Canada’s sweetheart So Much More provided yet another thrill for her connections in Friday night’s featured $36,000 Fillies & Mares Preferred Handicap Pace at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
“She’s been a special horse — obviously, the best I’ve ever driven in my life and I’m just really proud of her. She’s been a thrill to sit behind,” said driver James MacDonald after another gusty score from the beloved mare trained by Don Beatson.
With MacDonald back from vacation, So Much More was reunited with her regular reinsman and the duo left from the outside post in a field of nine top distaffers. Caught three-wide into the turn, So Much More forged ahead to take the lead through a :26.3 opening quarter, but rival Huntress was hot on her heels and cleared down the backstretch for Sylvain Filion with Dabarndawgswatchin and Jody Jamieson parked and pressing through the next two panels.
Huntress, the even-money favourite after getting the best of So Much More in their last few match-ups, clocked middle splits of :54.3 and 1:22.4 while fending off Dabarndawgswatchin as they turned for home. But So Much More pounced from the pocket in the stretch and got up in time to collar Huntress at the wire for the 1:50.1 victory. Shes Got It All completed the top three, finishing 2-1/4 lengths behind in rein to Scott Young.
“You know you’re going to get a big effort [from So Much More], but you never know what kind of effort. Sometimes she won’t leave very good, but tonight she just blasted off the gate,” said MacDonald in a post-race interview. “Don had her great again, as he’s done for the last bunch of years, and if she’s close turning for home, you want to have your ‘A’ game to hold her off.
“It’s good to see her get the best of Huntress tonight,” he added. “I know Huntress had her number the last few weeks.”
So Much More returned $7.80 to win as the 5-2 second choice on the toteboard.
With a dozen wins from 32 seasonal starts, So Much More is the top money-earning pacing mare in Canada this year with nearly $340,000 banked in purses. The two-time O’Brien Award winner was named as a finalist for Older Pacing Mare of the Year again earlier this week and her connections are excited for a trip to P.E.I. in February to attend the national awards presented by Standardbred Canada.
A seven-year-old daughter of Big Jim out of Ladysai, So Much More lifted her career win count to 69 and lifetime earnings to $1.56 million for Beatson, who co-owns with his son Kenneth Beatson and grandson Cole England.
Mohawk’s festive feature on Friday was a match race between Santa Claus and The Grinch. For more on the holiday showdown, click here.
(Standardbred Canada)
