Monkey On My Wheel, along with 20 of her three-year-old rivals, will have their game faces on Saturday night when they go behind the gate to contest a trio of Fan Hanover eliminations

at
Mohawk.

The Travis Umphrey filly may be stubborn and have a mind of her own when in the barn, but when she steps out onto the racetrack she is all business.

Her behaviour on the track has banked $257,500 in career earnings with three trips to the winner’s circle and six second-place finishes in 10 lifetime starts.

She has finished second in her last six starts. As a two-year-old, she was beat by a neck by Modern Connection in the $300,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final at Woodbine.

Umphrey, a Guelph resident, remains philosophical about his filly’s seconditis.

“If she can do that all year, she’ll have a pretty good year. We are saving on win pictures I guess,” he laughed. “I’ve just been really happy with the way she’s raced. She has a good late kick coming for home.”

Umphrey believes his pacing miss and driver Rick Zeron will have their work cut out for them in the Fan Hanover elimination.

“We dodged a couple of tough ones with See You At Peelers and Idyllic,” he said. “We do have the Krispy Apple filly to deal with and a few others in our division, but we aren’t in the toughest division, but we’re not in the easiest either.

“She has had a good week and trained really well. She’s had some health issues where she just wasn’t 100 per cent. We’ve got her back to that point and we’re pretty excited going [into the elim].”

The daughter of Mach Three-Legislation is owned by Umphrey and long-time standardbred owner Mac Nichol of Burlington. The conditioner figures the bay will always have a place in their hearts.

“She’s special to Mac,” he said. “He is always calling to see how she is doing. She is special for the reason that he has raised her. He’s mentioned that to me before. She’s been kind of a surprise to both of us.

“I have been fortunate enough to have some nice horses over the years, but never owned a piece of them. To own a piece of her makes her that much more special.”

Monkey On My Wheel will leave from post 2 in tonight’s eleventh race, the second Fan Hanover elimination.

The top three finishers and one fourth-place finisher drawn by lot will advance to the $601,000 final on Saturday, June 18, the same evening as the $1.5 million Pepsi North America Cup.

To view the entries for Saturday's card of harness racing, please click the following link: Saturday Entries - Mohawk Racetrack.

(WEG)