Mystician and Prodigal Seelster each made their 2011 charted debuts Thursday morning during a star-studded qualifying session at Mohawk Racetrack

. The Camluck colts are embarking on their quest for the $1.5 million Pepsi North America Cup.

Earlier this spring, each of the colts were ranked in the top 10 in Trot Magazine's 2011 Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book. The pair joined six others to contest Race 3 Thursday morning. The dash was sent forward under pristine conditions at the Campbellville, Ont. oval.

Having left from Post 4 with pilot Jody Jamieson in tow, the Jeff Gillis-trained Mystician (the 22-1 eighth choice in Trot's Spring Book) was first to the quarter in :29.1. It was in the second quarter when Jamieson yielded to driver Randy Waples, who was at the lines of Prodigal Seelster.

The Dave Menary-trained Prodigal Seelster, the 18-1 sixth Spring Book choice, led the field through middle splits of :57.2 and 1:26.1 before kicking into another gear coming for home. Prodigal Seelster opened up lengths on his foe in the final frame. He came home in 28 seconds; posted a five and three-quarter-length margin of victory over Mystician. Prodigal Seelster threw a win time of 1:54.1 up on the board.

The 2010 season proved to be standout campaigns for each of the colts. Prodigal Seelster banked $479,455 and tallied victories in the Battle of Waterloo, his category of the Ontario Sires Stakes Super Finals and a division of the Nassagaweya Stakes. Mystician pocketed over $808,000 on the season and earned victories in the consolation of the Metro Pace and captured a pair of OSS Gold Series finals.

Afterward, Jamieson revealed that Mystician appears to be fighting something at this point.

"He was just 'okay,'" said Jamieson. "We had him scoped right after by 'Doc' Hennessey and he's showing a lot of mucous today. I knew there was something wrong with him. He wasn't himself today. He didn't charge out of the gate the way he usually does, and he really didn't want much of anything as far as going fast in a race. They'll treat him up and that might just set us back to a 10-day rotation as opposed to a one-week. We'll see what happens and see how he heals up."

After having left hard and taken a pocket trip, Mario Baillargeon steered Windsongs Legacy mare Yursa Hanover kicked off the session in Race 1 by trotting to a three and a quarter-length victory. The five-year-old cut the opening quarter in :28.3 and sat the pocket through splits of :58.3 and 1:29.1. When called on, the career winner of more than $907,000 cruised home in :29.2 for the 1:59 win.

The fourth race saw the Rick Zeron-trained and driven Dillar A Dollar go wire to wire from Post 8 and record a seven and three-quarter-length victory in 1:57.4. The win came over notables Air Stewart and Talespinner, each of which were making their 2011 charted debuts. Air Stewart finished third in the dash and trotted in 2:00.2, while Talespinner broke stride in the lane and finished seventh.

Race 5 was the scene of the 2011 charted debut of three-year-old Rocknroll Hanover filly Pretty Katherine. After having started from Post 4 and sitting third through the fractions (:30.2, :59, 1:27.3), the Casie Coleman-trained Rocknroll Hanover filly got up in the lane for driver Mark MacDonald and went on to post a half-length victory in 1:56.

"She was awesome," MacDonald said afterward. "She felt like her old self. She had a chip in her ankle at the end of last year… something. They had to do a little vet work on her and give her a little time off. She's an amazing filly. I think she could be one of the fastest fillies. She tied a World Record last year with the plugs in her ears. She's special, and if she stays sound… she's filled out nicely. I actually wanted to go a mile in [1:] 58, but she ended up with the plugs in her ears and me see-sawing on her in [1:] 56, so she was pretty impressive.

"She's got one more qualifier next week, you know, wherever she is comfortable in, probably about [1:] 54 or 55 depending on the conditions. I think her first major race is the Fan Hanover (Stakes) here at Mohawk, so watch out for her -- she's a special one, she really is."

With trainer-driver Joe Hudon at his lines, three-year-old Mach Three gelding Mach Wheel wired his rivals in Race 7, as he stopped the clock in 1:53.4. the Dave Menary-trained Life Sign colt Watermelonwine (52-1 in Spring Book) finished three quarters of a length back in second in the mile after having taken a pocket trip for driver Rick Zeron. O'Brien Award winner Idyllic was scheduled to make her 2011 charted debut in the dash, but was scratched.

Another making his three-year-old charted debut during the session was the Dave Lemon-trained Kadabra colt Daylon Magician, who put his best hoof forward in Race 8. After having left from Post 7, the Jack Moiseyev-driven colt went to the top and cut the fractions in :29.2, :59.1 and 1:29.1 before coming home in :28.2 for a seven and a quarter-length win in 1:57.3. The highlight of Daylon Magician's freshman campaign came when he captured his division of the OSS Super Finals in 1:55.3.

Dalhousie Dave put in his second qualifying effort of the 2011 season in Race 9, and the four-year-old son of Astreos did not disappoint trainer Tony O'Sullivan or driver Jody Jamieson. After having left hard and getting covered up during the middle fractions, the career winner of $300,503 paced away from his foes in the lane and went on to record a four-length win in 1:54.2.

Race 10, the final dash of the session, saw three-year-old Mach Three filly Monkey On My Wheel get up and post a one and a half-length victory over three-year-old Modern Art filly Village Janus in 1:57.2 for driver Rick Zeron and trainer Travis Umphrey.

"I was very happy with her," Umphrey said. "She did everything right. She sat in the three hole and they went some slow fractions on the front end. That [was] her first qualifier of the year. We are going to qualify her again next week, so that was about where we wanted to be with her. She came a good last quarter and did it right, so we are very happy with where we are at this point.

"He (Zeron) was very happy with her. We'll just take it day by day with her, but she's right on schedule, and hopefully we're in London with her in two weeks."

For results from Thursday's qualifying session, please click the following link: Thursday Results - Mohawk Racetrack (Qualifiers).

(With quotes from WEG)