Woodbine Mohawk Park: SBOA finals set for Saturday

A quartet of SBOA Stakes Finals for Ontario sired 3-year-olds will be held Saturday night at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

The SBOA Stakes is the season kick-off event for Ontario’s top 3-year-olds. The SBOA was introduced many years back for fillies, while the colt and gelding events were held for the first time last year.

The four SBOA Finals have been carded as Races 4 through 7 on Saturday’s 12-race card. Below are some of the horses to watch in Saturday’s feature events.

Race 4 - 3-Year-Old Filly Trot

O’Brien Award winner Willys Home Run (PP5, James MacDonald) didn’t miss a beat in her season debut, taking one of two eliminations by three lengths in 1:56 1/5.

The elimination scored by Willys Home Run was capped off by a wicked 26 3/5 final-quarter, rallying from sixth for the score. It was the seventh win in 11 career starts for the Kyle Fellows trainee.

A daughter of Archangel, Willys Home Run swept the OSS Gold season last year, winning six times, including the Super Final.

R Liza (PP3, Jody Jamieson) took advantage of miscues by prominent rivals to post an 8-1 upset in last Friday’s other elimination. The Susie Kerwood trainee made a break in last year’s Super Final after having won a Gold division the start prior. The daughter of Muscle Mass has a career record of five wins from nine starts.

The SBOA Filly Trot Final goes for a purse of C$138,400.

Race 5 – 3-Year-Old Filly Pace

Last season’s standouts Pass Line (PP4, Louis-Philippe Roy) and Its A Love Thing (PP5, James MacDonald) both appear poised for more success after their stellar rookie campaigns.

Pass Line kicked home in 27 seconds to win her elimination in 1:51 1/5. The Dave Menary-trained daughter of All Bets Off was making her season debut after winning 10 of 13 starts as a 2-year-old and finishing second in the Breeders Crown.

Its a Love Thing, also trained by Menary, came up just short in her elimination despite a 25 3/5 final quarter. The daughter of Bettor’s Delight raced off the pace and rocketed home from seventh to finish a half-a-length behind winner Sorcha Seelster (PP6, Bob McClure) in 1:51 1/5.

The John Pentland trainee Socha Seelster shot home in 26 1/5 for the career-best victory over last year’s Shes A Great Lady Stakes winner.

The SBOA Filly Pace Final will he held for a purse of C$141,500.

Race 6 – 3-Year-Old Colt Trot

The SBOA Colt Trot was the lone event to not require eliminations. A field of nine will square off Saturday, with a pair of last year’s stars, Willowtime (PP7, Bob McClure) and Griff (PP9, James MacDonald), making their season debuts.

Most eyes though will be focused on the Bob McIntosh trainee Convoy Hall (PP4, Sylvain Filion), who is a perfect six-for-six to start his career. The gelded son of Muscle Mass will face his toughest challenge on Saturday, having won all six of his starts convincingly against lower competition.

Convoy Hall’s last start was a career-best 1:55 2/5 victory in the Ontario Spring Series Final on April 27.

The SBOA Colt Trot Final will go for C$124,000.

Race 7 – 3-Year-Old Colt Pace

Pepsi North America Cup eligible Funtime Bayama (PP3, Sylvain Filion) is the headliner in the SBOA Colt Pace.

The Richard Moreau-trained Funtime Bayama posted a sharp 1:51 2/5 elimination score, pacing home in 25 4/5. The gelded son of Hes Watching was making his season debut after a strong rookie season that saw him win four of seven starts, never finishing outside the top three.

Enforcer (PP4, Doug McNair) got things all his own way in the other elimination, posting soft fractions before a 27-second kicker to win in 1:54. It was also the yearly debut for the Gregg McNair trainee.

Storm Shadow (PP10, Bob McClure), another prominent Pepsi North America Cup eligible, will have to overcome the outside starting spot Saturday. The Dr. Ian Moore trainee and third-place finisher in last year’s Breeders Crown was making his seasonal debut.

Unrivaled Hanover (PP6, Jonathan Drury), Always A Thrill (PP8, Jody Jamieson) and Do Better (PP9, James MacDonald) are also Pepsi North America Cup eligible horses competing in Saturday’s SBOA final.

The purse for the SBOA Colt Pace is C$127,000.

Post time for Saturday’s 12-race card is 7:10 p.m.

-edited release (Woodbine)