Calicojack Hanover pocketed the loot in the $247,500 Charles Juravinski Memorial Cup for four-year-old pacers, Canada's first-ever graded stakes race, with Louis-Philippe Roy aboard for trainer Luc Blais on Sunday, May 18 at Flamboro Downs.

Formerly known as the Confederation Cup, the Grand Circuit stakes was renamed in 2022 to honour the late Charles Juravinski, the track’s co-founder and Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee. Flamboro's signature race is a Grade 2 stakes and is the first graded stakes event to be held in Canadian harness racing under the new North American grading system introduced this year.

Calicojack Hanover posted back-to-back 1:50.2 career-best victories at Flamboro, upsetting as the longest shot on the board in his elimination a week ago and returning to top the nine finalists as the heavily backed 6-5 favourite during the Victoria Day weekend.

Leaving from post four, Roy had Calicojack Hanover in the mix through a contested :26.3 opening panel, clearing Lous World (Bob McClure) into the backstretch before Howlenthehills (Travis Cullen) took over at the quarter pole.

Calicojack Hanover continued to follow Howlenthehills in the pocket through a half in :54.3 and three-quarters in 1:22.4 while an early first-over move by Storm Shadow (Tyler Borth) with not enough progress prompted the other elimination upsetter, Captain Fear Not (Jody Jamieson), to go three-wide down the backside the final time.  

Still clear on top, Howlenthehills looked poised for victory with a three-across battle for second-place brewing behind him. But as the outer flow began to diminish around the final turn, Calicojack Hanover set sail out of the pocket and wore down Howlenthehills through the stretch, with Lous World shooting through inside that pair to take third. Captain Fear Not finished back in fourth while early trailer and 31-1 longshot Timeisonmyside (James MacDonald) was fifth and survived a judges inquiry after being forced inside two pylons by a tiring Storm Shadow.

A $2 win ticket on Calicojack Hanover paid $4.40.

With his seventh and biggest career win from 24 starts, the Captaintreacherous-Charisma Hanover stallion boosted his bankroll to $334,931 for owner Determination of Montreal, Que.

Roy also won the mares companion event, the $50,000 Margaret Juravinski Memorial Invitational Pace, with the Ian Moore-trained Odds On Platinum.

The popular Moore trainee pocketed outside leaver Grit N Grace (Jamieson) while 7-2 second choice Blue Pacific (Doug McNair) broke stride behind that pair through a :27.1 opening quarter. Odds On Platinum led the rest of the way through middle splits of :56.1 and 1:25.1 to score in 1:53 flat, with 33-1 Grit N Grace chasing 1-1/4 lengths behind and 51-1 longshot One More Bet (J.R. Plante) following four lengths back in third.

After a pair of top three finishes while facing Preferred distaffers in her first two starts of the season at Woodbine Mohawk Park, the Ontario Sires Stakes graduate was sent postward as the 1-5 odds-on favourite and paid $2.60 to win. The millionaire daughter of Bettors Delight out of former world champion American Jewel is owned by Let It Ride Stables and Odds On Racing.

The Juravinski undercard included three $25,000 Ontario Sires Stakes divisions to launch the 2025 Grassroots Series with three-year-old trotting colts and geldings in the spotlight.

Sent postward as the 1-9 bettors' choice, Manforce (Muscle Mass-Wishimaywishimight) scored a maiden-breaking victory in the first division with a 1:58.3 front-end effort in rein to Jamieson for trainer Susie Kerwood and owner M And L Of Delaware.

Jayport Cash pulled off a 31-1 stunner in his first career win with a late rally up the passing lane to prevail over 1-5 favourite Go Blue in 1:58.4. McClure drove the Trixton-Jayportcashforlife colt, who is trained by Joshua McKibbin and owned by M&s Racing Stable and Paul Badder.

A two-time Grassroots winner as a freshman, First Class Rule topped the third division of sophomore trotters, turning back 6-5 favoured Mass Speed (Roy) and holding off 3-2 second choice Sound N Vision (Daryl Thiessen) by a neck at the end of the 1:58.3 mile in rein to Todd Ratchford. Matt Bax trains the Muscle Mass-Ruling Class colt for owners Bax Stable, Glengate Farms, Gaelic Stable and Ronald Van Noort.

A replay of the live stream from Flamboro's Sunday card is available below. The Juravinski Memorial Cup was the evening's 10th race.

To view Sunday's harness racing results, click the following link: Sunday Results - Flamboro Downs.

(Standardbred Canada)