Woodbine Mohawk Park: Midnight Nation, Stockade Seelster win in OSS Gold Series

Saturday's Canada Day program at Woodbine Mohawk Park was highlighted by two C$100,400 Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Series battles for 3-year-old colt and gelding pacers.

In the first of those contests, Pepsi North America Cup finalist Moment Is Here (James MacDonald) brushed to the front past the 26 2/5 quarter and then reached the half in 55 and the three-quarters in 1:23 1/5 before bringing the field into the stretch. He looked like a winner for most of the drive, too, but Midnight Nation, the longest shot on the board at 26-1, slipped up the inside after racing on the cones near the back of the pack and nosed out Moment Is Here at the wire in a 1:49 3/5 mile. Early tempo-setter Verdun (Louis-Philippe Roy) checked in third.

"They all moved out, and when they move out, you move up. Everybody came off the rail, and I just got lucky," said winning driver Trevor Henry. "He's a nice horse. He was live the whole way, and he raced great. I don't know much about him. Richard [trainer Richard Moreau] said go for a check, and we got way more than that."

Moreau trains the victorious Betterthancheddar gelding for owners Shaun Vallee and D P V Racing Stable. He has a pair of wins from eight starts, earnings of C$91,705, and he paid $54.50 to win.

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Stockade Seelster (Jody Jamieson) led the way through fractions of 26 4/5, 56 and 1:23 in the other flight, but had to fend off a rally from pocket-sitter No Control (Sylvain Filion) in the lane, which he was able to do by a nose in a 1:49 3/5 effort. Whatchulookin At (Henry) finished well from off-the-pace to get third.

"I was a little concerned about that half because it did leave all the rest of the horses in there. They had a nice hold of them going to the half," remarked victorious trainer Dr. Ian Moore. "He'll have to be on his toes a little bit better next week, I guess, because we're going to head to New Jersey with him for the Meadowlands Pace eliminations."

Sally and Paul MacDonald own Stockade Seelster, a State Treasurer colt, who has a record of 11-1-3 from 16 attempts and a bankroll of C$1,082,870. He paid $2.70 to win as the favorite.