Life Is A Feast and Clodam Bayama closed out a pair of Pop-Up Series on Thursday night (Jan. 6), winning their respective $30,000 finals at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Driven by Louis-Philippe Roy, Life Is A Feast ($8) downed late leader Horse Trader in the first $30,000 final of the Pop-Up Series, trotting away by three lengths at the end to win in 1:56.1.
After advancing first-up down the backstretch and confronting pacesetter Great Magic (:27.4, :57.4, 1:28) as they raced by three-quarters, Horse Trader opened up a pair of lengths turning for home but Life Is A Feast unleashed a :27.2 closing kick from third-over and gobbled up ground to steal the snowy show. Horse Trader settled for second while his stablemate, Profound Paragon, rallied for third for trainer Julie Walker.
Life Is A Feast was the 3-1 second choice after a :27.3 final frame propelled him from the backfield to a top-three finish in last week's second leg of the series. The five-year-old Royalty For Life gelding is trained by Gerard Demers and owned by Triple S Equine of Newton, Ont. An 11-time winner, Life Is A Feast has now banked $225,556 through 46 career starts.
GP Dreaming, the heavy 3-5 favourite, was boxed in the pocket and denied the series sweep as he finished fourth, but was placed eighth for gaining an unfair advantage when racing inside pylons down the stretch.
Favourite Missys Magic Man ($6.70) got the jump on the late-closing Tuckers Out and beat him to the line in the $20,000 series consolation for trotters, prevailing by a nose off a two-hole trip in 1:59.3 for the father-son Holliday team of trainer David and driver Ryan. The homebred six-year-old Kadabra gelding is owned by Ronald Corbett of St. Jacobs, Ont. Longshot CD Max finished third over pacesetter King Of Magic.
The $30,000 Pop-Up Series final for pacing fillies and mares went to Clodam Bayama ($11) as she rallied off cover for driver Doug McNair and prevailed in 1:56 by a neck over the even-money favourite Shemars Lady Havoc.
Joining the Carmen Auciello stable in mid-December via a $15,000 claim before the Pop-Up Series commenced, the nine-year-old Bettors Delight mare proved to be a profitable acquisition for owner Daniel Sarafian of Unionville, Ont.
Following a victory in the opening round and a third-place finish in the second leg, 9-2 second choice Clodam Bayama wrapped up the series a winner, closing from third-over to catch the pacesetting Catch An Ace (:29, :58.1 and 1:27.1) in deep stretch then holding off Shemars Lady Havoc, who was a winner in both opening legs. Catch An Ace finished one length back in third, just ahead of the late-rallying Shes A Sassy Beach.
Clodam Bayama recorded her 11th career win and pushed her bankroll to $76,702 while making her 50th start.
To view Thursday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Thursday Entries - Woodbine Mohawk Park.