Hunterton's Sold Apex , with Dexter Dunn in the race bike for trainer Marcus Melander, put on a show in the Grade 1 Mohawk Million on Saturday, Sept. 20 at Woodbine Mohawk Park. The sixth edition of the $1 million slot race boasted the deepest field the race has ever seen – and the two-year-old trot battle did not disappoint. Strobe Lite (James MacDonald), leaving from post eight, blasted off the wings and assumed early control, followed by Dublin Hanover (Ake Svanstedt), Silverstein (David Miller) and 1-5 choice Endurance (Andrew McCarthy), while Dunn, navigating a tricky trip from post one, clung to the rail and settled his charge into fifth heading into the first turn. A break in stride by Strobe Lite opened the doors for Silverstein to then take a nose lead after an opening panel in :27.4, but his lead was short lived as Endurance glided to the front, with Dublin Hanover third and Apex nestled in fourth. ​ Endurance, riding a six-race win streak, continued to call the shots through a half in :57, but Dunn and Apex, ranging up on the outside, were turning up the heat on the tempo-setter, who reached three-quarters in 1:24.4 with a one-length advantage. Apex dialed up the pressure as Endurance dug down deep along the inside and looked to fend off the 5-2 second choice with the finish line drawing closer. Apex finally drew clear late as Dunn took a quick glance over his right shoulder to see if he had any closers to contend with. Seconds later, he pumped his fist when he realized there was no threat. At the wire, Apex was a 1-1/2-length winner in 1:51.4. Endurance held second and Silverstein was third. “There was a bit of action going into that first turn, but he just handled like a true professional, and, you know, we got away not too far back,” said Dunn. “He handled really good today. “He got a little excited there earlier on, but now he's beautiful and relaxed. He seems so intelligent, too. He knows his job and he's only two. So, I moved him down past the half there and he was travelling so strongly around the last turn. I just wanted to make sure he got around it in one piece, and once I asked him, he really put his muscle into it.” The final time of 1:51.4 was a stakes, track and Canadian record for two-year-old male trotters. The previous record was 1:52.3, set in last year's Mohawk Million by Maryland with Dunn driving for Melander. Apex's trainer also won the Mohawk Million in 2022 with the Tim Tetrick-driven Oh Well. “He did it so easily last weekend at Hoosier,” said Melander, referring to Apex's victory in the Grade 1 Peter Haughton Memorial at Hoosier Park on Sept. 12. “You know, he came out of the race good. But I asked Dexter on Sunday there at The Red Mile what his thoughts were, if he thought he had it in him to go another week. And he said he did.” Prior to the Mohawk Million, Apex’s highest profile score was in the $512,431 Haughton, which also secured him an automatic entry in the Breeders Crown. His other victories include the $312,500 New Jersey Sire Stakes final on Aug. 2 and the $342,466 New Jersey Classic on Sept. 5, both at The Meadowlands. Apex is owned by Jeff Snyder of New York City, New York, S R F Stable of Del Ray Beach, Florida and Steve Stewart of Paris, Kentucky. He entered the Mohawk Million for his Canadian debut courtesy of the slot held by Hunterton Farms. Bred by Mission Brief Stable, the son of Walner out of the world champion Muscle Hill mare Mission Brief was a $729,167 yearling purchase at the 2024 Standardbred Horse Sale. “We always felt like he was extremely special, very intelligent and you can almost see it in his eye,” said Stewart. Apex now sports a record reading 6-1-1 from eight starts with more than $1.1 million in purse earnings. A winner of his past four starts, he paid $7.40 for the win. The sixth edition of the Mohawk Million generated an event record all-sources handle of $4,662,789, surpassing the previous record of $3.9 million set in 2022. While multiple stakes winner Strobe Lite's miscue took him out of contention in the Mohawk Million, his participation secured him a $10,000 cheque that helped his trainer, Ben Baillargeon , reach a career milestone. The Guelph, Ont. resident went over $50 million in career earnings. To view Saturday's complete harness racing results, click the following link: Saturday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park . (With files from Woodbine)

Hunterton Raised Nezuko Kamado S (30-1) kicked off the Grand Circuit action with a dead-game track-record performance in the $259,800Kentuckiana Stallion Management for 2-year-old trotting fillies. Scott Zeron wheeled the eventual longshot winner to the leadafter an opening quarter of :26.4 around her stablemate Creator (Dexter Dunn). After middle half fractions of :55.3 and 1:24.4, Nezuko Kamado S was headed by Creator in the lane, before battling back to win by a half-length in 1:52.4 while Emmas Mystery CCL (Andy McCarthy) rallied for third. Trained by Marcus Melander, the winning daughter of Chapter Seven—Zefira Kronos IR has won three of six on the year. The Courant Inc. homebred has banked $217,735 on the season. The 1:52.4 clocking lowered the previous track record of 1:53.1 established by R Melina in the same event in 2023.

