The drivers recently hit career victories 2,000, 2,000 and 1,000, respectively, at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

by Melissa Keith

The driver ecosystem at Woodbine Mohawk Park has changed dramatically over the last two months.

The suspension of Sylvian Filion on Oct. 31 sent shockwaves across the industry. The Canadian Hall of Fame driver is now suspended for the next 10 years in relation to the DPO positive of Funtime Bayama. He is still fourth by seasonal driving wins at Canada’s top track.

Doug McNair has also stated that he is taking time away from driving at Mohawk or anywhere else until the new year, in order to have more time for life outside of racing. He is the current number three driver at Mohawk and has been on hiatus since Logan Park’s victory in the Nov. 30 FanDuel Championship Open Trot at The Meadowlands.

The absence of Filion and McNair has resulted in more drives available to rising reinsmen like Tyler Borth, who made the decision to move his focus from The Raceway at Western Fair to Woodbine Mohawk Park last season.

In his only Mohawk drive on Jan. 26, 2023, Borth recorded his first win there, courtesy of Shayne Barrington trainee Cutting Class (p, 5, 1:52.0f; $76,260).

Borth’s first charted lines were Western Fair qualifiers on Dec. 16 and 23, 2011. Since then, the Ingersoll, ON horseman has ascended the Ontario driving ranks, reaching a career-high year for purse winnings ($3,198,409 U.S.) in 2023, the same season he had 414 driving victories from 2,440 starts, another personal best.

The 2014 O’Brien Future Star Award winner recently hit the 2,000-win milestone at Woodbine Mohawk Park, crushing with going-away winner Mikki Sixx (p, 3, 1:52.2s; $48,509) in a Niagara Series opening leg for 3-year-old pacing fillies last Friday night (Dec. 6). It was the Suzie Kerwood trainee’s second straight win for Borth. He is seventh by wins and sixth by purse earnings this year in Canada, despite largely stepping away from The Raceway at Western Fair, where he was named 2023 Driver of the Year and captured the 2024 Ontario Regional Driving Championship over runner-up James MacDonald on April 23.

“I knew that I was on the brink of a milestone and it was funny, I didn’t know if I wanted to get it at London or Mohawk,” said Borth. “It didn’t matter to me, but I raced at Western Fair on the Tuesday, and I was at 1,998 [wins], and then I ended up winning the first race at 40-1. So I had a full card that day and I thought I would get it, and then I never got it. I ended up getting it the next night [at Mohawk], on the Friday, on a 1-5 favorite. It was nice it was one of Suzy Kerwood’s too. Suzy gave me a lot of drives when I first came here.”

The 32-year-old Thamesford, ON horseman said that other drivers were filling the void created by the absence of McNair and Filion.

“Obviously, with guys like Dougie and Sylvain gone, they would take up a lot of the drives and a lot of the better drives, so I feel that with them gone, I’m getting on some more live horses, and we’re getting better results.”

On Friday (Dec. 13), Borth drove winners Oh A Legend (Niagara Series leg 2), Rule The West, Needabankloan (Pop-Up Series leg 1), and Rocket Freight.

Borth said he was always happy to take on more catch drives.

“This is my job, so the more drives you can get and the better ones you can get, that’s always a good way to go,” he told HRU, adding that he wasn’t specifically trying to reach another milestone. “Not really. I just had my son, Brook, and I’m looking forward to watching him grow up, and I just want to stay busy, want to stay healthy, keep on driving consistent.”

In a different career trajectory, Jonathan Drury actually began racing at Mohawk, winning in the first of his two qualifying drives on April 25, 2008, with Noble Zena, a mare trained by his father, Barry Drury. On Aug. 21, 2008, Jonathan Drury had his breakthrough win at Mohawk, delivering a 30-1 upset with trotter Eventime, whom he co-owned with his father. 

Since then, the Guelph Eramosa, ON horseman has been based primarily at Mohawk, coming back after multiple injuries and surgeries. The 35-year-old reinsman said he has “lots of time to continue on,” but he had anticipated his 2,000th win.

“As I was getting closer, I went on kind of a dry spell there for a bit, and it took a little longer to get to than I thought it might,” Drury said. “But it’s nice to get it. You don’t really think about it until you start getting close, but once you do, it seems to be a thing on your mind until you get it done.”

He reached the milestone on the night of Saturday, Nov. 30 at Mohawk, driving Self Made to the pacer’s first win since coming to Mohawk on Sept. 30. Sitting at number 11 for wins among Mohawk drivers this year, Drury finished fourth in his two drives Friday (Dec. 13) evening: with Kiera Seelster in a Niagara Series second leg, and Hes Got A Vendetta in a Pop-Up Series first leg.  

He reflected on Self Made, the horse who provided his 2,000th driving victory.

“I actually thought he was going into it really good,” Drury said. “He had a couple of lines that he was in tough, where he had to race from off the pace… Finally he dropped down in class, and I thought he had a really good shot in there that night.”

Drury agreed with Borth’s assessment that lesser-used catch drivers were finding recent opportunities at Mohawk, but he was happy with the drives he had already.

“It definitely opens things up a little bit,” Drury said. “I’m content with what I get, and you have to make the best of what you can.”

Despite being happy with his 2,000^th win, Drury said winning Ontario Sires Stakes Super Finals and this year’s Prix d’Ete at Hippodrome 3R (with Redwood Hanover) was more important than reaching a certain number of wins.

“I’m always looking forward to the next thousand, but you’ve just got to take it one race at a time, and go from there,” said Drury. “I’m happy here. I’ve been able to make a decent living here, and it’s close to home. I keep busy, trucking horses and doing other things in my spare time. So it’s nice to have a couple of nights of no racing.”

Kyle Husted reached career win number 1,000 driving Fox Valley Tessa at Mohawk on Dec. 6, as she captured a first leg of the Niagara Series for trainer Amy Husted. It was the filly’s Campbellville, ON debut. The pair repeated in leg 2 on Friday night (Dec. 13).

“I like it up here,” said the Altamont, IL horseman. “You know, I’m watching [Mohawk] all the time. I think it’s probably the best product going, so when we had a chance to bring one up here, it was a no-brainer. We bought [Fox Valley Tessa] for this series, so hopefully she makes it worthwhile. We got lucky the first week there, we have this one tonight, and then hopefully things will go good in the final.” 

The 33-year-old driver said that he and wife Amy had “12 or so” horses racing at Hawthorne on the weekend, and she had her hands full there Friday (Dec. 13) with two horses.

Driving since 2006, Kyle was making the second Canadian start of his career when he reached his 1,000th driving win.

“It’s a little surreal to drive with some of the guys that you watch all the time,” said Kyle naming Jody Jamieson, Bob McClure, and James MacDonald as some of the local reinsmen he admired. “It’s a good place to win, an exciting place to win.”

Mohawk bettors may be seeing more of Kyle Husted in the future, although likely with horses coming up from the U.S.

“I catch drive at home,” Kyle said. “I wouldn’t say no to the opportunity, but there’s a ton of talented guys [at Mohawk], and just because [McNair and Filion] are gone, doesn’t mean there’s not somebody capable to step in their place. I wouldn’t say no to the opportunity, but there’s a lot that goes into being a driver here.”

Before driving Fox Valley Tessa to her latest win, Kyle reflected on the countdown to his 1,000th victory.

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t know it was coming,” he said with a laugh. “You look at somebody like Doug McNair, for instance, he got it at a super-young age, and it makes you wonder if you’ll ever get there. But to finally get there means a lot.”