So Much More at her best at Mohawk

So Much More (Big Jim) returned to her O’Brien Award-winning harness racing level as she won the Fillies and Mares Preferred at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Friday (Nov. 10).

The mare, who lost her prior five starts at the top overnight level, dropped into the three-hole for James MacDonald as Breeders Crown finalist Dabarndawgswatchin (Jody Jamieson) led. The latter provided :26.4 and :55.1 speed in the first half, and So Much More began her first-up journey before three-quarters in 1:22.2.

So Much More still had two to pass at the head of the stretch, but she picked off pocket-sitter Huntress (Sylvain Filion) by the eighth pole and dispatched Dabarndawgswatchin soon after. The hunter became the hunted in late-stretch, with Prohibition Legal and Silver Label (Doug McNair) charging after the new leader, but So Much More held them both off by a neck for the 1:49.4 victory.

Prohibition Legal and Silver Label were second and third, respectively.

SO MUCH MORE REPLAY

So Much More, off at 4-1, added an 11th win of 2023 to her record and is now 68-for-152 lifetime. The seven-year-old, Canada’s 2022 Aged Trotting Mare of the Year, has earned a total of $1,510,507. Don Beatson trains her for Kenneth Beatson of Palgrave, and Cole England of Exeter.

There were two first-leg Ontario-sired Harvest Series divisions on the card for three-year-old pacing fillies. Godiva Shadow Girl (Shadow Play, MacDonald) took the first by a neck in 1:54.3, and Honey Love (Big Jim) took the latter for a MacDonald sweep in 1:55.4.

MacDonald, Canada’s leading driver, added another victory to his daily total of a grand slam.

Saturday’s (Nov. 11) card at Woodbine Mohawk Park will feature four divisions of the Ontario-sired Harvest Series – two for each gait of three-year-old colts and geldings.

For complete race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink