Mohawk Trail was full of run late to take the $150,000 Ontario Colleen Stakes (G3) Saturday at Woodbine.
Fresh off a score in the Alywow Stakes on June 25, Mohawk Trail, a bay daughter of Pioneerof the Nile out of Iroquois Girl, by Indian Charlie, 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, undefeated in two starts, looked in control traveling over the ground listed as good.
Rounding the turn for home, 6-5 choice Queen Picasso, 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 front-runner midway down the lane and eventually struck front in the late going to notch a 1½-length win. Queen Picasso 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 6½-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 favor, 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.
The post “Maturing In The Right Direction’: Late-Surging Mohawk Trail Wins Ontario Colleen appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
