R Liza Acquires OSS Gold Triumph

At Woodbine Mohawk Park on Monday night, R Liza triumphed in the $140,000 first Gold Series leg of the Ontario Sires Stakes for sophomore trotting fillies. She did it by using the pocket ride.

R Liza (Jody Jamieson) went away third as O'Brien Award winner Willys Home Run (James MacDonald) and Kinnder Hotblood (Chris Christoforou) battled around the opening turn. As Kinnder Hotblood lost steam, R Liza had to cover the ground behind the beloved Willys Home Run. The top two kept their positions uncontested through panels in :27, :56.1, and 1:25.4. R Liza put her foot down halfway up the stretch and passed Willys Home Run, giving that filly her first OSS loss and winning in 1:54.3, three-quarters of a length. Bob McClure's P L Rainbow Dash rounded out the top three.

Susie Kerwood is the trainer for R Liza (Muscle Mass-Wishimaywishimight), which is owned by Alabama Harness Associate and M And L Of Delaware LLC. With only 11 outings under her belt, the filly has already banked $262,357 and is a perfect three-for-three in her brief sophomore season. Her lifetime record is 6-1-0. She had just won both the final and the SBOA Stakes elimination and returned $4.40 to win.

Logan Park, a Kyle Fellows student, had no trouble winning the $36,000 Preferred Handicap Trot by 2-1/4 lengths in 1:52.4, going gate-to-wire.

Logan Park and Doug McNair kept up a 1-1/2-length lead and managed the tempo through panels in:27.2,:55.4, and 1:24.3 before triumphing over Mrmayor Hanover (Jody Jamieson) and Looks Like Moni (James MacDonald).

The six-year-old Archangel-Rite Outa The Park horse, owned by Outofthepark Stable, Reg Higgs, and Arpad Szabo, won his second race of the year out of three races. The O'Brien Award-winning trotter has earned $1,114,192 and has a record of 26-9-4 in 67 career starts. Logan Park returned $2.70 as the wagerers' choice to win.

With Thatll Be Tiger (Sylvain Filion, $6.10) in 1:50.1, Points North (Jonathan Drury, $13.30) in 1:51, and Rock And Twist (Louis-Philippe Roy, $4.70) in 1:51 on Monday card, Carmen Auciello recorded a training hat trick.