Ontop Rainman wasn't on top at every call, but the five-year-old appeared to enjoy his position once he cleared to the lead during the session of qualifiers on Friday, Jan. 19 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Driver Mike Whelan spotted Ontop Rainman in third during his Friday morning test as a returning Armor Seelster (Jody Jamieson) paced comfortably through panels of :29.4, :59.2 and 1:29.1 . Whelan right-lined Ontop Rainman around the far turn and the pacer glided to the front with ease, taking a half-length lead at the head of the lane. Armor Seelster pushed back along the rail to provide a tussle down the lane, but Ontop Rainman had the upper hand and would complete the task with a 1:56.4 score. Armor Seelster was a half-length back in arrears under mild urging.
Trained by Walter Whelan for breeder/owner Christopher Nicol of Dundas, Ont., Ontop Rainman (Hes Watching - Rain Cloud Hanover) sports five career wins — three coming last year at four — with more than $85,000 in earnings.
The full replay of the Friday morning qualifying session is available below.
For results from the qualifying session, click the following link: Friday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park (Qualifiers).
(Standardbred Canada)