by Melissa Keith

Last Saturday night (Aug. 24), Monalishi and driver James MacDonald overcame an outside post to capture the 2024 Peaceful Way final in unexpected style. Overlooked at odds of 11-1, the filly dropped back to eighth before the first turn, only getting underway from third-over once even-money favorite Champagne Problems cleared to the lead for Dexter Dunn past the half.

Gapping cover to three-quarters, Monalishi looked unlikely to win, until she wasn’t. The filly circled breaker R Liza on the final turn, then maneuvered four-wide down the stretch for MacDonald, finding her best stride in the shadow of the wire.

The 1:52.2 victory shaved two seconds off Monalishi’s previous mark, more than sufficient to make her North America’s second-fastest 2-year-old trotter so far this season, as well as Green Manalishi S’ top early achiever by speed and earnings.

Undefeated in two Ontario Sires Stakes Gold legs and the Mid-Season final, all at Woodbine Mohawk Park, Monalishi (2, 1:52.2; $273,125) is from the first crop of Green Manalishi S, out of the mare Pretty Phylly G. The former $28,000 Lexington yearling is owned by Tim Klemencic of Trenton, ON, and trainer Blake Macintosh of St. George, ON.

“I didn’t know anything about her before the race,” said James MacDonald, catch driver for Monalishi’s latest and biggest win. “I talked to Jody [Jamieson], and Jody was more than forthcoming with information about her.

“[Jamieson] has done a terrific job with her, and I know it killed him to jump off. All he ranted about all week was how much he loved her, but sometimes you’ve gotta make tough calls, and I’m just happy to pick up the drive.”

Jamieson had committed to show finisher R Dutchess (2, 1:53.1s; $50,119) in the Peaceful Way final. That former $300,000 Lexington yearling is owned by Armitage Farm LLC of Midway, KY; leased by M and L of Delaware LLC, Wilmington, DE; and trained by John Butenschoen. R Dutchess is by Father Patrick, and out of 2018 Peaceful Way champion The Ice Dutchess (3, 1:51.1m; $774,029), voted 2018 O’Brien 2-Year-Old Trotting Filly of the Year.

While not establishing a new track record — that belongs to Special Way, who set the 1:52 standard for all WMP 2-year-old trotters when she won the 2022 Breeders Crown final — Monalishi’s accomplishments nonetheless make her the frontrunner in the 2-year-old distaff trotting division.

Co-owner and trainer Blake McIntosh said that Monalishi’s defeat in her Aug. 17 Peaceful Way elimination was the result of trip, rather than a superior rival or anything his filly did wrong.

“I just wasn’t happy that she got beat [by Royal Mission, who finished sixth in the final],” McIntosh said, after Monalishi’s win in the $390,000 final. “I thought she was the best in there. We put her on front [in the elim], and she’s just not as good on the front… She’s better chasing horses… It just didn’t work out last week.”

Asked about whether Monalishi had outperformed her modest price as a yearling, McIntosh said, “You always hope that, but you just never know. I can tell you that in the wintertime, I thought we had two better than her, and she’s just turned out to be a great horse.”

August has been a memorable month for McIntosh, who went over the $20-million mark in career earnings as a trainer on Aug. 12 when 4-year-old gelding Mamba (p, 3, 1:49.3m; $258,194) and driver Jordan Stratton won a conditioned pace at Yonkers. McIntosh reached the Canadian-dollar milestone in that race; his U.S. dollar earnings were $17,755,35 at publication deadline.

“I thought at the end of last year we could have a shot this year, if things went right,” McIntosh told HRU on Friday (Aug. 30). His career began at Windsor Raceway, where he recorded his first victory with Prelude Semalu (p, 4, 1:54.1s; $114,395), driven by Mark MacDonald, on Dec. 10, 2000. McIntosh trainees have 80 wins this year from a combined 476 seasonal starts to date, good for $1,486,162 (U.S.) in purse earnings. It is McIntosh’s best year since 2019.

The trainer estimated his current training roster to be “probably around 50-55” horses at the moment, with changes coming soon.

“That number will reduce over the next couple weeks, then balloon again with the babies,” he told HRU.

His stable star is undoubtedly Monalishi.

“I’d say she’d be at the top right now,” McIntosh said.

Part of the filly’s appeal is how his yearling sale homework has paid off this season.

“She was a nice size,” he said. “The family was essentially 0-for-3, but I had my notes on the other three [foals of Pretty Phylly G], and they all had flaws, so we took a chance.”

Monalishi is her dam’s first filly.

Pretty Phylly G (4, 1:58.4m; $11,050) is a full sister to 2013 Hambletonian winner and Dan Patch 3-Year-Old Male Trotter of the Year Royalty For Life (3, Q1:51.3m; $1,620,166). She came up barren after a 2022 mating with What The Hill, and produced a live but unregistered King Of The North foal in 2023. Owner Shmuel Farhi of London, ON, bred the mare back to Green Manalishi S this year.

McIntosh said Monalishi was a handful from the start.

“Umm, she’s a spicy filly,” he said. “The groom, Mike Rivet, has his work cut out for him. She can be tough to catch in the stall, and has some attitude on the track. She is a lot better with company training.”

Hopes are high for the remainder of Monalishi’s freshman season, although McIntosh confirmed that the OSS Gold division leader will skip the next OSS Gold leg, slated for Sept. 6 at Grand River Raceway.

“She has the Champlain [Filly Stake, Sept. 13 at Mohawk], and hopefully the Mohawk Million [Sept. 21],” McIntosh said. “We’re working on securing a spot. Gold [leg 5, Sept. 30 at Mohawk], then the Super Final [Oct. 12 at Mohawk]. Done for the year after that.”

McIntosh called the Mohawk Million “expensive, but the reward is there.” He and co-owner Klemencic were working on purchasing a slot for Monalishi.

“Yeah, we are talking to some of the people that have spots,” McIntosh told HRU. “We will try to make a deal to get one.”

After completing her 2-year-old season, Monalishi will move stateside for the winter.

“We will probably move her to Kentucky ‘till January, then she will come back to the Canadian barn to train back,” McIntosh said. “We haven’t had any offers for her. It would be pretty hard to price and sell her.”

The relevance of winning the Peaceful Way Stake is not lost on McIntosh, who said he ranked Peaceful Way (4, 1:51.4m; $2,746,240) “right up there with Manchego and Atlanta” among the best trotting mares he’s ever seen.

The 2003 O’Brien 2-Year-Old Trotting Filly of the Year went on to a remarkable career recognized by induction to both the U.S. (2021) and Canadian (2008) Halls of Fame. Formally retired at Mohawk on Maple Leaf Trot night 2007, the Oakville Stake was subsequently renamed in her honor.

Peaceful Way is now enjoying her retirement from broodmare life in Norway, with proud owner Svein Seljord. With every generation of trotting fillies who compete in her namesake stake, there are hopes that a win will foreshadow such greatness.