“It is a different format, a bit like a poker game. If you want a chair at the table, you put up your money and see what happens.”

Standardbred owner Brad Grant may not have had a direct stake in Venerate, winner of the inaugural Mohawk Million last September, but his six-figure buy-in for the starting slot which Venerate ultimately occupied undoubtedly proved to yield a favourable investment.

Grant, along with eight others, ponied up $100,000 (U.S.) last February for the rights to a spot on the starting gate in the Mohawk Million, a brand new race for two-year-old trotters contested at Mohawk Park. Unlike most races, which require specific horses to be nominated, the “buy-in” model allowed for slot owners to declare a horse of their own, sell the slot to other connections, or broker a deal with outside connections — as Grant did with Venerate’s group.

“I reached out to the people with Venerate, and this was before he won the Kentucky Sire Stakes final at The Red Mile in Lexington (Ky.),” Grant, who purchased one of the nine spots in the Million in hopes of having a top rookie trotter, told the Hamilton (Ont.) Spectator. “I believed he was the best colt out there, and we came to an agreement about the spot.”

Venerate, whom Andy McCarthy drove for trainer Julie Miller and the ownership group of the Pinske Stables and Andy Miller Stable Inc., won the Million — and the winner’s share of the $1 million (U.S.) purse — in 1:53.2. And, results aside, Grant feels the Million is sure to build even more momentum in its second renewal — not just for itself, but for the other kingpin in Canadian rookie trotting events: the William Wellwood Memorial, the winner of which gains the tenth and final spot in the Million at no cost.

“It is not inexpensive, but I’m sure it led more people to try to race in the Wellwood in the hope of getting a free spot into the Million,” Grant said.

Declarations for slots in the 2021 Mohawk Million — selling at $100,000 (Canadian) — close Monday (Feb. 15), and it’s likely that the interest will turn out to be the same — or greater — than the race’s successful inaugural run.

“It worked out great for me because he won,” Grant said. “But regardless, it was a great format, a great event, and I see no reason why it will not be so again.”