With eliminations for the 2025 Pepsi North America Cup on the horizon, a number of possible contenders for Canadian harness racing's richest prize will compete this weekend in $75,000 Somebeachsomewhere Stakes divisions.
Trot Insider continues to profile some of the Pepsi North America Cup's top ranked contenders as they gear up for those eliminations on Saturday, June 7 at Woodbine Mohawk Park. One of those contenders, American Son, will make his Canadian debut this weekend.
The sixth ranked sophomore pacer at 19-1 in TROT Magazine's 2025 Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book, American Son will prep for the Cup elims in the first Somebeachsomewhere division this Saturday, May 31. American Son has drawn post four, with Dexter Dunn listed to drive. He's the third choice on the morning line at 7-2.
Trained by Chris Ryder, American Son will be making the second pari-mutuel start of his three-year-old campaign after a third- place effort in overnight company at The Meadowlands on May 3. The son of American Ideal-Lady Captain has qualified twice more at The Meadowlands since that three-year-old debut, winning his qualifier on May 24 in 1:51 before being pointed towards Canada.
At two, American Son was a winner in each of his first three career starts, culminating a 1:49.3 career-best effort in Kentucky Commonwealth action on Aug. 13 at The Red Mile. That mile would be the first of five consecutive sub-1:50 performances at the age of two on the Lexington clay. American Son finished second to Louprint in two legs of Kentucky Sire Stakes before finishing third in the $540,541 final, only beaten a length to Louprint and Sippinonsearoc. In those three defeats in Kentucky Sire Stakes, American Son was clocked in 1:49.2 before pacing in 1:49 in each of the last two miles.
American Son concluded his two-year-old campaign with a 1:49.4 front-end score in a $135,541 division of the International Stallion Stakes to conclude his season with a record of 7-4-2-1 and earnings of $237,972 for owners Henderson Farms.
Trot Insider caught up with Chris Ryder to learn more about American Son's return to the races as the soon-to-be U.S. Hall of Fame trainer searches for his elusive first North America Cup title.
Where did he winter and when did you start him back?
"Hunterton Farm, once we finished racing in Lexington, we just left him down there. We brought him back up in the middle of January."
Have you noticed any changes from last year to this year?
"Mentally, he was pretty good last year. He's got good race manners. And physically, he's a nice, pretty good, solid, strong type of horse. He certainly developed physically from last year. He's a decent specimen."
He was lightly raced as a two-year-old racing in Kentucky, was that by design?
"That's all he was eligible to. He had New York, but we didn't want to put him on the small tracks and push him. We just stayed on the bigger tracks, and in Kentucky with the Sire Stakes, the money was good so we just stayed there."
I understand that American Son had surgery earlier this month.
"We had the Llewellyn throat procedure done on him right after the one start that he had. He got over that fine and I'm pretty happy with the horse now. Obviously we're ready to go."
What races do you have circled as you look ahead to the summer?
"We've got the North America Cup and Meadowlands Pace on our radar; you can't get any more ambitious than that. Anything less would be a disappointment to be honest. I think he's the type of horse where if things go right, he can pull it off.
At what point last year did you think this horse was North America Cup material?
"Pretty early on, to tell you the truth. He always trained with good speed. He cost us 80 grand, I like his breeding, he's a good looking horse and trained well. We pretty much thought we had a high-end horse all along."
What is his biggest asset / strength?
"He's just got ability, natural ability to get there."
He has two award-winning stablemates eligible for races next week: Fan Hanover-eligible Miki And Minnie and Roses Are Red-eligible Twin B Joe Fresh. Are they already here?
"No, they're coming up next week."
(Standardbred Canada)