After four straight appearances and four straight top-three finishes in the Molson Pace / Camluck Classic, it would appear that hard-hitting millionaire Evenin Of Pleasure will be forced to watch this year's edition from the sidelines.
Now nine, the son of Dragon Again - Armbro Amour hasn't raced in 2019 despite being on the list of eligibles for the recently-concluded George Morton Levy Series -- a series he competed in two of the last three years. According to the pacer's trainer, Jenn Bongiorno, Evenin Of Pleasure was pointed for the 2019 Levy as well until the team hit a roadblock preparing the pacer for this year's stakes event.
"Unfortunately, 'Evenin' suffered a soft tissue injury," Bongiorno told Trot Insider. "He’s at a great place working on healing him. I expect him to be back in my barn beginning of May and we will take it slow to get him back to the races. The vet expects him to fully recover.
"We have full confidence that we’re doing the right thing for the horse and he should return in the near future."
A winner of 33 races and more than $1.3 million over the course of his career, Evenin Of Pleasure enjoyed his most lucrative season as an eight-year-old in 2018 -- his first year in the Bongiorno barn. In 20 starts, the stallion posted 14 top-three finishes courtesy of a 6-4-4 summary and accrued $380,780 in purses. His seasonal highlight came in the 2018 edition of the $260,000 Joe Gerrity, Jr. Memorial Pace at Saratoga Casino Hotel, where the Joe Bongiorno-driven iron horse trounced his rivals by more than five lengths to win in 1:49.2, the third fastest mile in track history.
Evenin Of Pleasure is owned by Gestion Jean Yves Blais of Montreal, Que., who purchased the colt from the Harrisburg yearling sale for $15,000.