Woodbine Mohawk Park: Records galore for Sorella in Casual Breeze win

Sorella lowered the Canadian, track, and stakes record to 1:51 3/5 in winning the first of a couple of Casual Breeze Stakes splits for 3-year-old trotting fillies on Friday night at Woodbine Mohawk Park. McKees Angel won the other grouping.

Driven by Yannick Gingras in the C$81,405 tilt, Sorella, the Hambletonian Oaks champion, settled into second behind Whose Blues (Bob McClure) to the 26 2/5 opening quarter, but as soon as the tempo began to slow, Gingras moved his charge to the point. After she grabbed control, Sorella went on to the half in 55 3/5 and the three-quarters in 1:24 1/5, then widened her margin throughout the lane, winning by nine lengths. Whose Blues held second and Princesspartypants (Roger Mayotte) came in third.

The time knocked a fifth of a second off the previous Canadian, track, and stakes record of 1:51 4/5 that had belonged jointly to Ariana G and Manchego.

Coming off a break when driven by Dexter Dunn in the Zweig Filly Trot at Vernon Downs, Gingras remarked that Sorella didn't have any kind of problems in tonight's race.

"She's really good. She's a great filly," Gingras said. "I'm not exactly sure why she made a break last time because she's been really good-gaited all long. Maybe she just didn't like the track at Vernon, but she was all business tonight, great-gaited, and she did it pretty easy, too, so that's pretty scary."

A daughter of Muscle Hill, Sorella is trained by Nancy Takter for co-owner/breeder Elmer Fannin and co-owners Crawford Farms Racing and Brett Fannin. This was her seventh win from 16 career starts, and she has now earned C$552,085. The 1-9 favorite, she paid $2.20 to win.

In the other C$81,406 division, McKees Angel (Sylvain Filion) took back to fifth from post three, but she didn't want to settle, so Filion sent her two-wide past the 27 3/5 opening quarter. She marched up steadily on the rim and took over the top spot after the 56 4/5 half, then went on to three-quarters in 1:25 2/5. Several horses had a shot at McKees Angel through the stretch, but she held sway gamely to win by a length in 1:54 2/5. Susies Lady (Scott Coulter) angled out widest from last at the top of the lane and rallied for second, with Modern Mass (Mayotte) third.

Ben Baillargeon took over the training of McKees Angel after she broke in an Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Series event at Rideau Carleton on July 26, and although she did the same when racing from Baillargeon's barn at Woodbine Mohawk Park on the 13th of August, a subsequent qualifier at Woodbine Mohawk Park on August 18 was a major step forward that carried over into tonight.

"The first time we raced her, she made a mis-step, a bad step coming down the lane, but I think she was going to win the (Ontario Sires Stakes) Gold," said Baillargeon. "We made a few adjustments with the shoeing in the front, and we re-qualified her, and Sylvain said we were good, so now we're okay. I think trotting-wise we're okay. She was a little aggressive tonight in the first turn, so that's why Sylvain opted to try to go for the lead down the backside. I'd like her to be a little more soft. We'll work on it."

Baillargeon trains McKees Angel, a filly by Archangel, for owner/breeder Legendary Standardbred Farm. McKees Angel now has a record of 3-1-1 from 15 efforts, and she has pocketed C$79,656. She was a 4-1 shot and returned $10.20 to win.