Art Colony, the 7-1 second choice in Trot Magazine's 2009 Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book, put in his first charted line of the season for trainer Casie Coleman this morning at Mohawk Racetrack. The Artsplace colt was much the best, and Coleman spoke to Trot Insider afterward regarding the mile
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In Race 3, with Randy Waples at his lines, Art Colony left from the three-hole and was on the outside in third at the 29-second quarter pole. In the second quarter, Waples deposited Art Colony on the engine and it was lights out for the rest of the field from there.
The half-mile marker was clicked in :57.4 and the three quarters station flashed to life in 1:27.4. Cruising home and expanding his lead in the final frame, Art Colony capped his mile with a :28.1 kicker, good for a 1:56 win by seven and a half lengths.
"He qualified great," Coleman told Trot Insider afterward. "We were looking to have him go a covered trip, but the other horses in the field just weren't going that fast. Randy had to move him to the front and he won really easily and comfortably. Randy said he was great."
The two-time O'Brien Award winning trainer told Trot Insider that Art Colony will qualify next Friday at Mohawk.
"Although it depends on how the track is and how fast the rest of the field will be going, we're looking to qualify him in the [1:] 53 range next Friday," Coleman explained. "We will be looking to race him off cover."
Click here to view Trot Magazine's 2009 Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book.
After Art Colony put in his solid performance, Champlain Stakes winner Raising Rachel put in her second qualifier of the year for driver Jack Moiseyev and trainer John Kopas. The three-year-old daughter of Yankee Glide left from the rail and went wire to wire, stopping the clock in 1:56.4, nine and three quarters of a length the best. Three-year-old Windsongs Legacy filly Yursa Hanover was also putting in her second qualifier of the year and finished second, trotting in 1:58.4.
Race 8, the last qualifier of the morning, was the scene of Pointe Of Honour's 2009 charted debut. The three-year-old Striking Sahbra colt last raced November 15, 2008 when he captured a division of the Ontario Sires Stakes Super Finals at Woodbine Racetrack.
After leaving from Post 5, Pointe Of Honour went gate to wire in 1:58.3, tossing up a commanding 13 and a quarter-length margin of victory.
Click here to view the charted lines.
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