Speaker Of Peace was a repeat winner in the Snowshoe Pacing Series to complete a pair of preliminary legs on Friday night (Feb. 2) at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
After narrowly missing in the first leg of the series last Friday behind Speaker Of Peace, Wry capitalized off the hot early speed and powered past his foes in the stretch to open the second leg for driver Doug McNair and trainer Chris Matthews.
Outside longshot leavers Gator Hanover (Austin Sorrie) and Gritty (Jonathan Drury) blasted off the wings of the starting gate in the evening’s first $18,000 series division and landed the top two spots through a :25.3 scorcher, but insider Cabot Beach (Sylvain Filion) looped the pair down the backstretch and reached the half in :55.3. As he raced on to three-quarters in 1:24.1, Call Me It (Phil Hudon) went on the attack first-over from sixth, rushing the leader with 2-5 favourite Wry gapping the cover. Call Me It took over down the lane, but Wry sprinted by that foe to win going away by 3-1/2 lengths in a career-best 1:52.4 mile. Bet The BB (Travis Cullen) edged out Peetie (Tyler Jones) in a show photo.
Matthews also co-owns Wry, a four-year-old Artspeak-Hobe Sound gelding, with Todd Williams, Jeff Bryan and Gary Lyons. The popular pacer, who has finished no worse than second in his first four seasonal starts, paid $2.90 to win. He now has four career victories from 28 outings with earnings approaching $85,000.
The second division featured all three first round winners and while Shreddar broke stride before the race began, trainer Bill McClure’s Speaker Of Peace overcome a post 10 start and caught the favoured Lets Go Jude at the wire for the 1:52.2 triumph in rein to Scott Young.
Racing three-wide to the first turn, 105-1 longshot All Bets Tex (Tyler Moore) forged ahead of 2-5 favourite Lets Go Jude (Doug McNair) and High Voltage Deo (Tyler Borth) as they reached the quarter pole in :26.4. However, Lets Go Jude moved back out for the retake down the backstretch and led the way past the half in :55.3. Meanwhile, Speaker Of Peace advanced after watching the early action from sixth and flushed cover from High Voltage Deo, who confronted the leader aproaching three-quarters in 1:25.1. Lets Go Jude dug in down the stretch, but Speaker Of Peace came flying by late off cover to steal the spotlight with a :26.3 closing kick. He bested Lets Go Jude by a neck while All Bets On Tex finished 1-3/4 lengths behind in third.
Speaker Of Peace returned $10.30 to his backers at the betting windows as the 4-1 second choice. After starting his four-year-old campaign with a second-place finish, the Artspeak-Im All In gelding has won four races in a row. He is now seven-for-27 lifetime with earnings totalling $116,790.
The Snowshoe Series is for three and four-year-old male pacers that were non-winners of two races or $30,000 lifetime as of midnight Oct. 31, 2023.
The $30,000 added final is scheduled for next Friday, Feb. 9.
(Standardbred Canada)