The Bluegrass State’s best clashed in eight $555,556 Kentucky Championship Series finals on Sunday, Sept. 14 at The Red Mile. Yo Tillie , ranked number three in the Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown Poll, won her 12th straight race and stayed perfect this year in the sophomore filly trot final. She was away fourth from the rail for Todd McCarthy but quickly glided to the front before the half, and that move proved to be game over for her rivals as she cruised home under wraps to a 1-1/2-length victory in 1:51. Stash Some Cash (Dunn) was best of the rest, followed by Torrisi (Tetrick). Yo Tillie is eight-for-eight this year for trainer Andrew Harris, who co-owns the daughter of Tactical Landing-Consolidator with William Pollock and Bruce Areman. The filly hasn’t lost since last September. She was sent off at 1-9 on Sunday.

The Bluegrass State’s best clashed in eight $555,556 Kentucky Championship Series finals on Sunday, Sept. 14 at The Red Mile. Endurance extended his winning streak to six and finished the Kentucky Championship Series undefeated with a dominant front-end victory in 1:52.3 in the final for rookie male trotters. The 2-5 favourite was 2-3/4 lengths the best for Andrew McCarthy over It Could Be Worse (Scott Zeron), who held second over Silverstein (Dave Miller). The Chris Beaver-trained son of Captain Corey-Love Session went four-for-four in the series. He is owned by Super Endurance Stable, Bill Manes, Leo Fleming, and Mark Moger.

The Bluegrass State’s best clashed in eight $555,556 Kentucky Championship Series finals on Sunday, Sept. 14 at The Red Mile. The Harris-Pollock-Areman connections went back-to-back as Topville Lucky took the freshman filly pacing championship. She claimed the front after the quarter and was strong on top, holding off Gala (Todd McCarthy) by three-quarters of a length under measured handling from Dunn to prevail in 1:50.4. Seaside Shuffle (Gingras) completed the triactor. Topville Lucky won her third straight race while debuting for her new connections. Harris trains the daughter of Sweet Lou-Warrawee Winx, who returned $4.56.

Anderson, IN – Apex and driver Dexter Dunn proved to be top dogs in the $368,950 Grade 1 Peter Haughton Memorial, for 2-year-old male trotters, at Harrah’s Hoosier Park on Friday (Sept. 12). The “Win and You’re In” event for the Breeders Crown highlighted a 15-race card with nearly $1.5 million in purses and also featured the $464,400 Grade 1 Jim Doherty Memorial, for freshman female trotters, won by Atlantic Summer by the narrowest of margins on the stakes-filled night. Apex was made the 2-5 favorite by the bettors, leaving from post two in a scratched-down field of nine rookie male trotters. Dunn landed Apex in the third position on the first turn while Magic Punk (Ake Svanstedt) hustled off the wings to grab command with Mr Big Spender (Mike Wilder) in the pocket through a quarter of :27.2. The tempo slowed on the backstretch with Magic Punk left alone to a half of :57.1 when Dunn had seen enough and tipped his Marcus Melander trainee off the cones. Apex moved into second on the final turn, racing at the leader’s wheel as Magic Punk got to three-quarters first in 1:26.1. The sprint was on, with Magic Punk briefly getting away from Apex at the top of the stretch, allowing Apex to tuck back into the pocket briefly before looking to slingshot by late. Motoring home in :27.1, a refreshed Apex took aim late and surged in front of Magic Punk in the final stages by a half-length to score in 1:53.3. Mr Big Spender held for the show position, with Hawt Yoga (Ricky Macomber Jr.) rounding out the super at 99-1. “He really couldn’t have done it any easier,” Dunn said in the winner’s circle. “He just keeps getting better and better through experiences like this. He got out of the gate really well, took a helmet, moved out, was able to tuck back in, and then he finishes the miles so impressively.” A winner now in five of seven lifetime races, Apex has yet to miss the board in his career while banking $456,575 for owners Jeffrey Snyder, S R F Stable, and Steve Stewart. The royally bred colt by Walner out of the world champion mare Mission Brief was bred by Mission Brief Stable and sold for $525,000 at last fall’s Standardbred Horse Sale. The victory was the second consecutive for Dunn and Melander in the Peter Haughton Memorial, having teamed up with Maryland to take the 2024 edition. 

