The post position draws for a pair of million-dollar Grade 1 two-year-old stakes -- the Metro Pace and Mohawk Million -- were conducted during the Woodbine Mohawk Park pre-game show on Monday, Sept. 21. 

Both races will be held on Saturday, Sept. 26 at Mohawk as part of a stakes-laden program that includes the $510,000 Shes A Great Lady Stakes for two-year-old pacing fillies, the $590,000 Canadian Trotting Classic for three-year-old trotters and the $400,000 Elegantimage Stakes for three-year-old trotting fillies. Those Grade 1 stakes were drawn last Friday.

The Metro Pace is headlined by elimination winners Shalom Hanover and Eastie Boy.

The undefeated Shalom Hanover is another young pacing phenom for trainer Dr. Ian Moore, who won last year's Metro with eventual Horse of the Year Beau Jangles. Shalom Hanover has victories in his first seven stakes starts, including Grade 3 scores in the Nassagaweya Stakes and Dream Maker as well as the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championship. The Papi Rob Hanover-Sammys Magic Girl colt is the richest rookie in the field with more than $450,000 in purse earnings for Shalom Hanover Stable of Cambridge, Ont. Shalom Hanover will start from post three with regular reinsman Louis-Philippe Roy, while stablemate Cattletracks, a Grade 3 Champlain Stakes winner who finished third behind Shalom Hanover in their Metro elimination, will start to his inside from post two.

Eastie Boy is just shy of $250,000 in earnings with top three finishes in six of his eight stakes races to date, including the Pennsylvania final. Trained by Ron Burke, the Sweet Lou-Rockin Racer colt is a homebred for Pennsylvania owners Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi and Phil Collura. He is driven by Ronnie Wrenn Jr. and will start from post six. Burke also has a second Metro contender in New York Sire Stakes Championship runner-up Rose Run Cowboy, who will start from post four.

The complete draw for the Metro Pace is listed below.

$1 million Metro Pace (Grade 1)
Post - Horse - Listed Driver - Trainer 
1. High Rise Hanover - J.R. Plante - Nick Comegna
2. Cattletracks - Scott Zeron - Dr. Ian Moore
3. Shalom Hanover - Louis-Philippe Roy - Dr. Ian Moore
4. Rose Run Cowboy - Yannick Gingras - Ron Burke
5. TH Theo - Doug McNair - Gregg McNair
6. Eastie Boy - Ronnie Wrenn Jr. - Ron Burke
7. Vainqueur - Dexter Dunn - Andrew Harris
8. Global Choice - James MacDonald - Garry Merner
9. Big D Energy - Mark MacDonald  - Herb Holland
10. L A Captain - Bob McClure - Luc Blais

The starters were also revealed for the seventh edition of the Mohawk Million and post positions were drawn for the two-year-old trotting slot race.

Trainer Marcus Melander will be looking for this third straight victory in the Mohawk Million with his hopes pinned on a filly this time, the Grade 1 Peaceful Way Stakes champion Athenas Girl. Owned by Brad Grant of Milton, Ont., the Walner-Fashion Athena filly will start from post two with Dexter Dunn listed to drive.

The field includes Ocean Storm, the Grade 1 William Wellwood Memorial winner trained by Cameron Capone in post nine with James MacDonald getting the catch-drive, and the Wellwood runner-up and Grade 3 Champlain Stakes winner Access Now, who drew the outside post 10 and is one of two Luc Blais trainees with filly stablemate Dataprivacy getting the inside draw. Regular reinsman Bob McClure is listed on Access Now with Louis-Philippe Roy picking up the drive on Dataprivacy.

The complete field for the Mohawk Million is listed below.

$1 million Mohawk Million (Grade 1)
Post - Horse - Listed Driver - Trainer
1. Dataprivacy (filly) - Louis-Philippe Roy - Luc Blais
2. Athenas Girl (filly) - Dexter Dunn - Marcus Melander
3. Detonator Hanover - Tyler Moore - Dr. Ian Moore
4. Seven Pledges - Joe Bongiorno - Andrew Harris
5. Wrong Sounds Right - Todd McCarthy - Jim Campbell
6. Kissme Ifyoucan (filly) - Austin Hanners - Todd Luther
7. Nevis Peak (filly) - Yannick Gingras - Ron Burke
8. D A Johnny Cash - Doug McNair - Chris Mathews
9. Ocean Storm - James MacDonald - Cameron Capone
10. Access Now - Bob McClure - Luc Blais

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

(Standardbred Canada; photo of Shalom Hanover winning his Metro Pace elimination)