Saturday night’s stakes-filled card at Woodbine Mohawk Park was all about setting the table for the richest night in Canadian racing next Saturday, Sept. 21.

The eliminations for the Metro Pace, Canadian Trotting Classic, Shes A Great Lady Stakes and Elegantimage Stakes all took place on Saturday, Sept. 14 at Mohawk.

Metro Pace Eliminations

Captain Optimistic and Fallout earned victories in their respective eliminations ahead of next Saturday’s $1 million Metro Pace for two-year-olds.

A pair of $40,000 eliminations were contested, with the top five finishers from each advancing.

Captain Optimistic was the final horse to the lead after an opening-half, front-end shuffle and never looked back for a 1:50.2 score.

Driven by Yannick Gingras for trainer Nancy Takter, Captain Optimistic got away fourth and was quickly moving in the second quarter, overtaking Papis Pistol (Andy Miller) to hit the half in :56. After pacing a comfortable :28 third quarter, Captain Optimistic faced a challenge from Prince Hal Hanover (Todd McCarthy) down the lane, turning that rival aside with a :26.2 kicker to secure the victory by a length and a half. Prince Hal Hanover, Papis Pistol, Strangerinthenight (David Miller) and Blue Onyx (Doug McNair) completed the top five.

“They weren’t going much and that made my decision there,” said Gingras about moving Captain Optimistic to the lead. “He is so much better off a helmet. The first couple times I raced him off a helmet, he just exploded home. I personally like him that way, but in this situation it’s so important to win the elimination. Now you’re guaranteed posts two through six…I value it a lot.”

A son of Captaintreacherous and Cinamony, Captain Optimistic is now five-for-six in his rookie season and has earned more than $160,000 for owners 3 Brothers Stables, Marvin Katz and Caviart Farms.

Captain Optimistic paid $2.90 to win.

Fallout sat a perfect two-hole trip and came up the inside in the lane to draw away for a stunning 1:49.3 victory in the second elimination.

Driven by Tim Tetrick, Fallout left quickly from post two and got right behind the heavy favourite, Swingtown (Chris Page), who was a charged-up leader at the quarter in :26.4. The leader was able to back things down for a :28.4 second split before a :27.2 third quarter. Watching patiently from the two-hole, Fallout rocketed up the inside and pulled away strongly for the sub-1:50 score. Banderas (James MacDonald) finished second over Swingtown while TH Kay C Crunch (Jody Jamieson) was fourth and Brigade (Tyler Borth) fifth to make the final.

“I’ve loved him right along,” said Tetrick of Fallout. “He’s raced good every time, he’s just got caught in a couple world record miles and today he got a really good spot and he performed great.

“My whole intention was not to even pull him and just follow [Swingtown] around there and try to have him raging for the final. I looked up and I had more go than he did and the rail opened up and he shot right through easy.”

Trained by Tony Alagna, Fallout is now two-for-seven with $90,000-plus earned for owners Robert Leblanc, Pryde Stables and Caviart Farms. The son of Captaintreacherous-Aria Hanover will be the leader of four horses for Alagna in next Saturday’s final.

Fallout paid $17.50 to win.

The post positions for the Metro Pace, Mohawk Million and Canadian Trotting Classic will be drawn on Monday evening at 6:15 p.m. on the Woodbine simulcast show.

Canadian Trotting Classic Eliminations

Decisive chalks cashed in the two $40,000 Canadian Trotting Classic eliminations, with 2-5 choice Highland Kismet and 1-5 choice Sir Pinocchio delivering on their pari-mutuel promises.

Highland Kismet took control out of post eight and trotted strongly through to a 1:51.1 win in the first Canadian Trotting Classic elimination. 

The winning time was a new track and Canadian record for a three-year-old trotting gelding, knocking two-fifths of a second off the record Highland Kismet set in his Simcoe Stakes score last time out on Aug. 31.

Leaving from the outside post, driver Bob McClure steadily sent Highland Kismet forward and grabbed the lead from Security Protected (Scott Zeron) past a :27.3 first quarter. He rolled up the backstretch and registered a :55.4 half coasting.

