Over the weekend, Ontario learned the name of the last contestant for the CA$1 Mohawk Million. The last slot owner was determined by the winner of the CA$665,000 William Wellwood Memorial at Woodbine Mohawk Park on the weekend. And now after overcoming competition from International Man, the last spot has gone to Winners Bet.
William Wellwood Memorial is a Standardbred race for two-year-old trotting colts and geldings, and over the last few years, its winner has gained the final entry to the prestigious CA$1,000,000 Mohawk Million. And this year’s running of the event at Woodbine Mohawk Park is scheduled for Saturday, September 24, 2022.
- Mohawk Million is Next
On the weekend, the William Wellwood Memorial saw Tuscan Prince, Dahlquist Hanover, and Oh Look Magic gain an early lead at the opening panel. While Winners Bet with Dexter Dunn in the rein sat at fourth. However, at the three-quarters, both Winners Bet and International Man started to gain momentum and set up a stretch showdown between the Domenico Cecere trainees.
Winners Bet which was on the outside of the oval, however, managed to tire down the determined International Man, and win with a time of 1:54.1. The win was the third straight one for the brown colt, who is owned by Lindy Farm of Connecticut and Robert Rudolph, who started off his career with a third place in a June 30 race, followed by a second finish in a July 22 card.
The William Wellwood Memorial was named after William Wellwood who is one of the most respected and decorated horsemen who participated in the WEG circuit. He was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2001 and passed away two years after that. Previously known as the Campbellville Stakes the race was officially rebranded to William Wellwood Memorial in 2005.
After his big win, the young trotter will have the opportunity to compete for even bigger prize money for his connections in the Mohawk Million. The horse has now obtained an automatic spot, free of cost, for the race. The rest nine slots for the event have been purchased in March this year by horse owners for CA$100,000 each.
It was a great night at the track for Mr. Dunn who drove the horse to victory while also guiding Bulldog Hanover to a 1:48.0 finish in the second Canadian Pacing Derby elimination. After the race, he shared his excitement over the win and said that the horse is still quite young. However, he is pleased with their performance. Winners Bet paid CA$7.20 for Saturday’s victory.
- Last Year’s Winner
Last year’s edition of the CA$1 million Mohawk Million saw Venerable getting crowned as the winner of the prestigious event. The horse was the 4-5 favourite to win and she did not disappoint as he recorded an impressive time of 1:54 2/5 with driver David Miller at the rein. Duly Resolved came in second place, while Valentina Blu got third.
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