Some of harness racing’s top three-year-old pacers will be in action this Saturday (June 2) at Mohawk Racetrack to contest a pair of $100,000 divisions of the Somebeachsomewhere Stakes
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The event, previously known as the Burlington Stakes, is a key prep race for Mohawk's Pepsi North America Cup. Eliminations for the NA Cup will take place June 9, while the $1.5-million final will be raced June 16.
Trainer Casie Coleman, who captured the 2010 NA Cup with Sportswriter, will send out a total of three glamour boys in the $100,000 divisions.
Headlining the Coleman stable will be Michaels Power, who captured the $600,000 Upper Canada Cup in is most recent outing at Georgian Downs.
The homebred son of Camluck has amassed $317,250 this season, and is a perfect three-for-three in 2012 for owner/breeder Jeffrey Snyder.
“He was phenomenal [in the Upper Canada Cup],” Coleman said. “Last year when we raced him, he showed a lot of potential so we shut him down and he’s come back just awesome this year.”
Michaels Power will start from Post 3 for driver Scott Zeron in the second division.
Coleman will also send out Ideal Romance and American GI.
The Robert McIntosh stable will be well represented in the Somebeachsomewhere, as Thinking Out Loud and Dapper Dude will go postward in the first and second division, respectively.
Thinking Out Loud, who is a perfect three-for-three this season, will begin from Post 2 for regular driver Randy Waples.
The lightly-raced son of Ponder, who captured the final of the Dream Maker Pacing Series last year at the Campbellville oval, has amassed $80,750 in his career and has recorded a 1:50.4 lifetime-best for owner/breeder Robert McIntosh Stables Inc, C S X Stables and Al McIntosh Holdings Inc.
Fresh off his Pennsylvania Sires Stakes (PASS) victory in 1:49.4 at Pocono Downs, Dapper Dude appears to be in top form for his Hall of Fame trainer.
The son of The Panderosa has banked $138,421 in his career and is undefeated in two starts this season for owner/breeder Robert McIntosh Stables Inc and Al McIntosh Holdings Inc. He will line up in Post 2 for driver John Campbell.
Trainer Ron Burke told Trot Insider on Tuesday afternoon that pacing phenom Sweet Lou will stay stateside this week and not race in the Somebeachsomewhere.
Burke noted that the three-year-old son of Yankee Cruiser, who impressively won his season's debut last Saturday at Mohegan Sun Pocono in 1:49.3, will instead compete next in this Friday's PASS event at the Meadows.
Sweet Lou was the 2011 Dan Patch Award winner as best two-year-old male pacer after a season in which he won 10 of 12 races, including the Breeders Crown in a world-record 1:49, and earned $688,117. He finished second in both of his losses --- by a nose and a head.
He enters this year as the No. 1-ranked contender for the Pepsi North America Cup, Meadowlands Pace and the Little Brown Jug, which are three of the biggest prizes for three-year-old pacers.
In addition to Sweet Lou, Carl Jamieson, trainer of the highly-touted Warrawee Needy, informed Trot Insider that he would also not be entering his O'Brien Award winning charge to contest the Somebeachsomewhere.
Warrawee Needy was scratched from his Upper Canada Cup elimination on May 19 due to sickness. Jamieson told Trot Insider that his colt has recovered, but felt the O'Brien Award winner wouldn't be ready for this group after that setback. Plans are still to drop the colt in the box for next week's NA Cup eliminations.
The Somebeachsomewhere Stakes divisions will line up as follows:
Race 4
Post - Horse- Listed Driver - Trainer
1 - Allstar Legend - L. Ouellette - G. Teague Jr.
2 - Thinking Out Loud - Ra. Waples - R. McIntosh
3 - Escape The News - J. Moiseyev - J. Holloway
4 - Windsun Cointreau - Ri. Zeron - M. Brethour
5 - Sing For Me George - S. Zeron - T. O'Sullivan
6 - Secretsoftheknight - D. Mcnair - R. McNair
7 - State Treasurer - J. Jamieson - Dr. I. Moore
8 - Ideal Romance - S. Zeron C. Coleman
Race 8
Post - Horse- Listed Driver - Trainer
1 - American Gi - S. Zeron - C. Coleman
2 - Dapper Dude - J. Campbell - R. McIntosh
3 - Michaels Power - S. Zeron - C. Coleman
4 - Easy Again - M. Teague - G. Teague Jr.
5 - Hillbilly Hanover - S. Zeron - R. Norman
6 - Ontheclock Hanover - J. Moiseyev - Dr. I. Moore
7 - Bettors Edge - L. Ouellette - L. Toscano
8 - Special Blend - J. Jamieson - B. Wallace
To view the harness racing entries for Saturday at Mohawk, click the following link: Saturday Entries - Mohawk Racetrack.
A pair of divisions of the Casual Breeze Stakes will also be raced at Mohawk this weekend, as some of the sport's top sophomore trotting fillies will headline Mohawk's Friday card of live racing. The Casual Breeze is a prep race for the Elegantimage Stakes, the final of which will also be contested at Mohawk on NA Cup Night.
In addition to sending out a release regarding its attractive cards of racing for this Friday and Saturday, Mohawk Racetrack has announced 'Girls' Night Out ' Friday nights at the picturesque raceway and a notice that the trackside tent will be open Saturdays.
(With files from WEG)