Millionaire pacing mare Monkey On My Wheel, undefeated in her five-year-old campaign, continued her Preferred win streak on Friday night at Woodbine Racetrack between opening leg divisions of the Blossom Series.
After following early leader Continual Velocity and Jody Jamieson through a :28.4 opening panel in the $30,000 Fillies & Mares Preferred, the Keith Oliver-driven Monkey On My Wheel swept to command down the backstretch before reaching the half in :57.2. The heavy 1-5 favourite proceeded to three-quarters in 1:25.2 and cruised home for the 1:53.2 triumph. Greystone Ladylike and Scott Zeron rallied home off the cover of Didrickson and Randy Waples to place, one and a quarter lengths behind. Continual Velocity held on for third over Didrickson.
Monkey On My Wheel is now undefeated in three 2013 starts, adding $45,000 to her $1.2 million bankroll. She returned $2.40 to her backers while extending a win streak she began late last year to six.
Travis Umphrey trains and co-owns the daughter of Mach Three out of Legislation with breeder Mac Nichol of Burlington, Ont. and Timothy Kane of St. Albert, Alta. The Ontario Sires Stakes graduate and 2011 O'Brien Award winner now boasts a career record reading 18-13-4 in 49 starts.
Three-year-old pacing fillies were also in the spotlight on Friday night's card facing off in a pair of $18,000 Blossom Series divisions for non-winners of three races or $15,000 in 2012.
Fresh off a maiden-breaking win on March 14, Wildcat Hanna pulled off a 12-1 upset to kick off the series action in rein to Sylvain Filion.
Burning Beaches and Paul MacDonell carved out panels of :28, :57.1 and 1:26 while Wildcat Hanna followed the cover of favourite Senorita Santanna and Jamieson and kicked home in :28.3 to wear down the pacesetter for the 1:55.2 career-best victory. Burning Beaches finished two lengths behind in second just ahead of the pocket-pulling In The Wheelhouse and Billy Davis Jr.
Wildcat Hanna paid $26.50 for the upset win.
The Mach Three-Easy Going Hanover filly is trained by Tim Gillespie for the Wildcat Stables Inc. of Trenton, Ont. and Cj Stable of Roslin, Ont.
Favourite Belle Boyd delivered on her pari-mutuel promise in the second division as she held off second choice Marquise De Sarah by a neck.
Bride In A Box and Davis Jr. led the field through fractions of :28.3, :57.3 and 1:26 before the advancing Belle Boyd and Jamieson rallied wide around the pocket-pulling Marquise De Sarah, driven by Phil Hudon, and out-sprinted that filly to the wire. The Art Major-Yankee Luck miss won in 1:54.4, remaining undefeated in two sophomore starts. Notalkingback and Rick Zeron finished over two lengths behind in third.
Belle Boyd, a Grand Circuit stakes competitor at two who finished just a half-length behind O'Brien Award winner I Luv The Nitelife in the Bluegrass, paid $2.80 to win her Friday assignment.
She is owned by trainer Carl Jamieson along with Joanne Morrison of Beeton, Ont. and Thomas Kyron of Toronto.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Friday Results - Woodbine Racetrack.