Monalishi brushed off a break in her previous start with a platinum performance in the C$300,000 Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) Gold Super Final for 3-year-old filly trotters on Saturday night (Oct. 11) at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
The bay daughter of Green Manalishi S-Pretty Phylly G came into her championship appointment off an early miscue that resulted in a disappointing distanced finish as the 3-5 choice in her OSS Gold Series engagement on Sept. 30.
On Saturday night, she was simply flawless.
Exquisite Taste blasted off the wings from post six and swept to the front as Foxy Amee and Bright Green settled into second and third, respectively, into the first turn. James MacDonald, at the controls of Monalishi, crossed over from post nine and eventually found a seat in fifth through an opening panel in 26 2/5.
It was Exquisite Taste still controlling the tempo after a half in 55 2/5, as MacDonald played a patient hand, content to keep his charge in fifth, while 1-2 tote board choice Stormont Beautiful, who had been eighth, stepped to the outer flow and looked to gain ground on the leaders heading into the turn for home.
Exquisite Taste, on top by 1 3/4 lengths though three quarters in 1:24, looked to fend off her pursuers as the pace picked up. Fifth in early stretch, Monalishi began to pick off her rivals, but a revved-up Stormont Beautiful was roused by Bob McClure and loomed a major threat for all the spoils.
With 50 yards to go, Monalishi finally wore down a game Exquisite Taste and then fended off a final surge from Stormont Beautiful to better that rival by three-quarters of a length. Exquisite Taste held for third, while Sprite Seelster took fourth.
The final time of 1:52 1/5 was just a fifth of a second off the OSS record and produced a new speed badge for the brown filly.
"Last week in post parade, I didn't love how she felt," said MacDonald. "She tried to back herself off the gate, which wasn't like her and when I asked her then she made a miscue. Tonight, I was jogging her around and she felt like a million bucks. [Trainer] Blake [MacIntosh] and his team and [caretaker] Mike [Rivet] did an amazing job on her because she was a different horse tonight. She felt great and I was able to do whatever I wanted and, luckily, it worked out.
"Honestly, I loved where I was. I know they had raced hard up front, so I figured they would be getting a little tired and my horse usually kicks off cover like a freight train."
Tim Klemencic, who co-owns the sophomore trotter with MacIntosh, was thrilled to see Monalishi stay flat after a flat performance last time out.
"We had big hopes for this year, but we've had horses for a long time and you take the good with the bad and when we're racing good, everything is good," said Klemencic. "It was a tough summer knowing that we had a good filly, but she was stuck in a stall for a while. Even a couple of times we thought we had her good, then she made uncharacteristic breaks, but right now we think she's good. The time off hopefully helped her and we'll see what will happen the next few weeks."
A $28,000 purchase out of the 2023 Standardbred Horse Sales Company's yearling sale in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Monalishi went 6-2-0 from 10 starts in her rookie campaign with purse earnings of C$562,811.
Her first two starts were in qualifying sessions at Woodbine Mohawk Park, the second a 2:00 mile punctuated by a 10-length, head-turning effort. Monalishi made a miscue in her first career start after hitting the gate and finished distanced but then reeled off three straight scores.
Her top triumph, by purse, was a half-length win in the C$390,000 Peaceful Way last August at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
With Saturday’s win, Monalishi now sports a 10-4-0 mark from 18 starts, along with over C$880,000 in career purse earnings.
Bred by Shmuel Farhi, of London, Ontario, Monalishi paid $14.10 for the victory.
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Heavy favorite P L Spencer and driver Bob McClure turned in a dominating effort Saturday evening (Oct. 11), comfortably winning the Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) Gold Super Final for sophomore trotting colts and geldings.
Leading gate to wire, the sophomore trotter picked up his 10th seasonal win with a 1:52 4/5 performance.
"There were a lot of nice colts in there," McClure told Woodbine broadcaster John Rallis. "We got lucky and got there fairly easy. He's pretty chill once he gets to the front and there was no pressure put on us...you know, he's a tough colt to out-sprint when he gets fractions."
Drawing post eight in the night's eighth race, McClure and P L Spencer fired off the gate along with Galen Erso and Doug McNair to their inside. The 3-5 favorite reached the pylons shortly before the quarter station (27 2/5) and proceeded to set the tempo with fractions of 57 2/5 and 1:26. LMC Wagon Wheel, steered by Tyler Borth, pulled from fifth on the backside and advanced to challenge pocket sitter Galen Erso. The result, however, was never in doubt for the front-stepping Stephen Bossence trainee. P L Spencer sprinted away from the field on the strength of a 26 4/5 final panel and handily trotted to the wire 2 1/2 lengths in front. Galen Erso held on for second while Day out-finished LMC Wagon Wheel for third.
"This colt, coming in, he was just so sharp. I said to Steve, 'I've never seen a transition in colt maturity, like mental maturity, in a season like this guy was,'" said McClure. "After his first start, he wasn't that nice to drive - he was hot and he towed you around and put you in some spots where you didn't want to be, but as the year progressed he's just been an absolute pro and one that I'm actually really looking forward to racing as an open horse."
The Resolve-P L Indyanaca gelding is owned by the partnership of Bossence, Richard Thompson, Derek Reid and E C S Racing LLC. Bred by Prince Lee Acres, the trotter sold for C$40,000 at the 2023 London Classic Yearling Sale. A winner in one of four starts as a freshman, P L Spencer has returned at 3 to produce a sensational sophomore campaign. Over 16 attempts the gelding finished first or second on 14 occasions. Saturday's victory was the fourth straight and pushed his seasonal earnings to C$528,081.
"Last year, we had to quit with him," Bossence said. "He had a quarter crack and it was bothering him, so I finally just pulled the plug and we sent him to Kentucky. He came back and he was always kind of racey, like on his toes a bit, but [McClure] made a horse out of him. He said, 'I'm going to make a horse out of you.' And he did. Without him, we probably wouldn't be standing here. He really did a good, good job. He does that...if you watch him close with these young horses, he's like watching Steve Condren from back in my day."
Bossence revealed after the Gold Final win that P L Spencer had been sold, only to have the deal nixed this week. Now the connections will bring him back to campaign as a 4-year-old in 2026.
"We'll bring him back as an aged horse. Not to jinx him, but [he] was sold last week after the race, but they didn't like the way his x-rays looked, so they passed on him. I guess he's ours for next year now."
--press release (Ontario Sires Stakes)--