The big guns are starting to surface in order to get ready for Mohawk Racetrack's $1.5-million Pepsi North America Cup. After having watched some of last season's top colts and geldings strut their stuff in preparation for their 2012 campaigns, O'Brien Award winner Warrawee Needy
took his turn Thursday, May 3 at the Campbellville, Ont. oval.
Warrawee Needy, the 9-2 second choice in Trot Magazine's 2012 Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book, qualified over a 'fast' Mohawk course in Race 10, the second-last dash of the morning session.
Jody Jamieson lined the Carl Jamieson trainee up to Post 7 for the seven-horse tilt. Battling in a :28.3 opening quarter, Warrawee Needy dueled with Regally Blond (driven by Randy Waples) into the opening turn. Regally Blond clicked off the opening stanza before Jamieson and his mount cleared to the lead in the second panel. Jamieson and the three-year-old son of E Dees Cam paced down to the half-mile indicator and froze the timer in :57.3.
Warrawee Needy began to open up lengths on the final turn, as he and Jamieson had a four-length lead by the time they stopped the three-quarters clock in 1:26.1. The lead was five and half lengths at the head of the lane, and the duo continued to open up daylight the rest of the way home.
Completing their mile with a :27.4 final quarter, Jamieson and Warrawee Needy recorded a nine and a quarter-length victory in 1:54.
Race 2 saw 2011 NA Cup victor Up The Credit record his second qualifying mile of the season. After leaving Post 8, the Jody Jamieson-driven and Carl Jamieson-trained son of Western Terror paced to a wire-to-wire, three and a quarter-length score in 1:55.2. The millionaire cut the opening quarter in :29.3 and paced down to the half-mile marker in 1:00.1. Up The Credit finished his mile with a :55.1 back half, capped off by a :26.3 final quarter.
Race 2 also saw the 2012 charted debut of the Tony O'Sullivan-trained The Panderosa colt Alsace Hanover. Driven by Scott Zeron, Alsace Hanover started from Post 4 and got away fifth. He took a cone-skimming trip and finished fifth in the mile. Alsace Hanover was individually timed in 1:57.1 and paced a :26.4 final quarter.
O'Brien Award winner China Pearls continued to prep for her 2012 campaign in Race 7, as the four-year-old Kadabra mare made her third qualifying effort of the season for trainer Carman Hie and driver Randy Waples. After having fired out from Post 3, the career winner of $511,905 made every pole a winning one, as she diced the fractions in :29.1, :58.3 and 1:27.1 before trotting home with a :27.2 final quarter. The winning time was a solid 1:54.3 and the margin of victory was two lengths.
Race 7 also saw the 2012 charted debut of the Tom Durand-trained Whiskey Tax, who finished second to Broad Bahn in the 2011 Hambletonian. With pilot Jack Moiseyev calling the shots from Post 4, the Revenue S gelding settled along the pylons in the six hole before fanning out heading into the lane. Whiskey Tax closed with a :27.1 final quarter in the mile, finished fourth, and was individually clocked in 1:56.
To view the qualifying results from Thursday at Mohawk, click the following link: Thursday Results - Mohawk Racetrack (Qualifiers).