Click here to watch a replay of Monalishi’s victory in the C$390,000 Peaceful Way final.
Milton, ON — Monalishi, ridden by James MacDonald, raced home in record time to win a thrilling repeat of the C$390,000 Peaceful Way final at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Saturday night.
In the trot for young fillies, Royal Mission (Todd McCarthy) started from the wings to take the early lead, while Margareta Hanover (Yannick Gingras) came over from post 9 to settle in second on the outside, while Champagne Problems (Dexter Dunn) and R Charm (Jody Jamieson) wedged themselves in third and fourth on the inside. Monalishi, who was sent in at 11-1, finished eighth in the 10-horse field after a lively first quarter in :27.1.
A quick move by Dunn put Champagne Problems in the lead, 1:55.3 points ahead of Margareta Hanover. MacDonald patiently kept an eye on Monalishi, who remained in eighth place.
The action continued as R Dutchess called before the home straight, while Champagne Problems prepared for the challenge of Father Patrick’s daughter, as did Lasting Dream (Louis Roy), who gathered pace just before reaching the three-quarter mark in 1:23.3.
Lasting Dream took the lead at the last moment but was unable to hold off Monalishi, who set a course record time of 1:52.2 to open a half-length lead. R Dutchess was third and Champagne Problems fourth.
“She showed a lot of speed from the start and I wanted to let her do what she wanted,” said MacDonald, who was riding the brown mare’s racing bike for the first time. “When we came out of the gate, everyone was racing out and I had to give an acoustic signal, so to speak.”
It would prove to be the perfect game plan.
“I said to Blake (trainer, MacIntosh) she was so easy to ride,” MacDonald said. “She just rode the whole way down the line, easy, and on the turn she was on the reins, but not angry. I said, ‘Maybe we’ll get a piece.’ Every time I asked her, she just gave me a little more and a little more, and then halfway through she really took off. I was pretty confident she could do it.”
MacIntosh, who co-owns the trotter with Tim Klemencic, was delighted with the electrifying performance of MacDonald and the daughter of Green Manalishi S-Pretty Phylly G, who advanced to the final with a second place in her elimination race at Peaceful Way last Saturday.
The second place result on August 17 was a shock for MacIntosh.
“I just wasn’t happy she got beat. I thought she was the best last week. We put her in the lead, but she’s just not that good. She’s better at chasing horses. It just didn’t work out last week.”
This time it worked out perfectly for the filly bred by Shmuel Farhi.
“You always hope (they work out),” MacIntosh said of the $28,000 purchase (Hip #643) at the 2023 Harrisburg Yearling Sale. “But you never know. I can tell you that in the winter we thought we had two better than her. And she’s just developed into a great horse. We’re really happy with her.”
Monalishi, now 4-1-0 from six starts, paid $24.90 for the win.
The Peaceful Way is named after one of the most talented trotting fillies ever bred in Ontario. She earned more than $3.2 million Canadian during her outstanding career and was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2008. A year earlier, shortly after Peaceful Way’s retirement, Woodbine Entertainment announced that it had renamed the Oakville Stakes (a race she won handily during her two-year career) in her honour.
