Valedictory Set To Kick Off

The opening leg of the Valedictory Series has been carded for Saturday evening at Woodbine Mohawk.  A group of 16 three-year-old pacing colts and geldings have been split into two divisions. First post time is 7 :00 p.m.

In the opening 7-horse $17,000 division, Guy Corbeil’s colt Chantee drew post No. 7 and will face a talented field of six rivals. Chantee was a winner last week when he scored on the engine as the even money favorite. He had finished as the runner-up in his first try in the class the week before and found a seam late to claim that place spot after getting shuffled back. This son of Shadow Play is simply the fastest in here and he can control this race by floating out and rolling to the front. He should be tough to beat. Driven by Louis-Philippe Roy, he has now been no worse than second in all seven of his starts on this circuit and has been doing it against tougher rivals than the majority of this field has been facing.

Dean Nixon trainee Royal Tang was motoring in the lane last week but he ran out of racetrack. He paced his back-half in 54.2 with a final quarter in 26.4 and only missed by three quarters of a length at the finish. That was a solid effort and he can be an Exacta factor tonight. This son of Jk Endofanera has hit the board in both of his starts since relocating from Hoosier Park and moving to the barn of Nixon.