While the field of 10 male sophomore pacers in the $1 million Pepsi North America Cup looks to steal the spotlight on Saturday, June 14 at Woodbine Mohawk Park, some of the sport's biggest stars will be setting the stage with clashes of their own in a highly anticipated stakes-filled undercard.

The stage was set for this weekend's $2.4 million all-star card after eliminations were completed over two cards this past Saturday, June 7. To read about and watch replays from those cards, click here. 

The stakes festivities get underway in the evening's third race where reigning U.S. Horse of the Year, Twin B Joe Fresh, headlines a stout field of eight mare pacers in the $287,000 Roses Are Red. Leaving from Post 4 with Dexter Dunn aboard, the Chris Ryder trainee looks to defend her title and stay perfect through two starts this season after romping in the $136,986 Betsy Ross at Harrah's Philly to kick off her five-year-old campaign. She's the 1-5 morning line choice.

The career earner of $2.7 million will be joined by a solid field in the Grace 1 event that includes last year's Dan Patch Award winner My Girl EJ (Post 1, Todd McCarthy, 10-1) and Odds On Platinum (Post 2, Louis-Philippe Roy, 15-1), in addition to Aardie B Miki N (Post 3, Jason Bartlett, 8-1) who tasted defeat for the first time this season in the Betsy Ross after going undefeated at Yonkers in the Blue Chip Matchmaker Series through five starts to start her season. 

With no eliminations required for the Roses Are Red, both Twin B Joe Fresh and Aardie B Miki N exit the same qualifier at The Meadowlands on June 7, a 1:50.2 mile which saw Twin B Joe Fresh edge Aardie B Miki N by three parts of a length.

After finishing second to her archrival in this race a year ago, double-millionaire Sylvia Hanover (Bob McClure, 5-1) will leave from Post 7 following a win against Preferred company to tune up while 2024 Jugette champion, Soft Shot (Dave Miller, 20-1), starts alongside her in Post 6.

The $210,000 Armbro Flight (Grade 2) for mare trotters serves as the seventh race on the card where defending champion Call Me Goo will leave from Post 4 as the 4-1 third choice. The O'Brien Award winner looks to rebound from a third-place elim finish in her five-year-old debut with trainer Ake Svanstedt in the bike. Her stablemate, Dial Square S (James MacDonald, 3-1), starts right next door in post five looking to stay perfect through three starts in North America following a 1:51.1 victory in her elimination by three parts of a length over Emoji Hanover. Fourth in that elim was the third part of a fearsome threesome from the Svanstedt stable, Nelsonbriteagle No (Dexter Dunn, 8-1), who won the FanDuel Final last fall and looks for her first win in 2025 from Post 9.

It was two-time O'Brien Award winner, Willys Home Run who spoiled Call Me Goo's return to the races with a 29-1 upset score in a career best 1:51.1 by a nose over Drawn Impression in her elim. The Kyle Fellows trainee is set to leave from Post 6 in the final for driver Tim Tetrick, 10-1 on the morning line.

The Svanstedt trio and Canadian superstars will be featured alongside a field of 10 that also includes M Ms Dream (Post 1, Dave Miller, 5-1) who will surpass the $2 million mark in career earnings with any piece of the action.

A year removed from his biggest triumph, the 2024 Pepsi North America Cup, Nijinsky headlines a deep field of 10 free-for-allers in the $100,000 Mohawk Gold Cup Invitational (Grace 3) which is the eighth race on the card. The Anthony Beaton trainee leaves from Post 5 with regular pilot Louis Roy aboard after scoring the first win of his four-year-old campaign, a 1:48.3 victory in the first leg of the Graduate in his last outing.  He's the 9-2 fourth choice.

He'll be joined by David Menary trainees Ervin Hanover (Post 1, Doug McNair, 4-1) and Brue Hanover (Post 6, TBA, 3-1). Ervin Hanover was placed first in the $150,000 Camluck Classic in his last outing after his stablemate jumped the pylons at Western Fair at the wire. Brue Hanover rebounded from that miscue with a career best 1:48 victory at Mohawk last weekend against Preferred company for his 10th win in 13 seasonal outings this year. 

The Gold Cup field also includes 2024 Breeders Crown Open Pace champion, Coach Stefanos (Post 7, James MacDonald, 8-1) and 2024 Dan Patch Award winning older male pacer, Abuckabett Hanover (Post 8, Dexter Dunn, 7-2) as he knocks on the door of $2.5 million made in his career.

The ninth race features three-year-old trotting colts doing battle in the $227,000 Goodtimes Final (Grade 2) with elim winners Galen Erso and Emoticon Legacy starting right next to one another. Galen Erso (Doug McNair, 4-1) leaves from Post 3 following a 1:53 wire-to-wire victory in his elim, while Emoticon Legacy (Louis-Phillipe Roy, 6-5) starts from Post 4 after going first-over to take his three-year-old debut in his elimination in a career best 1:52.1 over Indiana star, Eugene The Genius (PP9, Yannick Gingras, 10-1). 

The final appetizer before the main course features the highly-anticipated first meeting between the undefeated Chantilly and Miki And Minnie in the $390,000 Fan Hanover Final for three-year-old pacing fillies. 

The Nick Gallucci trained Chantilly (Post 3, James MacDonald, 1-1) enters off a five-length romp in 1:50.1 in her elim a week ago. The victory extended the 2024 Somebeachsomewhere Horse of the Year's perfect resume to 12-for-12, with three of those wins coming in her sophomore campaign. The daughter of Big Jim took a lifetime mark of 1:49.4 in start number two of this season in Ontario Sires Stakes Gold action, while the Shes A Great Lady and OSS Super Final champion from a year ago marches towards $1 million in career earnings with a bankroll of $915,256.

Meanwhile, the 2024 Dan Patch Award winning Miki And Minnie (Post 5, Dexter Dunn, 6-5) rocketed off cover in :25.1 to take her elimination in 1:50.2 under wraps. Another filly phenom from the Chris Ryder barn, Miki And Minnie is two-for-two on the year after a two-year-old season where the $1.18 million-winning daughter of Always B Miki was victorious in the Breeders Crown, Three Diamonds and Kentucky Sire Stakes Finals. 

To view Saturday's harness racing entries, click one of the following links: Pepsi North America Cup Night -- Saturday Entries || North America Cup Card Program Pages (courtesy TrackIT).

(Standardbred Canada)