Driver Doug McNair got longshot Windor home in the $159,745 Champlain Stakes and teamed Crack Shot to a commanding victory in the $80,062 Simcoe Stakes first division, the highlights of a five-win evening for the reinsman on Saturday, Sept. 6 at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Windor scored a 29-1 upset in the lone dash of the Grade 3 Champlain Stakes as the third-longest shot on the board when persevering through a first-over trip to clinch the win in a 1:51.2 mile. Odds-on favourite Tilthecowscomehome (Jody Jamieson) swooped for the lead out of post six as Sweet Lovin Lou (James MacDonald) grinded forward on the outside to take point past a :27.1 first quarter. Tilthecowscomehome circled back to the front on the backstretch and took the field by the half in :55.4, where Doug McNair readied Windor for a first-up blitz on the far turn. Windor steadily gained ground on the march to three-quarters in 1:24.2. Tilthecowscomehome quickened in the lane, but Windor kept clawing to the outside and successfully powered by for a neck win in the closing strides. Sweet Lovin Lou gave pursuit from a locked pocket in third. “He’s been top three with [Tilthecowscomehome and Beau Jangles] all year and never had any luck,” trainer Mike Vanderkemp said after the race. “He’s been first-up, he got his wheel hooked one night, and he had a tough first quarter last week and still had go on the end. "I was happy we got a clear run at them. I wasn’t worried about the first-over; he doesn’t really get tired.” A homebred colt by Bulldog Hanover-Winx for owner Dianna Secord of Fergus, Ont., Windor collected his second win from eight starts and has now earned $141,930. Windor returned $61.30 to win. McNair teamed up with his father, trainer Gregg McNair, to win with Crack Shot, who cruised as the 1-9 choice to a 1:51 win in the first division of the Simcoe. Doug McNair gathered speed from post seven with Crack Shot and fired him past Sterling Choice to take the lead into a :26.2 first quarter. Crack Shot coasted up the backside with no challengers incoming and snagged a breather to a :55.4 half, at which point Welcometotheshow (Josert Fonseca) began an uncovered bid out of fifth and pushed forward through the turn to reach the leader’s wheel passing three-quarters in 1:24. McNair gave the chalk his cue to sprint spinning for home, and Crack Shot easily peeled away from the competition while drifting off the pylons to register a 4-1/2-length win over pocket-sitter Sterling Choice (Billy Davis Jr.) in second. Control Rocks (Tyler Borth) was third. Gregg McNair of Guelph, Ont. co-owns Crack Shot , a son of Bettors Delight-Beautyonthebeach, alongside Dale Hunter of London, Ont., Frank Brundle of East Garafraxa, Ont. and George Kerr of Gowanstown, Ont. The colt won his fourth race from 12 starts this season and his ninth race from 20 starts in his career, good for $514,160 in earnings. He paid $2.30 to win.

East Rutherford, NJ – Hunterton Sold Yo Tillie dug in through the stretch and overtook a game Champagne Problems in the final strides to extend her winning streak to 11 by capturing Friday’s (Sept. 5) $250,000 New Jersey Classic for 3-year-old female trotters by a neck in 1:50.2 at The Meadowlands. Walspea finished third and Conversano was fourth. The winning time was a career best for Yo Tillie, who is 8-for-8 this season for trainer Andrew Harris after finishing her 2-year-old campaign with three consecutive victories for then owner-trainer-driver Verlin Yoder. “I think she would exceed almost anybody’s expectations,” said Harris, who joined with Bill Pollock and Bruce Areman to buy Yo Tillie in mid-November. “You don’t ever expect a filly to go out there and do what she’s doing. “She just does it, she just wants to win. When you get about 10 feet from the wire, she’s trying to put her nose out in front. That’s all class. You can’t teach that, you just have it, or you don’t.” Yo Tillie and driver Todd McCarthy found themselves in third as Walspea, with Yannick Gingras in the sulky, led to the opening quarter in :26.3 while keeping Champagne Problems and driver Dexter Dunn a parked-out second until past that marker. Champagne Problems got the lead on her way to the half in :55.3, then faced a first-over challenge from Yo Tillie as they raced to three-quarters in 1:23.3. Champagne Problems and Yo Tillie matched strides for much of the stretch drive, with Yo Tillie’s race-best :26.3 last quarter proving decisive at the wire. “I know all these horses are getting better, and every horse is good right now,” Harris said. “I respect every horse. The second you don’t respect one of them, they’re going to come up and beat you. They’re all super athletes. “That was the fastest mile of (Yo Tillie’s) life, so she’s not running out of steam, horses are getting better. Kudos to (trainer) Nancy Takter. She’s got Champagne Problems 10 times better than what she was, and she was really impressive tonight. It’s just kudos to the competition she’s racing, and I think it says more about Yo Tillie that she’s actually beating these guys when these guys are all trotting in (1):50.” Yo Tillie has won 16 of 20 career races and increased her earnings to more than $700,000. The daughter of Tactical Landing -Consolidator was bred by GBW Breeding Farms and Black Creek Farm. She is the No. 3-ranked horse in North America in this week’s Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll. “It’s unbelievable,” co-owner Pollock said. “This is what everybody dreams of, having a horse that wins pretty much week after week.” Yo Tillie paid $2.20 as the 1-9 favorite.

