On Saturday night at Woodbine Racetrack, two-year-old Casie Coleman pupil Art Colony jumped up and defeated top competition in the eliminations for the $820,000 Governor's Cup -- something which came as no surprise to the O'Brien Award-winning trainer.

"We have been really high on him since day one," Coleman told Trot Insider this afternoon about the $157,000 purchase from the 2003 Lexington Selected Sale. "He's been a dream colt ever since we started training him down. He was ready for the [$1 million Metro Pace], but he got colt-sore and we had to back off with him."

With his schedule having been pushed back slightly, Art Colony had only participated in a maiden and pair of lower-rung freshman contests prior to his Governor's Cup elim. Carrying a three-race win streak into the big test at Woodbine Saturday, the brown Artsplace colt and driver Randy Waples were second at the :27.1 quarter and on top by the :55.2 half. After opening up a few lengths at the top of the lane Art Colony would hang on for a half-length victory in 1:51 -- a new life's best.

Art Colony's victory in the elim came over $350,000 Woodrow Wilson and $1 million Metro Pace winner Major In Art.

Coleman told Trot Insider that the pacer's schedule will be limited for the rest of the year, but that all systems look to be a 'go' for the rich Governor's Cup over the speedy Woodbine oval Saturday.

"He came out of the race super," Coleman said, "so he'll race in the final of the Governor's Cup Saturday and then his next races will be in the Breeders Crown (eliminations November 21 at the Meadowlands Racetrack)."

Coleman said that Art Colony is a big colt and that she expects him to come into himself at three. Thus, the horse will be shut down for the year after the 'Crown.'

To view the charted lines from the Governor's Cup elims, click here.