Woodbine Mohawk Park: Rookies in the stakes spotlight on Friday

Trainer Matt Bax has every reason to be optimistic heading into Friday's Peaceful Way eliminations at Woodbine Mohawk Park. His freshman filly Queen Of B's has already shown the ability to tackle and conquer Ontario's best during her brief career and will now tackle Grand Circuit company for the first time. In Queen Of B's, Bax has a filly from the first crop of King Of The North, but perhaps of greater importance, out of the 2011 Peaceful Way champion Win Missy B.

"She's progressing nicely," said Bax of the filly that has finished first or second in all four of her careers starts, including an Ontario Sires Stakes Gold victory on July 5. "They have to learn how to be a racehorse and she's been very consistent."

Much like her quite successful dam Win Missy B, a winner of $1.6 million during a career that saw her compete at the highest levels against quality competition, Queen Of B's has shown plenty of early speed and staying power in preliminary races that hopefully pave a path towards bigger and better.

For Bax, who trained a handful of coming freshmen over the winter by King Of The North, there's high expectations. "From what I have seen King Of The North looks like he's here to stay and has horses capable of racing in Ontario and beyond," Bax said.

King Of The North is a son of Walner out of Check Me Out, the sport's top 3-year-old trotting filly in 2012. Check Me Out was an archrival of Win Missy B, with the two now joining forces behind the promising Queen Of B's.

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There were 19 fillies in the box on Tuesday, leading to a pair of C$30,000 Peaceful Way eliminations. Queen Of B's drew post 10 in the sixth race and second division. The first split goes as race four.

"I'm obviously not happy with the draw," said Bax on Wednesday. "But she only needs to be in the top five to advance to the final."

Nevis Peak (post one) looks to be the favorite in the sixth race division for trainer Ron Burke. A Walner-sired filly from Hambletonian winner Ramona Hill, Nevis Peak has been impressive thus far in New Jersey, winning her first two races and then finishing second behind the undefeated Wall Of Fame in the August 8 New Jersey Sire Stakes Platinum final at the Meadowlands.

Rebel Moon (post eight) enters the Peaceful Way trials riding a three-race winning streak that includes a sweep of the Pure Ivory elimination and final, as well as an Ontario Gold on August 14 in a career-best 1:53 4/5 clocking. Rebel Moon is one of three fillies from the Carl Jamieson stable entered in the Peaceful Way.

Friday's Woodbine Mohawk Park card is filled with stakes action, and trainer Anthony Beaton hopes the recently-gelded Captain Cavalier will continue to improve in the C$120,000 Dream Maker final (race seven) for 2-year-old male pacers. The son of Captaintreacherous, a $240,000 yearling, meets stakes company for the first time fresh off a maiden-breaking win on August 6 with James MacDonald aboard.

"We made the decision to geld him after his second baby race (June 20)," said Beaton. "He was getting unruly on the track."

The move has helped calm Captain Cavalier. "He was good in his first start," said Beaton. "We were just giving him a race to educate him."

Captain Cavalier was put on the front-end in his second start and paced a mile in 1:53 2/5. "He did it pretty easily and had something left," said Beaton.

Just three years ago Beaton conditioned Captain Cavalier's half-brother Nijinsky. That son of Bettor's Delight won his first race as a freshman in early August as well. "He was a smaller horse," said Beaton of Nijinsky, who would go on to capture the 2024 North America Cup. "Of course that's to be expected as a son of Bettor's Delight. This horse is by Captaintreacherous and is a bigger horse right now than Nijinsky turned out to be."

Size is just one consideration but more importantly is the question of speed, and that's something that's still to be determined. "Nijinsky as a 2-year-old could go some wicked quarters and would make mistakes," said Beaton. "This horse hasn't shown that kind of speed yet, but we'll see."

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Captain Cavalier has the inside track in the seven-horse field but will be in with some serious company, led by the undefeated Shalom Hanover from the Dr. Ian Moore stable. Shalom Hanover, a son of Papi Rob Hanover, has breezed through three stakes wins this season without being tested. Most recently, Shalom Hanover and driver Louis Philippe Roy cruised to a 1:49 2/5 track-record setting performance in a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes event at Pocono on August 3.

A total of 16 2-year-old male trotters entered and two C$30,000 divisions of the William Wellwood Memorial were drawn to determine the 10 finalists. Trainer Marcus Melander has entered three horses, with Gios Hope (post one) and Free Scottie (post five) going in race eight, while Top Reacher (post four) heads up the tenth race division.

Top Reacher, a son of Muscle Hill, was a 1:54 winner in the first leg of the Kentucky Championship Series at The Red Mile on August 3.

Gios Hope enters the Wellwood with two New York Sire Stakes wins in his first three starts. He took his 1:55 career-best in his debut, winning at Vernon Downs on July 10.

Trainer Ake Svanstedt has a pair of colts in the Wellwood, with Yankee Boss, a son of Captain Corey, making his Ontario debut in the eighth race division following an open-length victory in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes at Pocono on August 10. Lincoln Kronos (post one) gained his first victory in a Kindergarten Series division at he Meadowlands on August 7 for Svanstedt and will test Grand Circuit company for the first time in the tenth race division. Lincoln Kronos is a son of Walner from a Bold Eagle-sired dam.

Friday's 12-race Woodbine Mohawk Park program also includes the C$125,000 Whenuwishuponastar final (race five) for 2-year-old pacing fillies. First post is slated for 6:30 p.m. (EDT).