Woodbine Mohawk Park: OSS Gold Series season kicks off

Its A Love Thing, fresh off a win in the SBOA Stakes final last time out, took the richest of five Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Series events for 3-year-olds on Saturday night at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

Racing in a C$140,000 tilt for pacing fillies, Its A Love Thing, who was third-over at the 1:21 4/5 three-quarters, used a 26 1/5 final kicker to get up and win by a length in 1:49 1/5 with James MacDonald in the bike. Odds On Platinum (Sylvain Filion) put in a game effort from first-over and was the runner-up and Lightning Lizzie (Brett MacDonald) came in third.

"I was licking my chops the whole way. They were smoking, and anyone that watched her raced last year, she can really cruise home off a trip. She comes off a helmet like a jet," said MacDonald. "I was planning on racing her up close, but the way the race shook out, it just played out perfect. That's the best thing about her. She just wants it so bad. I hit the wheel disc once or twice, but I never touched her with the whip, never pulled the plugs. She's got some serious speed. Hopefully we can keep her this good for all year and it'll be a big year."

Trained by Dave Menary, the victorious daughter of Bettor's Delight won for the eighth time in 15 career outings and has now earned C$707,656. Eric Good, Thomas Biederman, Josh Green and Rich Lombardo Racing LLC. own Its A Love Thing, who was bred by Marvin Katz, Lynn Katz and Al Libfeld.

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"We'll take it one step at a time, but pretty optimistic heading into (the Fan Hanover). Everything is kind of lining up and heading in the right direction," remarked Menary. "I took her into the SBOA really short. Didn't school or qualify her very much. It's a long year. We're kind of trying to aim for the whole year, take one day at a time, but aim for the whole year, too."

MacDonald and Menary would also win a C$95,000 colt and gelding pace with Trophy Taker (by All Bets Off & bred by Lynne Bowen) in 1:50 for owners Burke Racing Stable LLC., Weaver Bruscemi LLC., Frank Baldachino and Larry Karr, and MacDonald made it an OSS hat trick by capturing a male trot split with Griff (by Muscle Mass and bred by co-owners Jeff and Lori Thomson), who tallied in 1:53 2/5 for co-owner/trainer Murray Brethour and co-owner Kyle Northover.

Completing the OSS victors for the program were gelding trotter Convoy Hall (by Muscle Mass & bred by Alan Leavitt), who took his C$95,000 event in 1:52 3/5 for driver Sylvain Filion, co-owner/trainer Bob McIntosh and co-owners Doug McIntosh, Randy Liepa and Beverly Snobelen and pacing colt Nijinsky (by Bettor's Delight and bred by Jeff Snyder), who bagged his C$95,000 test in 1:49 4/5 for driver Louis Roy, trainer Tony Beaton and owners West Wins Stable, John Fielding and Mark Dumain.