Spokesman speaks in qua.

Eight dashes comprised the Tuesday morning qualifying session from Mohawk, which saw N.A. Cup eligibles and Ontario Sire Stakes Gold horses take to the track.

Spokesman, a 3-year-old son of Camluck, put in a wire-to-wire performance with Steve Condren in the bike. The Dr. Paul Gatfield-owned, Murray Preszcator-trained colt left from post three in the eight-horse field, recorded the fractions in :30.1, 1:00 and 1:28.1, and kicked home with a :27.4 final panel to notch a 1½-length score in 1:56.

Spokesman made 14 starts at two, amassing a record of 3-6-1 and banking in excess of $244,000(C). The brown colt consistently finished on the board during OSS Gold events, scoring in multiple Elims, but failing to reach the winner’s circle after a final.

The biggest victory in Spokesman’s freshman campaign came in an elimination of the Battle of Waterloo, where he paced off to a 4½-length victory in 1:57.3 in front of the Grand River crowd. On Aug. 13 at Flamboro, he lowered his mark to 1:56.1 after closing wide over the half-mile oval and drew off 3¼ lengths the best.

Arguably, Spokesman’s best performance came in an elimination of the Metro Pace at Mohawk, where he closed from well off the tempo to finish three-quarters of a length in arrears to Palone Ranger in a 1:52.1 mile.

Oaklea Opal put in her first charted line of the season in the morning’s sixth qualifier, but was just caught late by 3-year-old filly Exquisite Way, a Dave Tingley and Barbara Myers-owned Angus Hall lass who was also out for the first time this year.

Conditioned by Duane Marfisi for Alan Alber and Allan Carr, Oaklea Opal triumphed in a division of the Champlain Stakes at Mohawk last year and also captured a division of the Oakville Stakes. She’s shown a knack for the front end and she was on it again, carving the fractions in :31.1, 1:00.4 and 1:29.4 before getting beat by a head in the 2:00 mile.

Other victorious horses on Tuesday morning included the 6-year-old Artsplace gelding Artiologist (1:56.1); the 4-year-old Tagliabue horse Spanish River (1:58.4); the 5-year-old Artsplace mare Noble Sami (1:57.1); and the 3-year-old CR Renegade colt CR Sky Flier (2:01.2).

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