On April 29, during a busy Monday morning spring session at Woodbine Mohawk Park, former O'Brien Award winner Prohibition Legal won her second consecutive qualifying start of the season.
In preparation for their five-year-old campaigns, Prohibition Legal and her fellow award-winning stablemate Silver Label, who finished head-and-shoulder in a 1:53.2 mile last Monday, both made a comeback in the morning's third qualifying. But when the later mare came across several geese on the backstretch, her journey was ruined.
The millionaire Silver Label and driver James MacDonald led the Nick Gallucci trainees out of the outside posts, while Prohibition Legal, under Louis-Philippe Roy's tutelage, claimed the lead behind pocket-getter Cheddar's Delight after a :29 first quarter.
When Silver Label observed a group of geese within the track while heading down the backstretch, she slowed down and lost her place, interfering with the rest of the field.
Prohibition Legal got underway next, and Sweet Amira and Jody Jamieson rushed to command, diving behind that new leader past three-quarters in 1:28.1, as the rest continued to roll. The half clock was at 1:00.1. The homebred Big Jim mare from Millar Farms then shot off Sweet Amira's back down the lane, winning in 1:54.3 by 1-1/2 lengths by sprinting late with a:26 kicker. The Roses Are Red Stakes in June are open to those mares.
After the qualifier, Gallucci told Trot Insider, "James said there were six geese on the track about 20 feet ahead of [Silver Label] and she did not want to go by them," adding that Silver Label doesn't seem to have damaged herself after the race.
"We were really happy with Prohibition Legal's qualifier," he noted. "I was hoping to go a faster mile, but she came a strong back half."
Even worse, in the first race of the season on Monday morning, Jamieson's Metro Pace winner Captains Quarters moved alongside pacesetter D A Mcdreamy, driven and trained by Shawn Steacy, and the two hooked wheels off the last turn. Outside closer Tribal Dancer finished 1-3/4 lengths behind Travis Cullen in second place. After trailing fellow Steacy trainee D A Mcdreamy through panels of :28.4, :59.4, and 1:29.4, Unrivalled Hanover and Jonathan Drury rallied around the hooked pair and scored in 1:56.2 with a :26.2 closing panel. In this sophomore set, The Piper completed the top three.
The three-year-old filly, Stonebridge Halo, was co-fastest of the morning after finishing clean in her own 1:54.3 mile. She had her second qualifying appearance of the season for trainer and co-owner Dan Lagace, winning by a 10-length margin. The Captain Crunch-Ken Doll J filly, driven by Roy, finished first on the Grand Circuit in 1:52.3 over Mohawk.
Hungry Hill (Kadabra-Chardonnay Hill), a homebred three-year-old trotting gelding by Tom Hill, made his first documented appearance when he won a 1:59.3 mile for Jamieson and trainer Chantal Mitchell in a time of :27.4. With a time of 1:59.3, four-year-old Radcliffe—who is trained and driven by Paul Walker—was the morning's co-fastest trotter.
Trainer Susie Kerwoods' homebred Harvest Trotting Series champion Goober Smack won his first sophomore appearance in 2:00.2 with Tyler Borth in the bike during the morning's six-pack of qualifiers.