Always B Miki youngsters star on Canada’s biggest night of Harness Racing
It was a stunning night of results for Always B Miki’s second crop progeny at Woodbine Mohawk Park yesterday, with his stock sweeping the two richest Canadian races for 2-year-old pacers, the Metro Pace and the Shes A Great Lady Finals.
In the $500,500 Shes A Great Lady Final for 2-year-old pacing fillies, the Chris Ryder trained Niki Hill extended her perfect record to five straight races, with a dominant performance in which she moved to the lead by the half, then fought off the challenge of the previously unbeaten Prohibition Legal to win going away at the line in 1:50 and 2/5ths – matching her season’s fastest score, which is still the equal fastest time by a 2-year-old filly in 2021. Watch the race here.
The winner of all five of her race-day starts, Niki Hill has earned $315,041 in stakes to date.
A $155,000 Lexington Select Yearling Sale purchase, Niki Hill is out of the stakes race placed Bettor’s Delight mare Road Bet, making her a half to the millionaire pacer Cattlewash.
Like Niki Hill, Monte Miki also kept his unbeaten streak intact in the $824,000 Metro Pace Final for 2-year-old pacing colts and geldings.
In what was his stakes race debut, Monte Miki couldn't have been more impressive.
Racing at the back of the field for much of the trip, Monte Miki kicked into overdrive in the final quarter to reel in race leader Wearinmysixshooter, whom seemingly had the race in the bag after pinching a three-length break on the field at the top of the stretch, and storm home to a two and three-quarter length win in a time of 1:52 and 2/5ths. Watch replay.
It was Monte Miki’s fourth win from as many starts, with the prize-money boosting his earnings to $428,100 and making him the richest 2-year-old male pacer in North America this season.
A homebred for Velocity Standardbreds, Monte Miki is out of the durable Camluck mare Montenegro, a winner of $700,000 in stakes over a racing career that spanned seven years.
It was very nearly a trifecta of Grand Circuit events for Always B Miki’s progeny in the past week, with his best performed 3-year-old son, Perfect Sting, going down by a nose in the Little Brown Jug at the famed Delaware County Fair half mile track on Friday.
And although second, Perfect Sting remains the richest 3-year-old pacer in North America this year by a long way, having banked $815,097 in stakes-money – over $250,000 more than his nearest rival.