feel much pressure. With a horse like that, they kind of take it away. I had a lot of confidence in him. He's so easy to drive, so it's kind of hard to get him in bad positions, like tonight, but he's pretty good at getting you out of them when you are in one."

Luc Blais trains Forbidden Trade, a 3-year-old Kadabra colt, for owner Determination. This was Forbidden Trade's 13th win from 20 starts, and he has now earned C$1,024,877. The 1-9 favorite, he paid $2.10 to win.

“He’s a special horse for sure,” said Blais. “It was a tough mile, he came first-over and he battled until the wire. The horse of Mr. (Rob) Fellows (All Wrapped Up) was good tonight, he fought at the wire too. That was a good race.”

Forbidden Trade will enjoy some time in the paddock at Blais’s Campbellville, Ontario, farm before resuming his stakes schedule in September. Woodbine Mohawk Park hosts the Simcoe Stakes for 3-year-old trotting colts and geldings on Sept. 6 and the Canadian Trotting Classic on Sept. 13, followed by the last regular season Gold Series event on Sept. 26. The top 10 point earners from the regular season will then wrap up their Ontario Sires Stakes careers in the Oct. 12 Super Final.

“We’re going to concentrate on the end of the year, it will be a very intense couple of months,” explained Blais, adding that Forbidden Trade has the advantage of not having to travel for the Canadian Trotting Classic or the Breeders Crown, which Woodbine Mohawk Park will host on Oct. 26. “He’s got his own paddock and he loves that you know. When we came back from New Jersey, he was happy to come back home.”

The first division went to Knight Angel (Doug McNair) after a pocket trip in 1:54 4/5. He downed pace-setter Southwind Avenger (Trevor Henry) by a neck on the line, with While Your Up (Paul MacDonell) coming on from second-over to collect third.

"I just didn't want to lose him leaving the gate. That's what happened to me at Rideau Carleton (in a Gold division on July 21)," remarked McNair. "I was in a pretty good hurry getting him off the wings, and he ended up making a break on me. So I figured if I could just keep him trotting and follow Trevor around we'd get a good piece of it."

Knight Angel is an Archangel gelding, and he is co-owned by trainer Shane Arsenault along with Justin Fisher, Gary Leeming, and Giuseppe Mascia. This was his sixth career victory, and he has now earned C$201,826. He was sent off at 7-2 and returned $9.80 to win.

--additional reporting/quotes courtesy of the Ontario Sires Stakes--