While he may not be familiar to Canadian harness racing fans, Machtu N could be a dark horse in Western Fair District's $150,000 Molson Pace if his past performances over a half-mile track are any indication of his form on Friday.
The six-year-old Mach Three gelding, who was racing in Australia three months ago, has shown some impressive miles over Yonkers Raceway the last few weeks since being imported by the Nick Surick Stable and Kdm Stables Corp.
“A friend of mine from Australia told me that he was watching him race over there and he thought he would be a good fit for American racing. He said, ‘You should try and buy him,’” Surick told The London Free Press. “We got in touch with the trainer and owner and put a deal together and brought him over just two months ago. I’m so thrilled...so far so good.”
Most recently in his third North American start on May 14, Machtu won the Preferred at Yonkers in 1:50.4, with a :27.1 final quarter.
“He shows :26 and :27 quarters on the half and that’s just ridiculous. It’s unheard of,” said Surick. “He’ll show :25 quarters when I get him on the bigger track. The more race track you feed him, the more he comes. He just doesn’t know where the end is. He goes through the finish line where most horses five feet after the finish line, pull up, turn around and go back to the finish line to get a drink of water, he wants to go more. I train him more. I train him two miles, I train him over distance. He’s kinda used to that and looks for more.”
Machtu will make his Canadian debut with former Western Fair kingpin Trevor Henry picking up the catch-drive from post five. Among the contenders are three-time defending champion State Treasurer (post one), and Canadian half-mile track record holders All Bets Off (second tier post eight) and Sunfire Blue Chip (post three). While Machtu may not have an ideal post in the line-up, his trainer notes that "it’s only a starting spot.”
“I’ve done my job as a trainer," said Surick. "For that two minutes, that’s up to Trevor Henry to get him to the finish line first.”
Here is a look at the entire field, along with their listed drivers, in post-position order:
1. State Treasurer – Chris Christoforou - 5-2
2. Bettor Rock On N – Jody Jamieson - 7-1
3. Sunfire Blue Chip – Mark MacDonald - 4-1
4. Evenin Of Pleasure – Sylvain Filion - 12-1
5. Machtu N – Trevor Henry - 6-1
6. Mcwicked – Randy Waples - 7-1
7. P H Supercam – James MacDonald - 8-1
8. All Bets Off – Matt Kakaley - 9-5
The Molson Pace program will also feature the Ontario Sires Stakes for three-year-old colt pacers, a quartet of City of London Series finals, a pair of Alliance Claiming Series finals and an added-purse Junior Invitational Pace as part of the undercard. Total purses for the night will be more than $550,000.
There will be a number of promotions on the night, including Scratch and Win program prizes, OSS ‘Be A Winner Contest,’ Party on the Patio, a Molson VIP infield event and much more. The wagering menu has been bolstered to include a $5,000 guaranteed early Pick-3, $10,000 guaranteed early Pick-4, $15,000 guaranteed late Pick-4 and the addition of a third Super Hi-5 –- all low 15 per cent takeout wagers.
(With files from The London Free Press)