by Mark McKelvie, WEG Comunications

Toronto, ON — After a short holiday break, the Standardbreds are set to get back to action and start a new racing season Saturday night (Jan. 7) at Woodbine Racetrack. A strong 12-race card will launch the 2017 Woodbine Entertainment Group racing season beginning at 7:30 p.m.

The feature event on the season-opening card is the C$34,000 Preferred Pace, headlined by top older pacers Modern Legend and Nickle Bag. It is carded as third race and James MacDonald will steer Modern Legend from post position four.

Modern Legend, the 2014 Canadian Pacing Derby champion, recently returned to the racetrack after an 18-month layoff. The Dave Drew trainee was able to get one start in before the end of the year and certainly made the most of it with a stunning 1:49.4 victory on Dec. 17.

Now a 9-year-old, Modern Legend will have an opportunity to reach a career milestone in Saturday’s Preferred, as the Drew trainee sits just $C13,675 away from C$1 million in career earnings.

The driver and trainer standings restart from zero on Saturday evening, but Sylvain Filion and Richard Moreau have a good chance to jump back into their usual spots at the top of the leader board.

Filion is listed to drive in all but one of Saturday’s 12 races, while Moreau will send out 10 starters on the card. The dynamic duo will team up six times throughout the night.

Saturday’s season-opening card features all the familiar wagering options, including the $40,000 Pick-5, $50,000 Early Pick-4 and the Jackpot Hi-5, which starts from scratch on the evening’s final race.

Following Saturday’s card, live racing will be held every Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday during the Woodbine Winter meet. Post time each night is 7:30 p.m.

Click here to download a program for Saturday’s card.