Pepsi North America Cup eliminations are on the horizon, and many of the million-dollar race’s top prospects will be in competition on Saturday night (June 3) at Woodbine Mohawk Park, which will also attract older horses for other stakes preliminaries.
The Somebeachsomewhere Stakes drew three $75,000 divisions with 23 entrants total. They go as Race 3, Race 7 and Race 9 on the 11-race card.
Division one pins Tan Micallef’s upstart Control The Moment gelding No Control against seven rivals. Tyler Jones has the drive from Post 2 behind the winner of the Ontario Spring Series and the winner of six races from seven starts. Metro Pace third-place finisher Ace Of Aces starts from Post 8 against No Control in a field which also includes Pennsylvania Sire Stakes frosh champ Fulton, who will have Dexter Dunn at the reins for conditioner Linda Toscano from Post 6.
Governor’s Cup breakout El Rey will make his second start of his sophomore campaign in the second division following a runner-up finish at The Meadowlands on May 20. Scott Zeron steers the Tony Alagna trainee from Post 2 in a field which also features freshman Pennsylvania Sires Stakes runner-up Annapolis Hanover from Post 6 with David Miller in the bike, Nancy Takter’s developing gelding Ants Marching from Post 4 with Yannick Gingras driving and freshman Ontario Sires Stakes finalist Write Me A Rose, who enters off a 1:51.2 victory in the $136,800 Ontario SBOA Stakes on May 20.
Dan Patch and O'Brien Award winner Stockade Seelster will try to build off a second-place finish in the SBOA Stakes when he starts from Post 4 in the third Somebeachsomewhere division. Jody Jamieson retains the drive on the Dr. Ian Moore pupil who sits under $50,000 from millionaire status. Moment Is Here, a Bob McIntosh pupil starting from Post 5, will also look to build upon a 1:49 annihilation of overnight company at Mohawk last Saturday. Leading driver James MacDonald will stay in the bike.
Saturday night will also open the Graduate Series for both pacing and trotting four-year-olds, with two divisions on the pace and one on the trot.
In the $99,750 trot division of the Graduate Series, Ake Svanstedt mare Jiggy Jog S will spar with five male rivals, including Canadian Trotting Classic winner Slay and Hambletonian finalist last year Looks Like Moni. Dexter Dunn stays in the bike on Jiggy Jog S and will start from Post 2.
Juravinski Memorial Cup champ Fourever Boy lands Post 4 in the first division of the Graduate Pace. The Tim Twaddle trainee will compete against seven rivals including Post 2 starter Stonebridge Helios, who has moved to the Ake Svanstedt stable for his four-year-old season.
Division two for the Graduate pacers gathers a strong contingent including Messenger Pace winner Pleaseletmeknow from Post 1, third-place finisher in last year’s North America Cup Frozen Hanover from Post 2, Ontario Graduate Series champ Cold Creek Queso from Post 3 and Juravinski Memorial elimination winner Birthday from Post 5. A field of seven goes postward.
The second leg of the Miss Versatility Series also goes on Saturday. Mark Etsell’s darling Adare Castle scores from Post 7 against a group which features quirky speedster Warrawee Xenia from Post 1, Indiana star M Ms Dream from Post 2 as she makes her debut for trainer Ron Burke and Elegantimage winner Raised By Lindy from Post 4.
Saturday’s card also features a $32,000 Fillies and Mares Preferred Pace and a $48,000 Free For All Handicap Pace as eliminations loom for the Milton Pace and invitations ready for handing out for the Mohawk Gold Cup. The Fillies and Mares Preferred goes as Race 1 and the Free For All Handicap Pace will be Race 10.
To view Saturday’s harness racing entries, click one of the following links: Woodbine Mohawk Park -- Saturday Entries || Saturday Program Pages (courtesy TrackIT).
Miss Versatility
I don't understand why there's a Miss Versatility series for trotting mares but not one for pacing mares. Pacing is much more popular in North America than trotting. Why are pacing distaffers receiving the short end of the stick?