by Ashley Mayotte, WEG communications

Campbellville, ON — Twenty-one 2-year-olds made their first qualifying appearances on Friday morning (June 3) at Mohawk.

It was the Blair Burgess-trained Southwind Warsaw who took the first qualifier. Burgess drove the bay trotter, a son of Chocolatier-Win B, in gate-to-wire fashion through fractions of :33.2, 1:04.2, and 1:33.4, stopping the clock in 2:02.4.

The second qualifier was won by the Mario Macri-trained Boysgotfever by 4-1/4 lengths. With Chris Christoforou in the sulky, the son of Daylon Boy-Cinny Fever got away third and took the lead before the half, pacing home in 2:00.4.

The third and last 2-year-old qualifying session went to the Symon Pryjma-trained and Aaron Byron-driven Grins Little Flirt. The daughter of Grinfromeartoear-Pacific Hurricane was first off the gate and settled for a pocket spot at the half. The filly took the front after the three-quarters and paced home in 2:02.3.

The next 2-year-old qualifying session is scheduled for Saturday, June 11.

Following the 2-year-olds, trainer Tony O’Sullivan qualified a pair of his star 4-year-old mares, Seriously and Maureen Rocks. The mares rejoined O’Sullivan’s barn about six weeks ago after training down in Pinehurst, North Carolina, with Mike Medors.

Both pacers finished second in their qualifying sessions. Seriously paced her own mile in 1:53.4 and Maureen Rocks paced her mile in 1:54. Both efforts pleased the Cambridge resident.

“Maureen was very good and Seriously, she was in a faster mile, but I am very happy with what they went,” O’Sullivan said.

Seriously, a daughter of Rocknroll Hanover-Serious Smile, has a lifetime record of 4-6-7 in 23 starts and boasts a bankroll of $199,431 for owner Emerald Highlands Farm of Mount Vernon, Ohio.

O’Sullivan’s plan is to get her prepared for stakes action in the late summer, early fall.

“She will qualify again, they all will qualify again,” O’Sullivan added. “Seriously, we staked her later. She’s in the Milton and Breeders Crown later, so she will just race in the overnights and hopefully she’ll get better as the year progresses.”

Maureen Rocks, who did not race as a 2-year-old due to a cracked pastern, came back to produce a solid 2010 season with a five race win streak. Owned by Emerald Highlands Farm as well, the daughter of Rocknroll Hanover-Armbro Maureen boasts a record of 5-1-0 in six starts with earnings of $46,100.

O’Sullivan explained that his mare was lightly raced because she had to deal with some additional soundness issues, which put an early end to her 3-year-old year.

“Maureen had a chip in her ankle and that’s why she was scratched her last start,” he said. “So we took that out and gave her lots of time, and now she is 100 percent.”

The bay also remains eligible to the Milton Stakes at Mohawk.

Other qualifying session winners include: Lyons Elite-1:54; Harlequin-1:58.1; Kyle Major-1:52.4; Pursuit Of Dream-1:56.2; and Herbies Lenu-2:00.4.

The next qualifying session at the Campbellville oval is scheduled for Tuesday, June 7.