Mohawk Trail secures the lead and pulls away to win the Ontario Colleen (Michael Burns)
By Chris Lomon – Woodbine Communications
TORONTO— Mohawk Trail was full of run late to take the $150,000 Ontario Colleen Stakes (G3T), Saturday at Woodbine.
Fresh off a score in the Alywow Stakes on June 25, Mohawk Trail, a bay daughter of Pioneerof the Nile-Iroquois Girl, looked right at home again on the E.P. Taylor turf in the one-mile Ontario Colleen for 3-year-old fillies.
Sent off at 11-1, the dark bay, trained by Kelsey Danner for NBS Stable, was seventh through opening splits of :24.68 and :47.87, as Queen Picasso (GB), undefeated in two starts, looked in control travelling over the ground listed as good.
Rounding the turn for home, 6-5 choice Queen Picasso (GB), making her first appearance at Woodbine, dashed away from her eight rivals, but Adam Beschizza, aboard Mohawk Trail, began to cut into the lead of the frontrunner mid-way down the lane and eventually struck front in the late going to notch a 1 ½-length win. Queen Picasso (GB) was second, a head in front of Love to Shop. Ryder Ryder Ryder finished fourth.
The final time was 1:34.68.
Beschizza, who was aboard for the win in the 6 ½-furlong Alywow, felt confident the filly could handle the longer distance at tougher competition.
“I had a discussion with Kelsey, and she said, ‘Do we stay where we are or do we stretch her out a little bit?’ And the discussion was to go, obviously, a mile. She’s starting to mature a lot more. She has a great will to win which stacks up in her favour, so that’s half the battle with these horses.
“When she had a target in front of her there the last eighth of a mile, she dug deep. Like I said, she is definitely maturing in the right direction. Good on Kelsey. She’s done a great job with her and congrats to NBS as well.”
With the victory, Mohawk Trail, bred in Florida by Westbury Stables LLC, is now 4-1-1 from nine starts. She broke her maiden last December over one mile on the Gulfstream turf.
Mohawk Trail paid $25.60 for the win.
Live Thoroughbred racing resumes at Woodbine on Sunday with first post at 1:05 p.m. Four stakes, including the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks Presented by Budweiser and the $150,000 Plate Trial, share the spotlight on the 11-race card.
