The card of harness racing slated for Saturday, Sept. 16 at Woodbine Mohawk Park features some of the sport's top two- and three-year-olds in eliminations for the Shes A Great Lady, Metro, Elegantimage and Canadian Trotting Classic plus nine of the sport's top older pacing mares in the $220,000 Milton Stakes final.
Each of the Shes A Great Lady, Metro, Elegantimage and Canadian Trotting Classic fielded enough entries for two eliminations per race, with the finals slated for Saturday, Sept. 23.
The field for the Shes A Great Lady final will be determined first, with two $35,000 eliminations slated for the first and third dash on Saturday. Its A Love Thing (PP6, James MacDonald) matched the 1:50.2 Champlain Stakes record last time out on Sept. 9 and the road to the winner's circle goes through her in this field of six.
There are seven fillies in the second Shes A Great Lady elim. Caviart Belle (PP6, Yannick Gingras) defeated Its A Love Thing with a 1:50.1 stakes record performance in the Eternal Camnation on Aug. 26. She's sure to take most of the public support in her Shes A Great Lady elim.
Twelve horses were dropped into the box for the 2023 Canadian Trotting Classic, necessitating two $40,000 six-horse elims. The Yonkers Trot and Earl Beal Jr. Memorial winner from this year is Up Your Deo (PP1, Ake Svanstedt), making his Canadian debut aginst five rivals that include New York Sire Stakes champion Chapercraz (PP3, Joe Bongiorno).
Gaines Hanover (PP5, Sylvain Filion) and Celebrity Bambino (PP2, Gingras) finished one-two in the 2022 Breeders Crown at Mohawk last year, and they renew acquaintances in Saturday's sixth race, the second Canadian Trotting Classic elimination.
The 2023 Elegantimage Stakes garnered 15 entrants, including one supplemental entry as the connections of New Jersey Classic winner Tactical Mounds ponied up $30,000 for a chance to race for $375,000 in one week's time. Tactical Mounds (PP7, Scott Zeron) drew into the second $35,000 elim, an eight-horse field in the eighth race that also features the red-hot Call Me Goo (PP1, Filion), Delmonica Hanover winner Bond (PP4, Svanstedt), Ontario standout Climb The Pole (PP5, Jody Jamieson) and Ohio Sires Stakes champion Rose Run Yolanda (PP6, Gingras).
Righteous Resolve (PP5, MacDonald) hasn't missed the board in seven seasonal starts, but the 2022 O'Brien Award winner only sports one win this year. She'll seek her second win of the campaign as one of top contenders in the first Elegantimage elim, carded as the fourth race on Saturday night.
There were 16 horses entered into the eliminations for the Metro Pace, with those rookie pacing colts evenly divided into two $40,000 eight-horse fields.
Legendary Hanover (PP8, MacDonald) has the target on his back, riding a five-race unbeaten streak into the first Metro elim in the seventh race. He stayed perfect to start his career with a 1:50 stakes record effort in the Champlain last Saturday.
Mirage Hanover (PP2, Bob McClure) took a week off after an Ontario Sires Stakes Gold win at Mohawk on Sept. 2, and he looks to advance from the second Metro elim on Saturday in the ninth race. Among his solid rivals are Ohio Sire Stakes champion Clever Cody (PP6, Filion) and last week's other Champlain winner Remember The Alamo (PP5, Doug McNair).
After the eliminations determine the fields for the Shes A Great Lady, Metro, Elegantimage and Canadian Trotting Classic, the best older pacing mares in North America will face off in the $220,000 Milton Stakes final. Sliver Label (PP4, MacDonald) fronts a three-horse entry from trainer Nick Gallucci that also boasts Prohibition Legal (PP5, Louis-Philippe Roy) and Velvet Stinger (PP1, Filion).
The competition is fierce. Their rivals include Dorothy Haughton and Clara Barton winner Mikala (PP2, George Brennan), two-time O'Brien Award winner So Much More (PP3, MacDonald), Roses Are Red winner Grace Hill (PP6, Doug McNair), stakes winner Doug Babe A (PP7, Dexter Dunn), mares Free For All victor Dabarndawgswatchin (PP8, Dunn also listed) and Kentucky Sire Stakes champ Boudoir Hanover (PP9, Todd McCarthy).
Post time for the first race on Saturday night is 7:10 p.m. To view the entries for Saturday's stakes-packed card of harness racing, click on one of the following links: Woodbine Mohawk Park - Saturday Entries || Saturday Program Pages (courtesy TrackIT).