Mach My Kiss and driver Natasha Day took top prize in Woodbine Mohawk Park's International Women’s Day Race on Monday (March 7).
To celebrate International Women’s Day, Monday evening’s third race featured all women drivers with a field of nine older pacing mares facing the gate.
Elm Grove Mistress and Anita Ouellette timed the gait perfectly to command the early lead from post eight, crossing over quickly to post the opening fraction of :28.2 while Natasha Day and Mach My Kiss settled into second and Jessica Turenne with Blink And Gone stalked the pace in third. Not content with the early pocket position, Day and the Rob Fellows trainee were out and driving before the :58.4 half, clearing after a game Elm Grove Mistress stubbornly challenged the overtake and left Blink And Gone with Turenne lurking in third.
Once on the lead, Day and the five-year-old Mach Three mare found their groove before a pesky Blink And Gone, trained by Richard Moreau, mounted a challenge and climbed within a head of the leader as they marched through three-quarters in 1:28.1.
Teamed on the front, the leaders battled down the lane, before Mach My Kiss and Day pulled away late, opening five lengths to claim victory in 1:58 over a track rated "good."
Blink And Gone held second while Stargazing Cruiser and Marie-Claude Auger rallied late to claim third.
Fern Hill Bella and Kayla Chappell and Elm Grove Mistress and Anita Ouellette rounded the top five, respectively.
The special race was part of an entire evening of festivities, which included an all-female simulcast crew. Dawn Lupul handled track announcer duties while Monique Vág and Kelly Spencer hosted Woodbine Racing Live, chatting with several special guests throughout the night.
Woodbine’s International Women’s Day coverage also included a video feature on driver Natasha Day and a pre-race feature article on driver Marielle Enberg.
Live racing resumes Thursday evening (March 10) at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Post time is 7 p.m. (EST).
To view Monday’s harness racing results, click the following link: Monday Results – Woodbine Mohawk Park.
(Woodbine Mohawk Park)