(Photo of Paul MacDonell and Will Take Charge courtesy of New Image Media)
Will Take Charge delivered a commanding performance in the Gold Series season opener for three-year-old trotting colts at Mohawk Racetrack on Monday evening, posting the fastest mile of three $70,000 divisions.
Starting from Post 1, Will Take Charge left the gate smartly for driver Paul MacDonell. Heading for the :27 quarter the pair allowed Smoke Monkey a brief moment on the lead, but quickly circled back to the front and led the field of seven through fractions of :56.1 and 1:25.1. Muscle Hustle mounted a third-quarter challenge, but when Guelph, ON resident MacDonell asked Will Take Charge for another gear the gelding pulled away to a two and one-half length victory in a personal best 1:53. Muscle Hustle settled for second, with Dia Monde third and fan favourite Tony Soprano fourth.
“He had a bit of second-itis last year, but he may have made the next step,” said trainer John Bax after the gelding’s third victory of 2016. “He kind of knows what racing’s about now, he’s all business.”
As a two-year-old Will Take Charge captured one Gold trophy, finished second in three Gold Legs and the season ending Super Final, and was third in his other Gold Series start. The Kadabra son earned $196,990 for Campbellville, ON resident Bax and his partners Don Allensen of Wyoming, ON, John Hayes of Sharon, ON and Gordon Wright of Charlotte, MI.
“I’m dreaming this guy might be one you might want to keep to play with as he gets older, because he’s pretty healthy and he’s not hard on himself,” added Bax, who conditioned trotter Goodtimes through an 11-year career that saw him earn $2.2 million and nomination to the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. “I’ve always got Goodtimes for the measuring stick; it’s a pretty good measuring stick, so we’ll see at the end of the year how that works.
“We know there’s lots of bumps in the road, but it’s a good start.”
Bee In Charge also got off to a good start, opening his sophomore Ontario Sires Stakes season with a 1:54.3 personal best in the first division. In rein to Chris Christoforou Jr. of Campbellville, Bee In Charge left strongly from Post 3 and then tucked in behind pacesetter Warrawee Roo through fractions of :28, :57.2 and 1:26.2. When the leader went off stride in the stretch Bee In Charge and Christoforou took full advantage, cruising to a three length victory. Dunvegan Don closed from the back to be second, with Matza Man rounding out the top three.
The regally bred Bee In Charge, a Manofmanymissions half-brother to the $3.9 million winning Bee A Magician, is trained by Per Henriksen for owners Melvin Hartman of Ottawa, ON and David McDuffee of Delray Beach, FL. The gelding was a $130,000 purchase from the 2014 Lexington-Selected Yearling Sale by Hartman and McDuffee, who also share ownership of Bee A Magician. Raced just twice at two, Bee In Charge now boasts a record of three wins, one second and one third in six sophomore starts and boosted his earnings to $56,790 with Monday’s victory.
Zagster captured the other Gold Series trophy up for grabs at Mohawk Racetrack on Monday. After getting away last from Post 7, driver Trevor Henry sent the colt up the outside, getting a mid-race wind break from Gonna Fly before powering down the stretch to a 1:55.2 victory. The fan favourites held off a charging Dewy Dont Cheat to secure the three-quarter length win, with Nofear Blue Chip closing to be third.
Arthur, ON resident Henry piloted the Muscle Mass son to the win for his wife, trainer Shannon Henry, and his partner John MacLeod of Kincardine, ON. The win was the gelding’s second in 11 starts this season, and gives him some Gold Series hardware to go along with the Grassroots trophy he won as a two-year-old.
Will Take Charge, Bee In Charge and Zagster will return to Mohawk for their second Gold Series event on July 11. Next up on the Campbellville oval’s Ontario Sires Stakes schedule is the second Grassroots event for the three-year-old pacing colts, going postward on Friday, July 1.
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