Prohibition Legal defeated a star-studded field of the sport's top pacing mares, including the season-debuting 2023 Horse of the Year Sylvia Hanover, in the Friday, May 17 edition of the $36,000 Fillies & Mares Preferred Pace at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
A recall was signalled when the mares initially lined up for the evening's featured third race but 'take two' went off without a hitch. A six-time Mares Preferred winner this year, 9-5 favourite Tells On A Roll (Travis Cullen) got the first call from post five as she out-sprinted last week's winner Silver Label (Doug McNair) to her inside. Silver Label secured the pocket trip with her stablemate Prohibition Legal following in third for Louis-Philippe Roy and Sylvia Hanover (Bob McClure) gapping in fourth.
After a :26.4 opening quarter, Tells On A Roll got a breather to the half in :56.3 and continued with an uncontested lead through three-quarters in 1:24.3 over the 'good' track.
As the field rounded the turn for home, Roy made the winning move with Prohibition Legal and she swept by down the stretch with Silver Label closing in between to complete a 1-2 finish for trainer Nick Gallucci and owner/breeder Millar Farm. Prohibition Legal won by 1-1/2 lengths in 1:51.2 with Silver Label edging out Tells On A Roll and a late-closing Sylvia Hanover in a three-way photo for place. So Much More (James MacDonald), a three-time Older Pacing Mare of the Year, rounded out the top five finish order.
Prohibition Legal won her second start of the season following a fifth-place finish in her debut last week. Sent off as the 5-2 second choice on the toteboard, the five-year-old Big Jim-Catch A Wish mare paid $7.20 to win.
An O'Brien Award winner at two, she now boasts 11 career wins from 24 starts and is closing in on the million-dollar mark in career earnings, with her current bankroll now at $984,166.
Following an hour and a half delay for track maintenance leading up to the sixth race, Prohibition Legal's sophomore sister This Magic Moment earned her third straight win in as many starts this season, winning an $18,000 fillies and mares conditioned pace by three lengths in 1:53 with James MacDonald driving for Gallucci and Millar Farms.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click the following link: Friday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
(Standardbred Canada)