On the undercard of Saturday’s (Oct. 22) Breeders Crown eliminations at Woodbine Mohawk Park, driver James MacDonald made quick work to reach the 3,000-win plateau when taking the evening’s first race with Southside Eddy.
Just one win off the milestone off a driving hat trick on Thursday, MacDonald stuck with Carmen Auciello trainee Southside Eddy in a $19,000 conditioned pace after he broke stride in the $225,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final. Against overnight stock, MacDonald swept the 1-2 favourite to the lead past a :55.2 half set by JK Miki Mantle and faced no threat onwards. Southside Eddy clicked three-quarters in 1:23 and motored home to a 1:49.3 win by 3-1/4 lengths over JK Miki Mantle. The Betterthancheddar colt, owned by Aaron Waxman and Brian Livingstone, paid $3 to win.
MacDonald, off a career year as Woodbine Mohawk Park’s leading driver in 2021 which saw him earn the O’Brien Award for Driver of the Year, is having another career year. He has bested his 2021 numbers with 370 wins already this year and $8.3 million in purses. MacDonald is also on track to again be leading driver at Woodbine Mohawk Park with a near 100-win lead over Doug McNair. He also leads McNair in purses by well over $2 million.
To view Saturday’s harness racing results, click the following link: Saturday Results – Woodbine Mohawk Park.