Pair Of 'Cup' Eligibles Debut In Florida
A pair of 2014 Pepsi North America Cup eligibles made their three-year-old debuts during Pompano Park's qualifying session on Saturday afternoon.
Doo Wop Hanover closed out the 10 qualifiers with the fastest mile of the day for trainer/driver Peter Blood, who also co-owns with Rick Berks and Gary Piontkowski.
After leaving from outside the other four starters, the Rocknroll Hanover-Deer Valley Miss colt was rated through panels of :28.3, :56.4 and 1:25.2 en route to a 1:53.3 victory.
Doo Wop Hanover earned two wins, two seconds and two thirds in 12 freshman starts while banking $50,138. He took his 1:51.3 mark in the Breeders Crown eliminations at Pocono Downs while in the care of trainer Steve Elliott.
Mcwicked debuted with a 1:55.2 wire-to-wire effort, holding off If You Say So by three-quarters of a length with a :28-second final panel.
Wally Hennessey drove the McArdle-Western Sahara colt for trainer Jim McDonald and the S S G Stables.
Racing from the Julie Miller barn, last year Mcwicked earned nine top-three finishes in 10 starts while banking $179,617 in purses. He took his 1:52 mark in a leg of the Pennsylvania Sires Stakes at Pocono Downs.
Both Doo Wop Hanover and Mcwicked have been assessed at odds of 55-1 in Trot Magazine's 2014 Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book, which is currently available in the April issue.