This year's top crop of three-year-old pacing colts flocked to Mohawk Racetrack on Saturday night to battle for a spot in the 26th edition of the $1.5 million

Pepsi North America Cup.

Well Said, the 2-1 second choice, turned in a career-best clocking of 1:50 to win the first of four $50,000 eliminations with Ron Pierce in the bike for trainer Steve Elliott.

With Fireintheshark (George Brennan) making a break behind the gate from the inside post, favourite Lisagain (Yannick Gingras) fired off the gate from the next position over and put up a :27.2 first quarter. Crossing over from the outside 10-hole, Keep It Real (Steve Condren) drove on to claim the top spot, but Well Said was on the move and brushed up from fourth before the half in :55.4.

The Western Hanover colt led the way to the third quarter station in 1:23.2 while Chasin Racin (John Campbell) applied pressure on the outside. Entering the stretch, Keep It Real pulled the pocket and sprung into action, but Well Said held strong on the inside to win by a quarter-length. Chasin Racin was third.

“I knew that if Steve just cleaned him up a little bit, sharpen him up, he’d show everybody that he’s for real,” said Pierce following the race.

“He came back to me a little bit [in the stretch], but most of them do when they’re going quarters in 26 seconds. [He went] :26.2 on the end and that was really the first time we stretched him out all year so I think after that he should be even sharper next week.”

The win was Well Said’s second in three tries this year and sixth of his career lifting his bankroll to $639,627 for owners Jeffrey Snyder of New York, New York and Lothlorien of Cheltenham, Ont.

Brian Sears and New Jersey Sires Stakes winner Dial Or Nodial rallied from off the pace to score in the second elimination for trainer James Campbell.

Leaving from Post 8, Bay Of Sharks (Mario Baillargeon) landed on top by the :26.2 first quarter pole, but Ideal Danny (Ron Pierce) brushed to command shortly after. As the field approached the half in :54.3, fan favourite Dial Or Nodial, who was sitting second-over near the back of the pack, had to angle wide around his fading cover, Hay Goodlooking (Gates Brunet).

Still in control, Ideal Danny bypassed the third quarter station in 1:22.4. At that point, Dial Or Nodial dug in and powered home to win in 1:50.2 by a length over Ok Boromir (Luc Ouellette) and Bay Of Sharks.

“There was a lot of speed in the race,” said Sears. “I figured there would be a little bit, but you have to be in the top three, top two so everyone wanted to give their horse a shot so they mixed it up pretty good and my horse really liked that kind of trip. He came off cover and you know he was parked the whole mile but I’m really happy with him.

“He never gave me a sign that he was letting go but it was a big effort, I had to three-deep him early and it was just a really good effort and like I said, he likes to pass horses.”

Owned and bred by Arlene and Jules Siegel of New Hope, Pennsylvania, the son of Western Ideal scored his third win in five starts this year. The winner of 11 races has banked a grand total of $642,590 lifetime.

Fresh off a win in the Art Rooney final, If I Can Dream rolled to victory in the third North America Cup elim with George Brennan in the pilot’s seat for trainer Tracy Brainard.

Post time favourite If I Can Dream showed early gate speed leaving from Post 5, but Annieswesterncard (Ron Pierce) settled on top before the first quarter in :26.2. Refusing to sit a pocket trip, If I Can Dream stepped on the gas for the retake. The son of Western Hanover rolled through the remaining panels of :55.2 and 1:24 while Passmaster Hanover (Tim Tetrick) laid on the pressure. Once If I Can Dream rounded the final turn, however, he was in the clear. The bay tripped the teletimer in 1:51.1 over a track downgraded to good, finishing two and a half lengths ahead of Annieswesterncard. Arctic Warrior (Dave Miller) rounded out the top three.

“He’s pretty handy and he’s got good gate speed,” said Brennan in a post-race interview. “Pierce was going at her pretty good [with Annieswesterncard], so I just tucked in behind. I just waited for him to back down the pace a little bit, flipped him back out and got some kind fractions.

“My horse felt good but I know that horse of Pierce’s is a good horse. I’ve seen him in the Berry’s Creek and he had a great night that night so you never know until you get to the wire.

“The track’s very good,” he added. “For the amount of rain that’s been here throughout the week, the track crew has done a great job.”

If I Can Dream, a career winner of six races and $491,175, is now four-for-five in 2009 for the Bulletproof Entreprises of Boca Raton, Florida.

The final elimination was won in wire-to-wire fashion by Hoosier Cup winner Mr Wiggles and driver Corey Callahan.

The Brenda Teague trainee, who was sent postward at odds of 15-1, blasted off the gate from Post 9 and put up a brisk :25.4 opening quarter as Drop Red (George Brennan) and the favourite Vintage Master (Daniel Dube) made early breaks. Mr Wiggles rolled through the remaining panels of :55 and 1:23.1 en route to a three-quarter-length victory in 1:51.3 over Art Colony (John Campbell). Millionaire Cam (Jody Jamieson) closed well to finish third while Vintage Master recovered from his miscue to finish fourth.

"This colt has been hindered all year with bad posts," said Callahan. "At the Hoosier Cup, we had Post 9. Last week, we had Post 10 here in the Burlington. We were just taking it easy on him last week. He can do it either way. He's a better chaser but obviously he's just as good on the front end as well.

"I thought Campbell would come back [to challenge after the half] but I was still pressing on a little bit and he was kind of chasing after his so I had to grab into him a little bit more. It worked out perfect. I got a little bit of a breather there. I didn't have to go a huge third quarter and that left me with a little bit late. That first quarter would sting a lot of horses, so I was glad he had a little bit left in the tank."

Mr Wiggles made his fifth trip to the winner’s circle in nine tries this year for owners Elmer Fannin of Lincoln and George Teague Jr Inc. of Harrington, Delaware. The son of Badlands Hanover notched his 10th lifetime score lifting his bankroll to $434,017.

With the top two finishers in each elim guaranteed a spot in the final, Chasin Racin and Millionaire Cam were the two third-place finishers drawn by lot to also advance to the Pepsi North America Cup final, and the draw will take place on Tuesday, June 23 at Mohawk Racetrack.

To view Saturday’s results, click here.