Milton, ON – Better late than never, Woodbine Mohawk Park played host to the Wine & Roses and Family Day Trotting Series finals on Monday (March 22) night.

Originally scheduled for February 15, the winter series were pushed back to March due to the province-wide lockdown. Both finals featured a pair of preliminary legs ahead of Monday’s added money finals.

Sheswildnfree scored the victory in the Wine & Roses Trotting Series on Monday at Woodbine Mohawk Park. New Image Media photo. 

Sheswildnfree rebounded from a miscue in leg two to score a decisive 4-1/4-length victory in the C$34,400 Wine & Roses Trotting Series final. Sylvain Filion guided the Ben Baillargeon trained four-year-old to the 1:54.2 score.

Sent off as the 2/5 favourite, Sheswildnfree flashed early speed along with next door rival Impulse Buy, clearing to command just after a :27.3 opening-quarter. The Baillargeon trainee put the race to bed from there, posting middle-half splits of :57.1 and 1:25.4 before scooting away in the lane for her fourth win in five starts this season.

Impulse Buy never relinquished second, while Charlotte Chaplin edged Hp Starlette for third.

A homebred for Tom & Elizabeth Rankin, Sheswildnfree is a daughter of Muscle Mass with now six wins and C$77,158 to her name. The clocking of 1:54.2 is a new career-best.

Sheswildnfree returned C$2.90 to win.

Rjs Invictus capitalized off a perfect second-over steer from driver Bob McClure to win the C$35,800 Family Day Trotting Series final at odds of 8-1. The Ray Lowery trainee finished sixth in the first leg and second in last week’s second leg.

Rjs Invictus scored the 8-1 upset in the C$38,500 Family Day Trotting Series final on Monday evening. New Image Media photo.

After an early scramble for the top, Franks Angel led the field through middle-half panels of :57.1 and 1:25.4. Meadowbranch Noble came first-up to attack the leader and was on even-terms at the third-marker, while Rjs Invictus and McClure were latched onto that cover ready to pounce.

Rjs Invictus claimed the lead with an eighth of a mile to go, but had to fight off a hard-closing Toccoa Falls, who was the 2-1 favorite and closing from seventh turning for home. Rjs Invictus held off the rival by a neck to win in a career-best 1:54.1.

Charmbo Prince, who was looking for the series sweep, started from the second-tier and grabbed third after racing sixth throughout. Meadowbranch Nobel settled for fourth.

A four-year-old gelding, Rjs Invictus was winless in three starts this season prior to Monday evening. The son of Windsong Espoir now has three wins and $50,899 in career earnings for owner/breeder Russell Lowery.

A C$2 win ticket on Rjs Invictus returned C$19.20.

The Wine & Roses and Family Day were open to three and four-year-old trotters, non-winners of C$60,000 lifetime as of October 31, 2020.

Winter series final action continues later this week with the C$40,600 Snowshoe and C$40,400 Blizzard finals scheduled for Friday (March 26).