Owner Brad Grant looking for luck beyond the draw.

by Melissa Keith

With its unusual format and recent vintage (first raced in 2020), the Mohawk Million slot race was always a gamble for Woodbine Mohawk Park. Fortunately, the 2-year-old trotting event has quickly become a highlight of the racing calendar for the Campbellville, ON track. The 2025 draw for Mohawk Million slots took place on March 19, with unprecedented demand; 37 individuals, partnerships, stables, and farms put their names into contention for the 10 positions behind the gate on Sept. 20.

Finding the specific horses doesn’t come into play until much later. Slot holders must pay two installments of $25,000 (Can.), one paid after winning their Mohawk Million slot, the other due by June 2 to remain eligible, but the deadline for declaring their 2-year-old trotter is Sept. 15. Slot holders can sell, lease, or trade their slot.

This year’s edition has a different look to the owners involved, with some familiar names absent from the list of 10 slot holders, and others more closely associated with pacers now in the mix.

The 37 applicants for this year’s Mohawk Million slots included the following: Allister Stable, Bill Pollock, Blair Corbeil, Brad Grant, Bruce Areman, Bruce Northover, Bud Hatfield, Casie Coleman, Courant Inc., Coyote Wynd Farms, Daniel Sarafian, David Heffering, Determination, Diane Bertrand, Dustin Jones, Gino Toscani, Hunterton Farm, Jake Higgs, Karen Irwin, Kempii Stable Inc., Kozen Farms, Kyle Northover, Mark Prentice, Mark Weaver, Mary Clark, Michel Blais, Michael Veneri, Mike McCallister, Paul Van Camp, Robert and Yolanda Fellows, Terry Hudson, The Stable.ca, Tom Pollack, Tom Rankin, Tony Infilise, and Will Fleming.

The 10 slot holders drawn were: Allister Stable of Monroe Township, NJ; Bill Pollock of Freehold, NJ; Brad Grant of Milton, ON; Bruce Northover of Sunderland, ON; Bud Hatfield of Columbus, OH; Casie Coleman of Wellington, FL; Diane Bertrand of Lake County, BC; Hunterton Farm of Paris, KY; Kempii Stable Inc. of Delray Beach, FL; and Kyle Northover of Sunderland, ON.

Former $90,000 Lexington yearling Venerate (6, 1:50.1f; $1,217,706) captured the inaugural Mohawk Million (2020) and was voted 2020 Dan Patch 2-Year-Old Male Trotter of the Year. Now standing his first season at stud, the Love You—Peaceful Kemp stallion is based in Sweden at Broline International AB. He was bred by Steve Stewart of Paris, KY and Kempii Stable, both of whom landed slots for the 2025 Mohawk Million. Stewart owns and operates Hunterton Farm with his wife Cindy.

Venerate won the Mohawk Million despite landing trailing post position 10, taking an overland route for driver Andrew McCarthy and outdueling favored 4-5 filly Donna Soprano in the stretch of the 1:53.2 mile. It was Canada’s fastest win by any 2-year-old trotter in 2020.

After winning a slot in the latest Mohawk Million draw, Brad Grant said he was hopeful that the luck he had in the first two editions might carry on to one of his own trotters this season. Grant sold his 2020 slot to the connections of Venerate, and his 2021 slot to those of Venerable, the winner of the second Mohawk Million. In the 2022 edition, Grant’s slot went to John Bax trainee Proud To Be Lindy, who ended up third, at odds of 96-1, behind winner Oh Well.

“You know what? I didn’t even watch the draw,” said Grant. “I was lucky enough to get a slot.”

The fourth-generation standardbred owner said that he has been in and out of the industry, but is currently enjoying it, even though he attends the live races at Woodbine Mohawk Park less than in the past. Still, he would love to stand in the Mohawk Million winner’s circle.

“It’s a home race, obviously a signature event, so it would be great to win,” Grant told HRU Saturday (March 29). “But if they said, ‘Stay away and you’ll win it,’ I would!”

He said that trainer Ben Wallace used to tease that it was Grant’s absence from Mohawk that kept the winning streak of his former WMP preferred pacer Apprentice Hanover intact from Nov. 30, 2013 through March 15, 2014.

“It became a running joke,” said Grant.

Grant said he is no longer as superstitious as he once was.

“You just put your faith in the horse and the people who look after them,” he said.

The Milton, ON owner is spreading out his chances for the 2025 Mohawk Million in a strategic, not superstitious manner.

“We’re still trying to figure out how to win it,” he said. “Actually, I’ve got a colt and three fillies, really nice ones, so we’re keeping our fingers crossed.”

Grant and Al Libfeld of Pickering, ON share ownership of Upgrade, a Green Manalishi S—Uptown Classic filly trained by John Bax.

“Al is just a great person,” said Grant.

The black filly was a $300,000 purchase last fall at Harrisburg.

Caviart Farms of Vienna, VA and 3 Brothers Stable of New York, NY are Grant’s partners on the former $450,000 Harrisburg yearling colt now named Pommard. The son of Walner—The Ice Dutchess was originally named The Old Man, but Grant said, “My partners wanted to change it.” The colt is currently training with Nancy Takter.

Swinging Loyalty is a Walner—Swinging Royalty daughter co-owned by Grant, Richard Gutnick of Blue Bell, PA, Thomas Pontone of Holmdel, NJ, and Carmen Iannacone of Lyndhurst, NJ. The filly brought a top bid of $760,000 at Harrisburg last November, and is now training with Linda Toscano.

Grant said his remaining contender for the 2025 Mohawk Million could be The Ice Princess, on whom he shares ownership with breeders Marvin and Lynn Katz of Toronto, ON, Hatfield Stables of Columbus, OH, and Daniel Plouffe of Bromont, QC. The homebred daughter of Walner—The Ice Countess is training with Åke Svanstedt.

“At this time of year, they’re all looking like champions,” said Grant. “You just keep your fingers crossed.”

He said that this year’s 37 contenders for Mohawk Million slots reflected the lower pricing of the coveted 10 spots in the rich race.

“When Woodbine Mohawk Park reduced the price from $100,000 to $50,000, and stepped up and said, ‘We’ll put in $500,000, it became more doable to enter for a lot of people,” said Grant.

The appeal of the Mohawk Million is as obvious as its name.

“Who doesn’t want to win a million-dollar race?” said Grant, who went on to answer the rhetorical question himself. “Being up here in our own backyard, I’d love to win it, just like I’d love to win the North America Cup and the Metro [Pace].”

Grant said he sees “a lot of Canadian content” among the slot holders for the latest Mohawk Million, which he added gives him hope for the future.

“If you can’t win it, you love to see them win… I’ve had a great run, and there are so many good people in the industry,” he said.

As an owner of around 105 horses, with 80 of them racing or training at present, Grant said he still finds plenty to appreciate about being involved in harness racing.

“The challenge of the race; the great partnerships on some of the horses; and yes, I still believe in the industry,” he said.

And while he admits he enjoyed shaking hands with Mohawk Million winning owners and trainers who have successfully deployed his slots, “the first year with the Pinskes and then with David McDuffee and his partners,” Grant said he hopes this year could be the one when his own 2-year-old champion takes home the title and purse.

“It’s a big stepping stone” toward year-end awards, as well as future value as a stallion or a broodmare, noted Grant. The most recent Mohawk Million champ, Maryland, went on to win 2024 Dan Patch and O’Brien Awards for his division.