Woodbine Mohawk Park: McNair holds a decent pair for Friday finals

Driver Doug McNair finds himself in a good spot for Friday's pair of series finals at Woodbine Mohawk Park. McNair will guide multi-leg winner Getting Euchred (post one) in the C$35,000 Blizzard Pacing Series final for 3- and 4-year-old fillies and mares in the evening's fifth race. The C$38,600 Snowshoe Pacing Series final goes two races later, and McNair hopes to capture the event with the red-hot Camara Moment (post six), a winner of the Valedictory Series final in December and undefeated in his last three starts heading into Friday's finale.

"I think we're racing for second," McNair said when asked his chances behind Getting Euchred, a filly from the first crop of All Bets Off that has the distinction of being one of two fillies in the event dominated by mares.

"I think Steven Hudon's horse is the one to beat," said McNair of Shesasharpshooter, a 4-year-old mare by Huntsville who captured both of her Blizzard Series preliminaries in significantly faster times than Getting Euchred. "It's a big edge at this time of the year," continued McNair of the age disparity between his charge and the likely favorite.

As for Getting Euchred, McNair likes how the filly has progressed this year after winning five of seven starts as a 2-year-old.

"The first week I drove her, [trainer] Brent [Belore] told me to sit in with her, and she got the job done," McNair said. "Last week [February 2] I had to come first-over with her and she dug in."

As for Shesasharpshooter, the Laura Toscani-trained mare has elevated her game in 2023, making her debut on January 20 a winning one with a 1:55 effort against non-winners of two company. In the Blizzard Series driver Steven Hudon hasn't been seriously challenged, marching to easy 1:55 and 1:56 1/5 victories with something to spare. Shesasharpshooter drew post four in the field of 10 fillies and mares.

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McNair appeared to like his chances in the C$38,600 Snowshoe Pacing Series final with the 4-year-old Camara Moment, an altered son of Control The Moment.

"He's got high speed and can carry it," said McNair of Camara Moment.

Trained by perennial leading conditioner Richard Moreau, Camara Moment enters the Snowshoe final with three wins in four starts this year, including back-to-back Snowshoe elimination scores.

"Louis' [Philippe Roy] horse pulled the pocket on me last week, and my horse just took off in-hand," said McNair, referring to rival Emmetts Buddy, a first-leg winner for Roy on January 27 but third after an aggressive try in the second round.

Camara Moment drew post six outside Emmetts Buddy, but the Snowshoe is far from a two-horse race, with the well-bred 4-year-old Last Beach a definite contender in the field. Last Beach (post four) came up a neck short in second behind Emmetts Buddy in first round action after cutting the entire pace from post eight. The Somebeachsomewhere-sired half-brother to 2021 Horse of the Year Test Of Faith has been consistent, if not spectacular, during his 16-race career, finishing first four times and second on six occasions. Ben Wallace trains Last Beach.

Following a third-place finish in the first Snowshoe leg, trainer Ken Middleton Jr. elected to give Dont Poke The Bear a start against overnight stock, and the 4-year-old gelding proved victorious for the first time in four 2023 starts for driver Jonathan Drury. Drury will sit behind Dont Poke The Bear from post two in the Snowshoe final.

A victory by Camara Moment in the Snowshoe could propel the gelding to bigger and better things, and there's enough in his pedigree to suggest he's on that path. Camara Moment's dam Utica Bayama is a Lis Mara half-sister to the 2012 Golden Girls champion Rebeka Bayama, a mare that earned $722k during her career, with only $100k of that as a freshman and sophomore. Rebeka Bayama's 5-year-old season proved her best as she raced against and defeated some of the best mares ever, including Put On A Show, Anndrovette and Rocklamation.

Woodbine Mohawk Park hosts 11 races on Friday night with first post time 7:00 p.m. Co-featured on the program is a C$30,000 Fillies & Mares preferred event featuring the 2022 O'Brien Award winner So Much More, who landed post one in the field of six.