“I’m embarrassed to admit – I thought I got the front and shut down a 30-second quarter,” McClure said after the race. “I really did. He’s so big and strong [that] he doesn’t feel like he’s going that fast.”

Highland Kismet clicked past three-quarters in 1:24 and held his ground through the lane as Security Protected tried a late challenge to the inside but finished second best, beaten a length. Amazing Catch (Dexter Dunn) finished third another four lengths behind with Gruesome Twosome (Daryl Bontrager) and Private Access (Louis-Philippe Roy) earning the remaining spots into the final.

“Even as good as he is, you don’t know how much you have left and I didn’t even ask him,” said McClure. “He just took off. Kicked home, trotted through the wire and didn’t want to pull up.”

Mark Etsell trains Highland Kismet, a homebred Father Patrick-Highland Hill Top gelding for Highland Thoroughbred Farm. He earned his seventh win from 11 starts and sent his bankroll over the $600,000 mark. 

Highland Kismet paid $2.90 to win.

Sir Pinocchio led nearly every step of the second Canadian Trotting Classic elimination to stop the clock in 1:52.2.

Driver Jason Bartlett planted Sir Pinocchio onto the point moving to a :28 first quarter and received plenty of respect on the front with no challengers looming to a :57.3 half. Though off that dawdle, Flying Kronos S (Ake Svanstedt) pulled first-over from third to try and challenge, but Sir Pinocchio promptly responded and opened ground to three-quarters in 1:25.1. He built a wide lead into the stretch that dwindled as Paquet (Jody Jamieson) powered from a second-over trip into contention late. Sir Pinocchio re-engaged as Paquet drew closer to the finish and kept a one-length advantage over the line. Flying Kronos S held third from Caballero (James MacDonald) in fourth and Myretirementdream (Scott Young) finished fifth.

“When he gets out there by himself, he gets looking around and not really paying attention,” said Bartlett after the race. “I knew we were pretty good off the last turn. When we drew off, I know what he does – he gets running out, waiting for horses. We’ve always known he’s a really good horse. He has a lot of speed and we’re always forced to put him on the front, but he’s way better off a helmet.”

Ed Hart trains Sir Pinocchio, a homebred Mets Hall-Lady Cromwell gelding for owner Carolyn Atherton. He won for the ninth time in 14 starts this season and added to his career bankroll now worth $791,060.

Sir Pinocchio paid $2.70 to win.

Shes A Great Lady Stakes Eliminations

Chantilly and Cant See Me both delivered as short prices in their respective $35,000 eliminations for the Shes A Great Lady Stakes.

In the first elimination, Cant See Me popped pocket to score as the 8-5 second choice in a 1:51.3 mile.

Driver Bob McClure settled for a seat behind the revved up favourite, My Sweet Lily (Yannick Gingras), who muscled through a clip of :27.2, :56.4 and 1:25.1 before evening into the stretch. McClure gave Cant See Me racetrack in the lane and kicked clear to a 1-1/2-length win over Cowgirl Hanover (Doug McNair) while My Sweet Lily held third from Treacheryinthedark (Andrew McCarthy). Papis Opinion (Dexter Dunn) rounded the top five.

“She ended up being a little sick [in the Whenuwishuponastar in August]. That was a minor hiccup [and] she’s been perfect ever since,” said McClure of last week's Champlain Stakes winner. “I don’t think there’s any downside trip to her. She’s just a very smart, professional filly and getting stronger every week, too.”

Shawn Steacy trains Cant See Me, a daughter of Captaintreacherous out of Unseen, for owner Hudson Standardbred Stable Inc. She earned her fourth win from six starts and has now banked $123,811.

Cant See Me paid $5.20 to win.

Chantilly extended her undefeated streak to six wins with a wrapped-up 1:50.4 score as the 1-5 choice in the second elimination.

Away third to a :27.1 first quarter, driver James MacDonald let Chantilly roll to the top moving up the backside and crossed to command before a :55.3 half. She had the race locked from there, clocking three-quarters in 1:24 and hitting the accelerator in the lane until MacDonald shut her down in the last eighth. The Last Martini (Doug McNair) rallied to finish second, beaten a length, while Lily White Hanover (Todd McCarthy), Nice Buns (Dexter Dunn) and Tall Dark Lady (Yannick Gingras) earned the remaining spots to the final.

