Baby steps at breakfast
Woodbine Mohawk Park put its future stars in the spotlight on Saturday.
by Melissa Keith
A varied crowd of spectators attended Woodbine Mohawk Park’s breakfast with the babies on Saturday (June 21). With a 9:30 a.m. start, the 14 qualifiers for 2-year-old male pacers and trotters attracted horse owners; a sizable group of young Amish men; trainers and caretakers stepping out from the paddock; and what appeared to be a few fans.
Burlington, ON resident Ken Wiese said he was there to watch one particular trotter.
“Lifting Legend, we’re part-owners of him,” Wiese said. “He’s in the 10th. He won his qualifier last week, so that’s a good start.”
Wiese added that he was unsure about what race would be the gelding’s pari-mutuel debut.
“But we have one going in the Tomkins-Geers,” he said. “Blue Rare. That’s next Thursday [June 27]. We’ll be here for that. We belong to [Anthony MacDonald’s] TheStable, we’re fractional [owners]. We don’t own all of the horses; we own pieces, which allows us to be involved.”
Peggy Wood, Wiese’s wife, sat with him at a trackside patio table.
“We like to watch them and see how they’re progressing throughout the season,” she told HRU. “Not just our own, but also the other [The] Stable horses as well.”
She recalled the first horse on which she was a fractional owner.
“Rose Run Speedster, 2016,” she said. “We’ve had a lot of fun; we’ve had a lot of success; and as Ken said, it’s been a great way to get back into horse racing.”
Wood said that Wiese had early involvement in harness racing.
“His uncle was a breeder, and he’s been involved in it since his teens,” she said. “So, he was sort of involved in it that way, and then we were also part of the mentorship program back in 2009, when Tammy McNiven was running it here. We had a 2-year-old pacer, M G Home Run, who won his very first race, [an Ontario Sires Stakes] Grassroots race [on July 17, 2009 at Flamboro Downs].”
Wiese and Wood said they appreciated the pancake breakfast for the relaxed atmosphere and perfect view of the 2-year-olds on the track.
“We’ve met a lot of nice people, and we enjoy our time coming out to the track, sitting around, talking to people, going to the training center… that’s very specific for Ken, to go to the training center and watch his babies and his horses train down,” Wood said.
Curtis MacDonald’s Primetime Racing was streaming the baby races for owners and fans who couldn’t attend. HRU is one of his sponsors and streamed the races on the HRU Facebook page.
“It’s a whole new brand,” Curtis said. “We do the baby races, obviously, and we’ve expanded, so we’re doing network shows as well: North America Cup, Camluck Classic, and several throughout the summer and fall. We have five shows [coming up] here [at Mohawk]: We’re going to be here for the Maple Leaf Trot, Mohawk Million, Breeders Crown.” Primetime Racing launched with its inaugural show on March 30, 2025.
Curtis said Primetime was “very similar” to the COSA TV shows he used to produce for the Central Ontario Standardbred Association, just a new, independent brand. He laughed as he admitted he did not expect 14 baby races Saturday morning, adding that, “when you have a free breakfast, you get people that want to watch the races.” He said he tried to include specific footage for viewers watching online as well.
“For baby races, yes, paddock shots, coming off the track,” he said. “We try to get people up close to see the races.”
Mark McKelvie and Greg Blanchard hosted the Primetime show, with the former also calling the action. “Primetime Racing kind of spun off what Curtis was doing with COSA TV before,” said McKelvie, who is also the senior manager of communications for Woodbine Mohawk Park. “Obviously, we’ve had a lot of good reviews, and we wanted to find a way to keep that going… Curtis has found a way to reinvent it with Primetime Racing.”
The focus on 2-year-old qualifiers was a natural; McKelvie called them, “something that always was a big hit, because people are excited to see them, lots of owners who have been waiting months.” Saturday’s event, called the Rookie Showcase, appeared on both Facebook and YouTube. McKelvie added that major races that will be presented by Primetime on upcoming shows will also be shown on the Canadian Game Plus network.
McKelvie said he was impressed overall with the current crop of 2-year-olds qualifying at Mohawk.
“You mentioned the fact that there aren’t many breakers,” McKelvie said. “Some of these mornings, I’m upstairs, charting the races, and seven, eight years ago when I’d do it, so many [young] horses would have to go on the judges’ list, and you’d be bringing them back next week. But it just feels like the breed continues to get better and better, so that’s one thing that really catches your eye.”
Speaking about particular sires making their mark, McKelvie singled out Cattlewash.
“The Cattlewashes have been so impressive, and that’s a great addition for Ontario,” he said. “I remember at the London Classic [Sale] last year, reading pedigrees, Cattlewash was a little bit of an unknown, but I think a lot of people were optimistic that he would make an immediate impact, and it looks like that’s what it’s going to be.”
Cattlewash winners included Twin B Stanley (1:55.1); Tilthecowscomehome (1:54.3); Borderline Mobby (1:57); and the day’s fastest winner, Beau Jangles (1:53), who romped by 20 expanding lengths in qualifier 11 for driver Louis-Philippe Roy.
The first Bulldog Hanover 2-year-olds, sired during his last year of racing, from just a few breedings, were also looking good.
“Just this morning, we had one [Brindle] win here in 1:54.4,” McKelvie said. “I think he’s had three winners now in better than 1:55 across North America. I was saying earlier, it really takes just one or two of these [first crop foals] to have a really strong year. I don’t even know if that matters. I think when we get to the Lexington and Harrisburg sales later this year, some of those [second crop] Bulldogs are going to sell for very high prices. He got some great mares.”
Run To The Hills won by open lengths in 1:55.4 for Bob McClure in qualifier 7, further showcasing the emerging talent from the limited number of first-crop Bulldog Hanovers.
On the training side, McKelvie said Dr. Ian Moore looked like his stable was well-stocked for success with freshman pacers this season. Not only did Moore trainees Dad (1:55.2), Alcatraz Blue Chip (1:57.2), and the aforementioned Beau Jangles post convincing wins on Saturday morning; there was also an eye-catching filly winner who qualified Friday (June 20).
“The filly, PNG Shadow, wasn’t the quickest winner yesterday, but she came home in :26.4 in a headwind… Doc’s going to have a lot of fun with them early on this summer,” McKelvie said.
Trainer Dave Menary came out to watch his 2-year-olds qualify, sitting alongside the spectators. He told HRU that getting perspective on their progress in the baby races showed him more than training them in company.
“Yeah, definitely, but we all make the same amount of money today, you know?” he said with a laugh.
He was keeping a close eye on Scorpion Seelster in baby race 13.
“He’s a very nice colt,” Menary said. “He had a Cattlewash win earlier today [Borderline Mobby, driven by James MacDonald]. These colts were kind of ahead of the pack for most of the winter, and hopefully we say that at the end of the year, too.
“I used to be pretty aggressive getting them ready early, but it’s a long time to the [OSS] Super Finals or the Breeders Crown, so I don’t bring them in as ready as I used to. I just want them to come in and have a good experience, and not be tired. I want the horse to be happy, the driver to be happy, and the owner to be happy, and that makes it a good day.”
