D A Johnny Cash set a 1:52.3 Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) record for 2-year-old trotting colts while winning the lone $150,000 OSS Gold Leg 5 event on Friday (Oct. 2) at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
It was the first Gold victory of the year for the gelded son of Green Manalishi S out of Mabel Kipp. It was also a career best. The mark bettered the previous OSS record of 1:53 set earlier in the year by division leader Unstable Genius, a three-time Gold champ who did not race in Friday’s fifth and final leg.
Sent off as the 2-5 favourite in the field of seven, D A Johnny Cash, driven by Doug McNair, sat fourth as Three Six Zero (Jody Jamieson) led the group to the :27.4 quarter. McNair had his charge out and on top just before the :56.1 half. D A Johnny Cash cruised from there, defeating Detonater Hanover (Tyler Moore) by 1½ lengths. Three Six Zero was third, followed by Kountry Cantab (Trevor Henry) and Manking (James MacDonald).
The win came a week after D A Johnny Cash finished third in his previous start on Sept. 26 in the $1 million Mohawk Million.
“I just thought as long as [D A Johnny Cash] stays to his business and trots, I didn’t think they could beat him,” McNair told Woodbine broadcaster John Rallis. “He’s a real fast horse. He’s got all kinds of trot. He’s a once-in-a-lifetime horse.”
D A Johnny Cash paid $2.80 to win.
No replay was available at press time.
Bred by Scott McEneny and Domenic Chiaravalle, D A Johnny Cash was purchased by his trainer, Chris Matthews, along with Todd Williams and Jeff Bryan for $50,000 at the 2025 London Classic Yearling Sale.
The trotter is now 3-1-1 in eight starts and has earnings of $250,500.
“Before we qualified, he started showing signs he had some ability, and when I qualified him, I thought, ‘You know, he might make some noise this summer,’” said Matthews. “I didn’t expect to be in the Mohawk Million, but I thought he’d be all right.
“I’m blessed. Hopefully, we’ll just go for a ride and hang on as long as we can with him.”
The win allowed D A Johnny Cash to jump into fourth place in the Gold divisional standings. The top 10 horses are eligible to compete in the $350,000 Super Final on Oct. 10 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
The final top 10 in the 2-year-old trotting colt division is:
- Unstable Genius – 150
- Detonater Hanover – 108
- Three Six Zero – 85
- D A Johnny Cash – 78
- Kountry Cantab – 48
- Grand Manalishi – 29
- Tuff Gong – 16
- Spiritual Guidance – 7
- Arm N Hammer – 3
- Great White North – 3