Just one day after it was announced that Hes Watching will make his seasonal pari-mutuel debut at Yonkers Raceway, the American Ideal colt paced his second consecutive qualifying mile Friday, May 16 at Mohawk Racetrack in Campbellville, Ont.
Rated as the 5-1 favourite in Trot Magazine’s 2014 Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book, Hes Watching was facing two other ‘Cup’ eligibles in his qualifier, which was carded as Race 9 on the 11-dash docket. The presiding ORC judges allowed a one-second variant in time.
Hes Watching, trained by David Menary, started from Post 2 with new driver Jody Jamieson at his lines. The pair left hard off the gate and was first to every call (:28.2, :56.4, 1:24.4). After being up by eight lengths at the head of the lane, Hes Watching went on to record a 14-and-a-quarter-length victory in 1:52.1 off a :27.2 final panel. Fellow Cup eligibles Three Of Clubs (25-1 in Spring Book) and Boomboom Ballykeel (13-1 in Spring Book) finished second and third, respectively. Three Of Clubs is trained by Gregg McNair and driven by Doug McNair, while Boomboom Ballykeel is trained by Richard Moreau and driven by Sylvain Filion.
On Thursday, Menary said that Hes Watching would make his 2014 pari-mutuel debut at Yonkers Raceway in the Art Rooney Pace. To read Menary’s Thursday comments, click here.
A pair of three-year-olds eligible to the Pepsi North America Cup were on track later for Race 7, and the Jonathan Drury-driven and Casie Coleman-trained For A Bettor Time were first to the wire in 1:53.4. Rated at odds of 60-1 in Trot’s Spring Book, For A Bettor Time, a gelded son of Bettors Delight, converted a pocket ride and recorded a one and three-quarter-length margin of victory. Finishing second in the mile was the Anthony MacDonald-driven and Carmen Auciello-trained Bugger Bruiser, a gelded son of Believeinbruiser that had cut all the fractions.
Four-year-old Art Major bay Fool Me Once kicked off the session in Race 1 with a commanding four and a half-length win in 1:53.1 for driver Chris Christoforou and trainer Mark Austin. The winner of 14 of 27 career starts was making his second qualifying effort of his four-year-old campaign.
Race 2 saw the Richard Moreau-trained and Sylvain Filion-trained Massacaia turn a two-hole trip into a one and a quarter-length victory in 2:00.4. The qualifying mile was the third of the season thus far for the three-year-old Muscle Mass colt.
Driver Steve Condren was first across the wire in Race 3, as his charge, the Brett Ecker-trained Mariah Dancer got the job done in 2:01.3. The three-year-old Striking Sahbra filly closed from fifth to get up for the half-length win.
Ellis Park was tops in Race 4, as the five-year-old Rocknroll Hanover gelding closed for a quarter-length victory in 1:55.3. Chris Christoforou was at the controls for trainer Brad Maxwell. Ellis Park had last raced at the Preferred level at Woodbine Racetrack last fall.
Three-year-old Muscle Mass filly Herecomesthebride was on her train in Race 5. The Sylvain Filion-driven and Richard Moreau-trained miss said ‘I do’ from the word ‘go’ and went on to record a gate-to-wire victory in 2:01. Friday’s mile was the third qualifying effort of the season for the bay.
Shes Da Bomb had her coordinates set on the finish line in Race 6, and the three-year-old daughter of Art Major was right on target. In rein to driver Doug McNair for trainer Tony O’Sullivan, the bay turned it up a notch in the final quarter of the mile and paced off to a three-length win in 1:54.4.
Race 8 saw the Carmen Hie-trained and driven Hie Bunny grab the lead before the half and trot off to a four and a half-length victory in 2:00. The four-year-old Kadabra gelding was making his third qualifying effort of his 2014 campaign.
Carmen Hie returned to the track with one of his pupils in Race 10, as Kadabra mare China Pearls continued to prep for her six-year-old campaign by romping to a 26-length victory in 1:55.4.
The final qualifying race of the morning was won by three-year-old Rocknroll Hanover filly Wanna Rock N Roll. The Gregg McNair-trained and Doug McNair-driven bay went wire to wire and stopped the clock more than three lengths the best in 1:56.2.
To view the harness racing results for the Friday qualifying session at Mohawk, click the following link: Friday Results – Mohawk Racetrack (Qualifiers).