Fans were treated to a double bill of OSS action for fillies at Mohawk Racetrack on Thursday evening, as trotters and pacers battled in a set of $130,000 Gold Series Finals at the Campbellville oval.
Division leading Miss Paris exploded from the backfield for driver Rick Zeron and trainer Richard ‘Nifty’ Norman en route to an impressive victory in the final for the trotting fillies. The O’Brien Award-winning daughter of Kadabra-Pizza Dolce stopped the teletimer in 1:55.3 while picking up her fourth win in what has been another exceptional campaign.
Zeron got away sixth with Miss Paris while Smarty Pants stole away with very sensible panels of :27.1, :57.2 and 1:26.2 for driver Sylvain Filion. Miss Paris grabbed cover in the backstretch and found herself positioned sixth on the outside as the field turned for home. Smarty Pants started to weaken in the lane, but Miss Paris was just starting to go to work. She muscled her way to the lead and drew clear to win by a pair of lengths over Sugar Wheeler, with Smarty Pants fading to finish third.
Sent off as the 3-5 favourite in the eight-filly affair, Miss Paris improved this year’s record to 4-3-3 from 12 starts for the partnership of Mel Hartman, David McDuffee and Herb Liverman. The $65,000 payday puts this year’s earnings over $330,000 and her lifetime total past $817,000.
Apogee Hanover was a dead-game winner in the final for the pacing fillies for the tandem of driver Doug McNair and trainer Erv Miller, who watched the daughter of Jeremes Jet-Aurora Seelster notch her first OSS win of the season in the process.
Last year’s Super Final winner led the field through first-half fractions of :27.1 and :54.4 before releasing a parked-out Mach A Wish to the top. That foe took the field to the three-quarter pole in 1:23.1, but she was about to go round two with the pocket-sitting Apogee Hanover who was commencing a first-over bid at the head of the lane. A :28.2 closing panel was just enough for Apogee Hanover to win by a half-length margin over Mach A Wish in 1:51.4. Jet Wash was a lapped-on third.
Sent off as the 6-5 choice, Apogee Hanover improved this year’s record to 3-3-2 from 17 starts for trainer Erv Miller and owner Roger Hammer of Bedford, PA. She has put more than $155,000 on her card this year and more than $500,000 to date.
To view results for Thursday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Thursday Results – Mohawk Racetrack.