In the first division, Cast No Shadow improved her record to five for five in 2015 with a sharp 1:52.2 victory.
Driven by Mike Saftic, Cast No Shadow, the 1-5 favorite, sat off the pace early on and would get into the outer flow heading towards the final turn. A fading first up challenger would force Cast No Shadow and her cover to go three-wide, but that wouldn’t faze the public’s choice.
Cast No Shadow would explode off her cover in the stretch and charge by leader Moonlit Dance to prevail by 1-3/4 lengths. High Fashion Mel and Nippy W Hanover finished third and fourth, respectively.
A daughter of Shadow Play, Cast No Shadow paced home in :26.4 to remain undefeated in 2015. She is trained by Des Tackoor for owner Millard Adams and now has $33,380 in career earnings. The clocking of 1:52.2 knocked more than two seconds off Cast No Shadow’s previous career mark. She paid $2.50 to win.
Maplelea, the HPI Series winner, scored her fifth consecutive victory with a 1:56 triumph in the second division.
Sent off as the 1-2 favorite, Maplelea and driver Rick Zeron got away sixth and last in the early stages of the race. Little pace was offered in the second quarter and the field got to the half in just 1:00.1.
Maplelea started up on the outside down the backstretch and was situated second-over coming off the final turn. In the stretch, Maplelea powered by her rivals to score a 1-3/4 length victory. Her individual final quarter was a dazzling :26.1. Doctor Terror finished second, while Beyonces Rockn took third.
A daughter of Sportswriter, Maplelea has now won seven of nine starts this season for owner/trainer Andrew Moore. Her career bankroll now sits at $66,330. Maplelea returned $3 to win.
Both Cast No Shadow and Maplelea will now have a chance at the Blossom Series sweep in next Monday’s C$36,200 final at Mohawk Racetrack.