Woodbine Mohawk Park: McNair triples in OSS Grassroots Championships

Driver Doug McNair almost missed Saturday night’s Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots Championships at Woodbine Mohawk Park, but when he finally arrived he went straight to the winner’s circle, a trip he would make two more times before the C$600,000 championships were over.

“Oh it was a great night, I mean it started off bad. I missed my first drive, and I thought she was one of my best shots, that pacing filly of Rob Fellows’ (Mach My Kiss),” said McNair, whose arrival was delayed due to the late finish of the afternoon program at The Red Mile where he had two stakes drives. “I thought, ‘This is going to be the start of a bad night,’ but everything just clicked, everything worked out, and it usually doesn’t work out like that.”

After missing the drive aboard 2-year-old pacing filly Semi-Final winner Mach My Kiss, who finished tenth for driver Jonathan Drury, McNair’s first assignment was with 2-year-old pacing colt Mayhem Hanover. Lining up at post one, the pair got away second, tucked in behind favorite and division point leader Quick Tour as he rang up fractions of 26 3/5, 56 3/5, and 1:24 1/5. My Land pressed the pace through the middle of the mile, but there was room for Mayhem Hanover to slide out of the pocket in the stretch, and the colt kicked home in 26 3/5 to get a neck in front of Quick Tour for the 1:51 1/5 victory. Bettorbuckleup closed hard to be third, almost four lengths behind the leaders.

“Off that trip, he might’ve surprised some people tonight, but he didn’t really surprise me,” said McNair. “He’s a real fast, high-speed colt, and he just got such a good trip tonight. It kind of worked a bit better for him.”

The driver’s father, Gregg McNair, trains Mayhem Hanover for Scott Horner and Clay Harland Horner. The championship victory gives the Sportswriter colt a freshman record of four wins and two seconds in nine starts for earnings of C$79,405.

McNair’s next drive was aboard 3-year-old pacing filly Kylie Seelster, and the Big Jim daughter closed like a rocket to finish second behind heavy favorites So Much More and driver Louis-Philippe Roy, who cruised home 1 3/4 length winners in 1:51 1/5 for trainer Don Beatson, his son Ken Beatson and grandson Cole England. Kylie Seelster’s stablemates in the Gregg McNair barn, Sports Flix and Swift Ally, finished third and fourth.

In the seventh C$75,000 division final, McNair was in the race bike of 3-year-old trotting filly Semi-Final winner Rebellious Lady. The pair started from post four and watched from third as Halo Its Me and Petro Hall battled to a 26 4/5 quarter, and then Petro Hall opened up a four length gap on the field before the 55 2/5 half. The gap started to shrink on the way to the 1:24 3/5 three-quarters, and when McNair tipped Rebellious Lady to the outside coming off the final turn, the Angus Hall daughter reeled in Petro Hall and then fought hard to hold off Lefkada and claim the head victory in 1:55 1/5. Warrawee Ultra also closed well to be third.

“The last turn they were going a real good clip up front. She kind of felt half-relaxed, but she trotted real hard through the stretch, and it was a good win,” said McNair. ‘It was good to win for Duane Marfisi the trainer, like I said on the TV there, I think it was my second-ever race and he put me down to drive one, so it was great to get a Final win for him.

“She surprised me,” he added. “I thought I had a shot at Louis (Roy, Petro Hall) when she went by because his horse was likely a little tired, but I didn’t think she’d fight off Scotty’s (Wray, Lefkada). But I’m pretty sure he was three-wide for a lot of the last turn, so that makes a big difference.”

Marfisi trains Rebellious Lady and leases her through his Green And Gold Inc. from Hugh Fitzpatrick.

McNair completed the Grassroots Championship hat trick in the last division, sending favorite Fast N First to the lead early from post ten. Fast N First took over control from Dreamfair Moxy heading by the 26 second opening quarter and was comfortably in control at the 54 4/5 half. By the 1:23 4/5 three-quarters Carlisimo was applying pressure and turning for home Carsons Shadow had stepped around Carlisimo and looked ready to score the upset, but Fast N First dug in and kept a nose in front for the 1:51 1/5 victory. Dreamfair Moxy was promoted from fourth to third when Sportsline was judged to have caused interference in the stretch and placed from third to ninth.

“I kind of really just wanted to float with him and see what happened because I think he’s just as good off-the-pace as he is on the lead. And I mean once Bob (McClure, Dreamfair Moxy) made the front at the eighth-pole I figured he’d want to follow me, and he did the rest from there.

“He scared me for a second, but that was kind of my fault, I kind of had him right to sleep you know, worried about Bob on my back, I wasn’t worried about anybody else,” McNair continued. “If I would’ve just kind of let him rattle I think he’d have won a lot easier. He impressed me tonight. That’s the best he’s raced for me. Nice little horse. That was a good night.”

Blake MacIntosh trains Bettor's Delight colt Fast N First for his co-owners Ridgeway Racing and Steve Heimbecker. The win caps off a stakes season that saw the colt win two regular season Grassroots divisions and last week’s Semi-Final, along with his Little Brown Jug elimination. In 20 starts Fast N First has logged 10 wins, four seconds and two thirds for earnings of C$306,409.

MacIntosh was also victorious in the 2-year-old pacing filly division with Queso Relleno, who hit the wire 2 3/4 lengths ahead of So Delightful and Kat in a personal-best 1:52 2/5. MacIntosh shares ownership of the Betterthancheddar filly with Sue Vernon Smith, Hutt Racing Stable, and The Flanagan Sisters. Jody Jamieson piloted Queso Relleno to the win, his second appearance in the winner’s circle after playing the role of proud father earlier in the evening while his daughter Hailey Jamieson sang the national anthem.

The 2-year-old trotting filly championship went to Scorched Romance, who controlled the tempo on the way to a one length victory in 1:57 2/5. Sylvain Filion drove the Kadabra daughter to the win for New Jersey-based trainer Richard “Nifty” Norman and owners Melvin Hartman, Herb Liverman, and David McDuffee.

Two-year-old trotting colt point leader Lovedbythemasses wrapped up his Grassroots campaign with a division title, sailing home four lengths ahead of his peers in an impressive 1:55 4/5. Mike Saftic drove Lovedbythemasses to the victory for trainer Ed Peconi Jr. and his co-owners Nicholas Peconi and Wade Peconi, who also bred the son of Muscle Mass.

Division point leader Gold Edition took the 3-year-old trotting colt final with a big 1:53 4/5 effort for driver Phil Hudon, trainer Blair Burgess and owners Stirling Fisher and Karin Olsson Burgess. Southwind Frost finished 1 1/2 lengths back in second and Royale Elite rounded out the top three.

--press release (Ontario Sires Stakes)--