The countdown to the 2017 Pepsi North America Cup is on, with Trot Magazine profiling the horses predicted to be the top contenders for Canadian harness racing's richest prize.

At 12-1, O'Brien Award winner Beyond Delight comes in at #4 in Trot Magazine's 2017 Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book.

A son of 2001 North America Cup winner Bettors Delight, Beyond Delight found his form at just the right time in his rookie season, knocking off Grand Circuit competition for three straight weeks over the summer stakes season at Mohawk Racetrack. He took his mark of 1:51 in his Metro elim, followed that up with a 1:51.3 score in the Metro final and came right back with a 1:52.1 tally in his Champlain division.

Owned by Jeffrey & Michael Snyder of New York, N.Y. and Four Friends Racing Stable LLC of, Moorestown, N.J., Beyond Delight is trained by Tony O'Sullivan. The New Zealand native provided Trot Insider with an update on his sophomore standout.

Where did he winter?

"He was turned out at my farm in Puslinch, Ont."

When did you start back with him?

"The second week in January."

Have you noticed any changes from last year to this year?

"He just filled out...he didn't get a lot taller, he muscled up a lot and he filled out. He's a solid horse, he's got a big chest and a big hind end."

Where are you at with him right now?

"He has been in 2:03."

When will he qualify?

"Toward the end of the April."

What will his early schedule look like leading up to the Pepsi NA Cup?

"The first [Pennsylvania] Sire Stakes is in the early part of May at The Meadows and obviously I'd like to hit that, we may not, but he's got like three PASS before the the Somebeachsomewhere so he'll probably hit one or two of those. And if for some reason he doesn't we'll race him at Mohawk and prep him up here.

What does his tentative schedule look like after the North America Cup?

"He's in lots. He's not in the Jug."

What's his biggest asset/strength?

"He's pretty tough. He loves to chase and he'll give everything he's got. And he's got a good attitude to race, he loves to race. I found that when I raced him five weeks in a row as a two-year-old, he thrived on it. Training for him is OK, but when he gets behind the gate and gets around horses, he's completely different."

At what point last year did you think this horse was North America Cup material?

"Honestly, when he raced in the Nassagaweya. The week before that we raced him at Tioga in the Tompkins Geers and he improved dramatically from previous starts. Even from his first race, he showed a lot more speed than he had shown training -- which I think goes hand-in-hand with Bettors Delights -- but he wasn't ready to put it all together. We took him to the Tompkins Geers the week before the Nassagaweya and he just really stepped up, like a lot. And then he got sure of himself, and was overloaded [and locked in] in the Nassagaweya and then he won the Metro and the Champlain.

"The first few starts, he was very green and all over the place. The guys that drove him all said that he had a big engine, he just had to put it together and he did at the right time."

Any stablemates in the barn right now that are paid up and also looking promising?

"We have Stealth Bomber, who has started his career off pretty well. As long as he keeps progressing he'll be aimed at the NA Cup as well. And Calvin K, who did a pretty good job as a two-year-old, he's also being kept eligible to the NA Cup and progressing well. He filled out quite a lot and so far he's training well."