Woodbine Mohawk Park: Logan Park prevails in OSS Gold Series

Ontario’s talented 2-year-old trotting colts and geldings were featured on another spectacular night of harness racing at Woodbine Mohawk Park Saturday, Sept. 19, and this week fortune smiled on Logan Park.

The lightly rated son of Archangel and driver Louis-Philippe Roy got away fourth from post seven in the lone C$158,000 Gold Series split and watched Emotions Riches ring up a 26 3/5 quarter before yielding to Sweet Soul David. Heading by the 56 4/5 half, Roy sent Logan Park after the leaders, and the colt had an edge on Sweet Soul David at the 1:26 4/5 three-quarters. In command at the top of the stretch, Logan Park dug in to hold off Full Of Muscles by a head in 1:55 3/5. Tokyo Seelster was 3 3/4 lengths back in third. Favorite Macho Martini finished at the back of the field after suffering interference and making a break in the stretch.

"He was good. When he stays trotting he's as good as any of them," said trainer Rob Fellows. "He's made a lot of breaks at inopportune times and had to qualify and missed a couple sires stakes, but he was good tonight."

The win was the first in Ontario Sires Stakes action for Logan Park and his second of the season. The colt's other victory came in the Aug. 6 leg of the Millard Farms Series at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Among Logan Park's miscues, which number four, was an error in last weekend's William Wellwood Memorial final when he was sitting third heading into the final quarter. Fellows was hopeful a shoeing change would work in Logan Park's favor on Saturday, but admitted he and Roy had been hopeful before.

"We've been confident before and lost him in the first turn. Last week I was confident when he got around the first turn and then, of course, he didn't get around the last turn," said Fellows, who noted that Saturday's shoeing change was far from the first."It used to be trotting around the turns was his forte, but then he started making a lot of breaks in the turns and, you know, we have to take it as it is. I mean they're 2-year-old trotters, they're growing every step as it goes too; they grow and their gait changes, it's very tough."

Outofthepark Stable, breeder Reg Higgs, and Arpad Szabo share ownership of Logan Park, who boosted his career earnings to C$123,300 with the win and jumped from 13th to third in the division standings with 70 points. The top 10 point earners after the final Gold Series leg, Oct. 8 at Flamboro Downs, will advance to the C$250,000 Super Final at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Oct. 17.

--press release (Ontario Sires Stakes)--