“I never try to stretch them out too much training, but she did everything so easy,” said trainer Nick Gallucci after the race. “She hurt herself a little bit in the field, so she was always a little bit behind the group. But anytime you asked her, she caught back up and [she] continues to improve.

“I’ve never had one get this good this early, maybe this good ever,” added Gallucci. “We’ll just hold our breath and hopefully she continues.”

A homebred daughter of Big Jim out of Shiraz Seelster for Millar Farms, Chantilly has now earned $275,000.

She paid $2.10 to win.

The post positions for next Saturday’s $532,000 Shes A Great Lady final were drawn on Saturday night and are listed below.

1. Papis Opinion
​2. Chantilly
​3. Tall Dark Lady
​4. My Sweet Lily
​5. Cant See Me
​6. Lily White Hanover
​7 Nice Buns
​8. The Last Martini
​9. Treacheryinthedark
​10. Cowgirl Hanover
​AE. Millie May Hanover

Elegantimage Stakes Eliminations 

Trainer Luc Blais, driver Louis-Philippe Roy and Serge Godin’s Determination swept the pair of $35,000 Elegantimage Stakes eliminations with Drawn Impression and Emoji Hanover.

Determination’s homebred Drawn Impression survived a :26.3 stretch sprint against pocket-sitter R Melina to win the first elimination in 1:52.2.

Roy floated to the lead with Drawn Impression after a :28.1 first quarter and kept the tempo steady through middle splits of :57.1 and 1:25.4. As she drifted from the pylons spinning for home, R Melina (Todd McCarthy) mounted a challenge off the slow fractions. Drawn Impression refused to relinquish the lead under increasing pressure from R Melina and kept a head in front to the finish while French Champagne (Dexter Dunn), Cold Snaps (Jody Jamieson) and Sambuca Hanover (David Miller) secured the remaining berths.

Roy said of the stretch drive, “She’s geared so that she doesn’t run in on the turn. So most of the horses here, when they get out of the turn, they start drifting out a little bit. We were just trotting the last three-sixteenths; they were really, really trotting. It was just a sprint.”

A daughter of Muscle Hill out of the multiple Grand Circuit stakes-winning mare Emoticon Hanover, Drawn Impression has now won seven times from 13 starts and earned $525,344.

She paid $3.40 to win.

Emoji Hanover pounced past tired leaders and coasted to a 1:52.3 victory in the second elimination.

Watching from fourth as R Liza (Jody Jamieson) fought for the top to a :27.2 first quarter, Roy stuck to his position through a :56.4 half but sprung into action midway through the final turn as Winning Alliance (Todd Ratchford) lost ground ahead of her. Once in gear, Emoji Hanover cruised through three-quarters in 1:24.4 and slid to the lead in mid-stretch under no encouragement. She pulled away to a 1-3/4-length win over Tactical Strike (Sylvain Filion) with R Liza holding third from Winning Alliance in fourth. Cool Ma Belle (Bob McClure), the 3-5 favourite, earned the last spot into the final despite breaking into the stretch, finishing fifth.

“I was pretty confident in mine to be fast enough to cover the ground we were gapping,” said Roy. “The main part was being careful leaving the gate, and after that, the filly did the job by herself.”

Winning for the fifth time from 14 starts, the daughter of Greenshoe out of Emmylou Who has now earned $212,998.

Emoji Hanover paid $8.60 to win.

The post positions for next Saturday’s $347,000 Elegantimage final were drawn on Saturday and the field is listed below.

1. Cold Snaps
​2. Tactical Strike
​3. Sambuca Hanover
​4. Drawn Impression
​5. Winning Alliance
​6. Emoji Hanover
​7. Cool Ma Belle
​8. French Champagne
​9. R Melina
​10. R Liza
​AE. Tandem Hanover

To view Saturday's harness racing results, click the following link: Saturday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.

(With files from Woodbine; Photos, clockwise from top left, of elimination winners Highland Kismet, Fallout, Chantilly and Drawn Impression)