World-class trotters and past Metro Pace winners will invade Mohawk Racetrack this Saturday, September 12 for the Maple Leaf Trot and Canadian Trotting Classic eliminations as well as divisions of the Champlain Stakes for two-year-old pacers and the Simcoe Stakes for three-year-old pacers as Grand Circuit week concludes.

The Maple Leaf Trot has attracted an All-Star international group of 14 older trotters, including mares D One and Bee A Magician. A talented crew of 13 three-year-old trotters, including Hambletonian champion Pinkman, will compete in the Canadian Trotting Classic eliminations.

The 64th edition of the Maple Leaf Trot will feature two $40,000 seven-horse eliminations. The top-five finishers from each elimination will punch their ticket to the final.

Swedish trotting mare D One will look to remain undefeated on North American soil in the second elimination. The Roger Walmann trainee is a perfect two-for-two this summer in the United States, but the Maple Leaf Trot will be her first attempt against the boys.

D One (PP7, Marcus Johansson) is sired by Donato Hanover, the 2007 Canadian Trotting Classic champion, out of Giant Diablo, the fastest trotting mare of all-time. The regally-bred trotting mare has won 17 of 30 career starts, the majority of which came overseas. European driving star Örjan Kihlström is the regular driver of D One and has driven her in both of her North American starts, but Marcus Johansson is listed to handle the driving duties Saturday night.

Intimidate (PP4, Sylvain Filion), last year’s Maple Leaf Trot winner, is back to defend his title. The Luc Blais trainee has yet to find the winner’s circle this season, but the six-year-old gelding was a surprise winner in last year’s event at 45-1.

Flanagan Memory, Obrigado, Market Share, Daylon Magician and Resolve, a supplement entry, round out the field for the second elimination.

JL Cruze (PP3, John Campbell), the fastest trotter ever on a mile-track, highlights the first elimination. The connections of the World Champion put up $45,000 to supplement the four-year-old gelding to this year’s Maple Leaf Trot.

Trained by Eric Ell, JL Cruze has won 16 of 19 starts this season for over $620,000 in earnings. The son of Crazed became the first sub-1:50 trotter on a mile-track when he won the $250,000 Graduate in 1:49.4 at The Meadowlands.

Superstar Bee A Magician (PP5, Brian Sears), the 2013 Horse of the Year in both Canada and the U.S., will take on the boys in the second elimination. The daughter of Kadabra has eight victories in 11 starts this season, including a victory over her male rivals in the Cutler Memorial back in May.

The Richard ‘Nifty’ Norman trainee has earned over $546,000 this season to increase her career bankroll to over $3.2 million.

Magic Tonight (PP2, Marcus Johansson), this year’s Elitlopp champion, will also compete in the first split. The Walmann trainee came over to North America along with D One earlier this summer and will be making his third start since arriving. The six-year-old son of Andover Hall has four victories from eight starts this season.

Whiskey Tax, E L Titan, Natural Herbie and Lindys Tru Grit round out the field for the first elimination.

The winners of each elimination will earn the right to select their post position for the $680,000 final on Saturday, September 19. The Maple Leaf Trot eliminations will take place as Races 8 and 10.

The top sophomore trotting colts and geldings in the sport will contest a pair of $40,000 eliminations for the Canadian Trotting Classic.

Pinkman (PP5, Yannick Gingras), the Hambletonian champion, highlights the second elimination for trainer Jimmy Takter. The son of Explosive Matter will be joined by stablemates Canepa Hanover (PP4, John Campbell) and The Bank (PP7, Jimmy Takter) in the seven-horse contest.

Pinkman enters the Trotting Classic with eight victories in 12 starts this season for earnings of over $1.2 million. His career bankroll sits at $1.8 million.

The first elimination features Crazy Wow (PP4, Tim Tetrick), the Colonial Stakes winner, from the Ron Burke barn. A son of Crazed, Crazy Wow has won three of his last four starts heading into the Trotting Classic. The sophomore trotting colt has six victories in 11 starts this season for earnings of more than $562,000.

Takter trainees Uncle Lasse (PP1, TBA) and French Laundry (PP3, TBA) will line up in the first elimination to give the Hall of Fame conditioner five starters in the Canadian Trotting Classic eliminations.

The top-five finishers from each split will move on to the $700,000 final on Saturday, September 19. The elimination winners will earn the right to pick their post for the final.

The Canadian Trotting Classic eliminations have been carded as Races 1 and 3.

Metro Pace Champions Headline Champlain & Simcoe Stakes Saturday

Just a week after capturing the Metro Pace, Control The Moment will put his undefeated streak on the line in a division of the Champlain Stakes Saturday night at Mohawk Racetrack.

A total of 17 two-year-old pacing colts and geldings have been split into two divisions of the Champlain Stakes.

Control The Moment headlines the $117,407 first division from post position one for driver Randy Waples and trainer Brad Maxwell.

The son of Well Said scored a dominant 1:49.4 victory in last Saturday’s $685,000 Metro Pace to remain undefeated in seven starts. Control The Moment has compiled a bankroll of $440,687 for owners Maxwell, Howard Taylor, Edwin Gold and Ben Mudry.

Betting Line, who finished second in the Metro Pace, will look to turn the tables on Control The Moment from post position nine.

The Casie Coleman trainee finished two and a quarter lengths behind Control The Moment in the Metro final. The son of Bettors Delight has four victories from seven starts to begin his career and Steve Condren will once again handle the driving duties Saturday.

A field of eight will contest the $115,906 second Champlain division.

Tony Alagna trainee Voracity headlines the second split and is coming off a third-place finish in the Metro Pace. The son of Sportswriter has four victories from six starts, including a win in his elimination for the Metro Pace. Voracity will start from post position six with Waples in the bike.

The Champlain divisions for the two-year-old pacing colts and geldings will take place as Races 11 and 12.

Similar to the Metro winner, L A Delight, the Shes A Great Lady champion, is right back in action on Saturday. The Bob McIntosh trainee headlines a field of nine in the lone division of the Champlain Filly Stakes for a purse of $241,380.

A daughter of Bettors Delight, L A Delight was a powerful 1:51.2 winner in the Shes A Great Lady to extend her current win streak to eight in a row. The McIntosh filly’s only loss came in her career debut. L A Delight will start from post position four with Waples at the controls. The Champlain Filly Stakes is Race Nine on Saturday’s card.

A field of nine three-year-old pacers will square-off in the $224,907 Simcoe Stakes Saturday.

Artspeak, last year’s Metro Pace and rookie pacing colt of the year, headlines the field for the Simcoe. The Tony Alagna trainee is coming off a sharp 1:50.1 qualifier last Friday at Mohawk.

A son of Western Ideal, Artspeak has won three victories from 11 starts this season for earnings of over $409,000. The sophomore pacer has only missed the top-five once this season and brings a career bankroll of $1.2 million into the Simcoe. Artspeak will start from post four and be driven by Scott Zeron.

Another Coleman trainee Reverend Hanover will also line up in the Simcoe. The son of Sportswriter has won back-to-back starts since returning to the track for the first time since May.

Last Saturday, Reverend Hanover made a statement with a 1:48.3 victory in a three-year-old open. The Coleman trainee, who was undefeated in four starts last season, brings a career record of six wins from eight starts and earnings of $289,000 into the Simcoe.

Reverend Hanover will start from the rail with Condren also in the sulky.

The Simcoe Stakes has been carded as Race 5 Saturday evening.

To view the full list of entries for Saturday night's stakes-packed card, click one of the following links:
Saturday Entries - Mohawk Racetrack -- Saturday Program Pages - Mohawk Racetrack.

(WEG)