Big League Barry tops opening leg of Mohawk Series
April 24, 2004,Jeff Renton, media/communications, the Woodbine Entertainment Group
Campbellville, April 23, 2004. Showing again that he likes it on the lead, Big League Barry tossed in another solid mile Friday night, this time during the C$25,000 opening leg of the Mohawk Series for three-year-old pacing colts and geldings. Going to the point early and staying there for good, the son of Cambest stopped the clock in 1:51.1, shaving two-fifths of a second off of his life’s mark in the process.
Co-owning driver Mario Baillargeon got Big League Barry out of the gate well from the two-hole, as both Santa Fe Hall and Ponder also left hard from the five and eight-hole respectively. Driver Randy Waples worked Duca into second as Baillargeon and Big League Barry passed the opening quarter-mile in :26.3.
With Blissed Out still sitting third, the top three remained unchanged as Big League Barry marched to the halfway point in :55.1. In the final turn, Ponder, the 2-1 favourite, made the first-over sacrifice from fourth and was parked-out in second by 1¼-lengths as Big League Barry reached the third call in 1:23.1.
Pacing home in a 28-second final quarter-mile, Big League Barry ($9.60, $4.90, $3.40) did it easily in the stretch, finishing 2¾-lengths ahead of Duca ($3.80, $3.00), who remained on the cones for the duration of his pocket ride. Ponder ($2.90) finished third, 3¾-lengths back.
The exactor returned $29.20, while the triactor paid $87.00.
Winfromheretohere and Dream Possession picked up the final two cheques.
“Last week we scoped him and he didn’t scope really well; he was three out of five,” Baillargeon said of Big League Barry, who he co-owns with his brother Ben (who does the training) and Schomberg, Ontario’s Whitesand Valley Stables. “We cleaned him up a bit this week. He had his way a little bit up front tonight. He seems to like the front, but he’s going to have to learn to race in a hole too.”
When asked if he has the versatility to race in a hole if the situation arose, Baillargeon did not pull any punches with his response.
“Well, not right now, but he’ll have to,” Baillargeon said of Big League Barry, who is eligible to the Burlington Stakes, which are scheduled for June 5 at Mohawk. “He has got a big Stakes schedule ahead of him and you don’t only win on the front-end, especially with the three-year-old calibre.
“Tonight he won more easily than when he won in [1]:51.3. I didn’t have to get after him too much. He was really comfortable tonight and really relaxed. He seems to relax a lot on the front-end, but like I said before, he’s going to have to race out of a hole too.”
Out of the Abercrombie mare Crew Angel, Big League Barry banked $3,750 as a two-year-old after a pair of starts yielded a second-place finish. Now in eight starts this year, Big League Barry – who was bred by Ocala, Florida’s Mae Jean Allen – has a record of 4-0-2.
The Mohawk Series continues next Friday, April 30 with the C$25,000 second leg.
The C$87,000 (estimated) final is scheduled for May 7.
- Rogue Hall impressive in Mohawk Series (Saturday, May 01, 2004)
Rogue Hall and driver Paul MacDonell circled the field and scored in the C$25,000 second leg of the Mohawk Series on Friday evening.