Driver Scott Zeron and trainer Tony Alagna have been profiled leading up to Saturday’s lucrative Metro Pace at Mohawk Racetrack. The duo will take their shot with the undefeated two-year-old Artspeak, who carries a five-race streak into the $667,000 tilt.
Artspeak, who is the 3-5 morning line favourite, will start from Post 3 in the 10-horse Metro, which has been carded as Race 7 (9:25 p.m. estimated post time) on the stakes-laden program.
Mohawk’s 12-race Saturday card will also feature the $634,000 Canadian Pacing Derby, the $480,000 Shes A Great Lady Stakes, a pair of six-figure divisions of the Simcoe Stakes, and an Open and Preferred. First-race post time for the card is 7:25 p.m.
The Woodbine Entertainment Group asked Zeron asked about Artspeak after his 1:51 elimination victory last weekend, to which Zeron responded by saying the son of Western Ideal is “an absolute freak,” later adding that the colt “showed us right off the bat he’s the real deal.”
An article by the Toronto Sun explains that Artspeak’s trainer, Tony Alagna, was key in getting Zeron to make the jump from the Woodbine Entertainment Group circuit to the Meadowlands Racetrack in New Jersey last fall.
“I just thought he was a kid with a future,” Alagna was quoted as saying. The trainer later went on to add that he had been watching Zeron steer horses on the WEG circuit and liked what he saw.
“Every barn needs a ‘go-to’ guy, and I was impressed with the way he handled pressure,” Alagna said. “I was willing to make a commitment to him.”
The trainer said that Zeron has “a very quiet set of hands, which is what you need on these young horses.”
“I’ve been able to help him and he’s definitely been able to help us,” said Alagna, “so it’s been a relationship where we’ve both been able to grow.”
Zeron acknowledged that he made the move to the Meadowlands – known as the Mecca of Harness Racing – at the right time.
“I moved at a good time,” Zeron said last week. “I was the leading driver at Woodbine, so I tried to carry a little momentum over there. But (Alagna) has been the biggest influence. He played a huge role in me being confident enough to make the move.”
To view the harness racing entries for Saturday at Mohawk, click the following link: Saturday Entries – Mohawk Racetrack.
(With files from the Toronto Sun)