Woodbine Sunday: Mohawk Trail Ships In to Win, Yacht Boy Sails

On a very warm and humid Sunday, the invading MOHAWK TRAIL took an immediate liking to the E.P. Taylor turf course and won the $100,000 Alywow Stakes at Woodbine on June 25. Breaking very sharply from the gate at the outset of the 6 1/2 furlong race for three-year-old fillies, Mohawk Trail was slowed down by jockey Adam Beschizza, who was making only his second visit to Woodbine, before she smoothly passed rivals in the stretch.

Despite the very slow pace up front (24.41, 47.02) and under a hand ride for most of the stretch run, Mohawk Trail won by three-quarters of a length over another invader, Up and Downs, with Last Call, the Natalma Stakes (G1) winner from last year, a close third. The time of 1:15.65 was good for an 83 Beyer Figure.

Trained by Kelsey Danner, who is based at Churchill Downs, Mohawk Trail is owned by the NBS Stable of John Ballantyne, Art Neuhedel and Daryl Shaw. Ballantyne, who is from New Zealand but now lives in North Dakota, purchased Mohawk Trail as a yearling from the 2021 Keeneland September sale for $100,000. She is by Pioneerof the Nile – Iroquois Girl by Indian Charlie.

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The Alywow was her first stakes win and third win in eight races. She has earned over $150,000.

It was smooth sailing for the two-year-old YACHT BOY who breezed to an easy win in a 5 furlong maiden/optional claiming dash on Sunday. Making his second career start, the dark bay gelding by Old Forester – Cawaja Beach by Where’s the Ring won by 4 1/2 lengths for 3 Sons Racing Stable Ltd. and trainer Norm McKnight. Rico Walcott rode the juvenile to the big win. Yacht Boy was bred by Susan Foreman in Ontario and she sold him as a yearling at the 2022 CTHS Ontario sale for $75,000. His dam Cawaja Beach was a three-time stakes winner from the tremendous mare Cosa Rara. Cawaja Beach has had five other named foals and four winners.

Yacht Boy is the third impressive two-year-old winner in the last week to come out of the CTHS Ontario yearling sale.

The last race of the week at Woodbine, which heads into a Canada Day long weekend with five stakes races on July 1, was won by BORN TO BOOGIE, a second-time starter for owner Doug Reddington and trainer Sylvain Pion. This gal was 25-to-1 for her first race since her December debut when she had brief speed. She was moving to grass for the first time, a surface her sire Funtastic loved. Ridden by Jason Hoyte, Born to Boogie came between fillies in the six furlong maiden allowance race and defeated Zanada and favoured The Niigon Factor.