A pair of three-year-olds that are eligible to the $1 million Pepsi North America Cup were victorious in their qualifying miles Friday morning (April 29) at Mohawk Racetrack. The 10-race session also featured the charted return of one of the speediest ‘glamour boys’ from the 2015 season.
The Gregg McNair-trained and Doug McNair-driven Magnum J was the first of the NA Cup eligibles to record a win during the session. The black Big Jim gelding started from Post 7 and cut all the fractions (:28, :57, 1:25.3) in Race 3. Magnum J closed with a 27-second final quarter for the wire-to-wire triumph. He posted a three and three-quarter-length margin of victory and stopped the clock in 1:52.3. The 2015 Battle of Waterloo winner has qualified four times so far this year, and his 1:52.3 clocking on Friday morning was the fastest of his 2016 campaign thus far. Gregg McNair (of Guelph, Ont.) co-owns Magnum J along with Tony Lawrence and William Brown of Hanover, Ont. Magnum J was assessed as a 42-1 shot in Trot Magazine’s 2016 Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book.
Race 5 saw the Cup-eligible Arsenic come from off the pace and get up for a nose victory in 1:55.4. Doug McNair was in the sulky for conditioner Scott McEneny. The mile was the second qualifying performance from Arsenic this year. He started from Post 4 and was charted in sixth through the opening quarter (:28) and half-mile call (:58.3). McNair had Arsenic out and on the move three-wide along the final turn. The duo was charted as such at the three-quarters of a mile pole (1:28.3), where they were almost 10 lengths off the pace. Arsenic had reduced his deficit to six lengths by the time he hit the head of the homestretch. He capped off his scintillating :25.1 closing quarter by getting up on the pacesetter to notch the nose victory in 1:55.4. Arsenic is owned by Brad Grant and Teresa Davidson of Milton, Ont. and Michelle McEneny of Waterdown, Ont. Arsenic has been assessed as a 50-1 shot in Trot Magazine’s 2016 Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book.
Those who followed the glamour boys in 2015 are surely familiar with the name Reverend Hanover. The now-four-year-old son of Sportswriter made his 2016 charted debut during the Friday qualifying session for trainer Casie Coleman and driver Steve Condren. After having started from Post 7 in Race 8, Reverend Hanover was charted third through the fractions (:29, 1:00, 1:28.4). Like Arsenic a few races before him, Reverend Hanover showed a fleet turn of foot in the final quarter. Reverend Hanover came on in the final stages with a :25.2 final quarter and posted a half-length victory in 1:55.1. Reverend Hanover is owned by the West Wins Stable of Cambridge, Ont., Steve Calhoun of Chatham, Ont. and Anthony Beaton of Waterdown, Ont.
To view the harness racing results for the Friday qualifying session at Mohawk, click the following link: Friday Results – Mohawk Racetrack (Qualifying).