'Cup' Eligibles, Stars Qualify At Chester

A handful of three-year-olds eligible to Mohawk Racetrack's $1.5 million Pepsi North America Cup qualified Tuesday, April 19 at Pennsylvania's Chester Racetrack, including

the third overall choice in Trot Magazine's 2011 Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book.

The first race during the track's 14-dash session saw three-year-old Rocknroll Hanover colt Grams Legacy record his first charted mile since the 2010 Woodrow Wilson. Trainer Jimmy Takter recently raved about the colt to Trot Insider, as he stated "This is the fastest pacing colt I’ve ever been around." The colt has been assessed at odds of 30-1 in Trot's Spring Book.

Grams Legacy started from Post 3 with driver Marcus Johansson and was fourth at the :28.4 opening call before going on to trip the half-mile timer in :58.1. From there, the colt opened up lengths before the 1:26.1 third call and fired home in :27.3 to score the three and a quarter-length victory in 1:53.4.

Grams Legacy's victory came over the George Teague, Jr.-trained Feel Like A Fool, the 6-1 third choice in Trot's Spring Book who was also putting in his first charted line of the 2011 season. With Brian Sears in the bike, the Art Major gelding was forwardly placed early and came first up on Grams Legacy in the third panel. The gelding closed with a :26.4 final quarter, ended up finishing second in the dash and was individually timed in 1:54.2.

Race 6 saw another 'Cup' eligible out of the barn of George Teague, Jr. put in a qualifying mile. With a pair of victorious '10 qualifiers under his belt, Dragon Again colt Wink N Atcha (28-1 in Spring Book) was at it again, but unfortunately ran behind and after the starting gate. He ended up pacing his mile in 1:57.1.

Fast-forward to Race 12 and it was another Teague trainee which was showing some flash. With Montrell Teague in the racebike, Dragon Again colt Custard The Dragon (35-1 in Spring Book) went to the top from Post 7, cut all the fractions (:29.4, :58.3, 1:26.4) and fired home in :27 to post a one-length victory in 1:53.4.

The Bruce Saunders-trained Rocknroll Hanover colt Lookinforadventure (28-1 in Spring Book) finished second to Custard The Dragon in the mile, as he closed first up, came just one length short and was individually timed in 1:54.

In terms of aged competitors, the session also saw six-year-old Bettors Delight gelding Bettor Sweet come off a layoff to record an open-length win in 1:51.3 over Delmarvalous for driver John Campbell and trainer Tom Cancelliere.

The queen of the older trotting ranks, Buck I St Pat, also returned during the Chester session, as the $2.1 million career earner trotted a victorious mile in 1:57 for trainer Ron Burke and driver Tim Tetrick.

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