Woodbine Mohawk Park: Pair of Preferreds on tap this weekend

Woodbine Mohawk Park is set to cap off its first week of the new decade with Preferred action and the Can-Am Pick 4 highlighting Friday and Saturday’s cards.

A 10-race card will take place Friday evening, while an 11-race card is on tap for Saturday night.

The $32,000 Mares Preferred Handicap Pace will headline Friday’s card and a new winner is guaranteed, as last week’s winner Youaremycandygirl will tackle the boys in Saturday’s $36,000 Preferred Handicap.

Kendall Seelster, who was runner-up last week, starts from the outside post-seven and is working towards millionaire status, entering Friday’s contested with $952,446. Jody Jamieson will sit behind the 5-year-old for trainer Isabelle Darveau.

Always well-represented, Richard Moreau sends out a strong duo from the side-by-side positions of posts four and five.

Four-year-old Sylph Hanover is three-for-three since joining the Moreau barn and will make her Preferred debut. Double A Mint, who scored 10 Preferred victories last season, will search for her first top-level score since August.

The Mares Preferred Handicap field is completed by (in post position order) Cousin Mary, Inverse Hanover, Better Be Donna N and So Much More.

Saturday evening’s Preferred Handicap will feature a showdown between the mare Youaremycandygirl and 2017 Canadian Pacing Derby winner Sintra.

Moreau trainee Youaremycandygirl was an easy-winner last week in the Mares top-class, making her first start since the TVG Final in late-November at The Meadowlands. The 5-year-old has competed and had success at this level, defeating the boys in the Woodbine Preferred on November 9.

Dave Menary trainee Sintra had his 2019 campaign cut short due to injury, but the now seven-year-old made a dominant return last week with a 2/14 length score in the Preferred Handicap. The 25-time winner with $1.1 million in career earnings was on pace for a huge season last year, as he won six of eight starts prior to suffering an injury in May.

Youaremycandygirl starts from post four with driver Louis Philippe Roy, while Sintra has post six in the field of six with Jamieson in the sulky.

The Preferred Handicap is completed by (in post position order) Rockin In Heaven, East End, Real Surreal and Nirvana Seelster.

Can-Am Pick 4 returns Saturday

Saturday evening’s card also features the return of the Can-Am Pick 4, a multi-leg wager consisting of two-races at Woodbine Mohawk Park (Race 10 & 11) and two-races at The Meadowlands (Race 10 & 11).

The Can-Am Pick 4 sports a $0.20 minimum and low 15 per cent takeout. The sequence starts on Race 10 at Woodbine Mohawk Park and alternates between tracks, finishing on Race 11 at The Meadowlands.

Sorella to join WRL

Owner Adriano Sorella will swing by to join Woodbine’s Chad Rozema for an interview on Saturday’s edition of Woodbine Racing Live.

Sorella has been making noise with his marketing efforts for stallion Jimmy Freight and earlier this week was named a recipient of the USHWA President’s Award.

Woodbine Racing Live starts at 6:30 p.m.

Post time for Friday and Saturday’s cards is 7:10 p.m.

-edited release (Woodbine)