East Rutherford, NJ – Apex took full advantage of a pocket trip behind rival Diabolic Hill before lifting in mid-stretch en route to a dominant 1:52.2 score — his fourth in a row in New Jersey — in the $250,000 New Jersey Classic for 2-year-old male trotters on Friday (Sept. 5) at the Meadowlands. Dexter Dunn kept Apex out of trouble on the first turn as both Maga Hill (driven by Yannick Gingras) and Practical Man (Todd McCarthy) broke stride in pursuit of the early lead. Captain Jordan (Tim Tetrick) inherited that lead from the pole nearing the completion of a :29 first quarter before yielding to Apex, who in turn yielded control to Diabolic Hill (Andy McCarthy) upon reaching the backstretch. “We had enough room on the first turn when they both made the breaks to handle it,” said Dunn of Apex, who had floated just behind the front flight in the race’s initial stages. “To the horse’s credit, he handled it like a professional.” After ceding the lead to Diabolic Hill, who was unopposed for the entire middle half, Apex drafted through splits of :56.4 and 1:25.2 before angling off the pegs turning for home. And while McCarthy had to ask Diabolic Hill for his best stretch effort, Apex’s mind was already on business, and the Walner -Mission Brief colt rolled to the lead with 150 yards to go and drew clear handily by 5-3/4 lengths while also shaving a full second off his previous lifetime best. Captain Jordan and Southwind Alamo (Johnathan Ahle) overtook a breaking Diabolic Hill in deep stretch and rallied to finish second and third, respectively. “He felt super tonight; he traveled terrific throughout the mile,” continued Dunn. “When I moved him at the top of the straight, he was doing it easy at the end. He seems to be learning all the time; I couldn’t be more pleased with how he’s progressing.” As the 2-5 favorite, Apex returned $2.80 to win. Marcus Melander trains the four-time winner, who has earned $272,100 for the partnership of Jeffrey Snyder, SRF Stable and Steve Stewart. The $250,000 New Jersey Classic for 3-year-old male trotters proved markedly more eventful: Second choice The Rogue Prince broke behind the gate, 1-2 favorite Onajetplane stalled turning for home after a long first-over grind, and first-place finisher Mountcastle switched to a pacing gait four strides before the winning post, all leading to unofficial runner-up Camera Man being elevated to a 21-1 upset. Jason Bartlett spotted Camera Man in seventh early as 50-1 pacesetter Go Boom (Dunn) controlled early splits of :27.1 and :55.3. As Onajetplane and Andy McCarthy began their first-over ascent out of fifth midway up the backstretch, Mountcastle (Scott Zeron) angled second-over and Bartlett landed Camera Man third-over into a live tow that picked up considerably through the far turn. Onajetplane worked forward steadily to offer mild pressure to Go Boom past three-quarters in 1:23.2 but stalled upon cornering for home, prompting Zeron to slingshot Mountcastle three-deep in the final furlong. But as Mountcastle struck the front and picked up speed nearing the winning post, he switched into a pace, resulting in his demotion to second behind Camera Man, who slipstreamed his bold mid-stretch move and finished two lengths in arrears before being promoted to victory. Go Ahead Makemyday (Gingras) emerged from traffic to save third over an engulfed Go Boom. Onajetplane faded to finish ninth in the 10-horse field. Camera Man, a Six Pack -Cameron Hill colt with five career wins and $201,927 in total purses earned, is trained by Bruce Saunders for Randy Zane. He paid $44 to win, and his race time of 1:51.2 knocked over two seconds off his previous lifetime mark. “We got multiple breaks in there,” admitted Saunders. “We were lucky two times, and you’ve got to be lucky in this game. He got a very good trip tonight. The flow was perfect, and Jason did a great job with him.  “He’s improved each start. He’s a happy horse; we couldn’t be any happier for him. Great owner, great caretaker — that’s what’s necessary to be successful in this game.”