by Mark McKelvie, WEG Communications

Milton, ON — A nice buzz was felt around Woodbine, Mohawk Park on Thursday morning (March 22) for the track’s first qualifying session of 2018. A total of eight qualifying races were contested over a fast track with the temperature sitting just above the freezing mark.

Woodbine, Mohawk Park photo

Woodbine, Mohawk Park on Thursday held the track’s first qualifying session of 2018.

The most notable winner on Thursday morning was 7-year-old Preferred trotter Windsun Revenge. The Jeff Durham trainee went coast to coast for a 6-1/2 length victory in 1:56.2. Windsun Revenge was qualifying for the second consecutive week after being off since last September’s Maple Leaf Trot. Paul MacDonell guided the winner of $384,327 to the qualifying score.

The Jeff Durham trainee is a big fan of Mohawk Park, as he scored all four of his victories in 2017 at the Campbellville oval. Windsun Revenge has been made eligible to this year’s Maple Leaf Trot.

Half of Thursday’s eight qualifiers were for 3-year-old competitors.

Sophomore trotting filly Asa Ready To Glide, who competed in a pair of Grand Circuit events last season, won her 2018 debut qualifier in 2:00.1 for Per Henriksen and Ann Karin Larsen. A daughter of Yankee Glide, Asa Ready To Glide won two of five starts as a rookie. She is eligible to several stakes in 2018, including the Elegantimage Stakes.

To view the full results from Thursday’s qualifying session, click here.

The change of season and nearing of the 2018 Woodbine, Mohawk Park racing season will likely mean strong turnouts for qualifiers over the next several weeks. Qualifiers are scheduled to take place each Thursday morning at the Campbellville oval for the next four weeks. The qualifying schedule is tentatively set to increase to two days a week (Mondays and Fridays) beginning April 23.

The opening night of racing at Woodbine, Mohawk Park is scheduled for Thursday (April 12).