Milton, ON — Big Big Plans made it two in a row on Thursday (July 14) at Woodbine Mohawk Park, winning one of the evening’s two Ontario Sires Stakes Gold events of rookie pacing fillies.

The Robert McIntosh trainee left nicely from post five and led a :27.2 quarter mile before Trevor Henry yielded with her to third as Bankers Luck (He’s Watching) and Starlight Dancer (Artspeak) exchanged turns at the front. Henry angled the All Bets Off filly out entering the stretch and found space on the racetrack to pull clear by a half length over a late-charging Cheesy Smile (Betterthancheddar) and Bob McClure in 1:53.4. Early leader Starlight Dancer finished third with Johnathan Drury in the race bike.

Big Big Plans rallied to victory in her Ontario Sires Stakes Gold event Thursday night at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

“She got a great trip and was able to capitalize on it,” said Henry. “She’s a real nice filly. She’s only been off the farm a few times, but she’s doing well.”

Last week, the filly won from the front, giving her two wins from two different trips.

“It’s great for her,” said Henry. “Last week, I had to move her to the front, and sometimes a young horse, when they do that, they might not respond as well late in the mile. Tonight, she got a nice covered up trip, and when she did get room, she was good.”

McIntosh owns the filly with Mardon Stables and Dave Boyle.

The Gold action kicked off earlier in the evening in race three, with the first of two divisions for rookie trotting colts.

Leaving from post six, odds-on favorite Snowpiercer was driven to the front by Paul MacDonnell, and the Muscle Mass colt led the field through fractions of :28, :57.2 and 1:26. It was the second straight week the John Bax trainee led all the way through three-quarters, and this time he held on for a 2-3/4-length win in 1:56.2. Sylvain Filion drove Dowedealinandwhy to a hard-closing second; Templeton and James MacDonald were third.

“The half went a little quicker, and the horse I thought was second best got back a ways,” said Bax. “Paul got some separation, and it’s just the way it happened. Normally I’d worry about a horse always going to the front, but it doesn’t get him all worked up. Everything is all good so far.”

Snowpiercer is owned by Bax Stable, Bradley Grant, David Anderson and Richard Gutnick. He now has over C$76,000 in earnings for the group.

Gregg McNair trainee Osceola was victorious in the other trotting colt division, bouncing back from a break in stride in his previous Gold start.

McNair’s son Doug settled the Muscle Mass colt into pocket position early, and after Passarino (Lookslikeachpndale) moved past early leader Mass Market around the first turn, McNair promptly sent Osceola past both horses to lead the rest of the way.

“He really hasn’t been a problem all winter,” said Gregg. “We raced him last week, and he made a couple of breaks in the mile, but we changed a few things around, and it ended up working out on him.”

Osceola’s 1:56 mile gave him top honors among rookie trotting colts in Thursday’s OSS Gold action. New Image Media photos.

The colt trotted home in :27.2 to win by 5-3/4 lengths in 1:56, earning C$51,550 for McNair’s fellow owners Willow Oak Ranch and Paul Hawman. Ghostly Casper and Sylvain Filion moved all the way from sixth to finish second while Trevor Henry piloted Mass Market to a third-place finish.

A 12-1 upset capped off the Gold action in race eight, with Momentary Control taking the second division for freshman pacing fillies.

The Control The Moment Colt made her pari-mutuel debut at the Grassroots level on July 5, and finished second. In her Gold debut, she closed strongly in :27 to charge from seventh position at the half-mile marker to win by 2-3/4 lengths in 1:54. Freshen Up was second with James MacDonald in the race bike, and Sylvain Filion piloted Lyons Bettorday to a third-place finish.

Lyons Betterday set a solid opening pace of :27.1 and :57, but Tyler Jones was content to settle his filly off the pace and move as the field rounded the far turn.

“She felt like she could go :27 with them leaving the gate, but I just kind of settled her down and got her back there,” said Jones. “Then, coming off the last turn, she drifted out on her own, and when she hit that open stretch, she was gone. She found her stride and paced amazing. That was an easy :27.”

Jones’ dad, Dustin, trains the filly for Andrea Lea Racing Stables Inc. and Colin McKenna.