Sportswriter To See Action On Another Mammoth Qualifying Day

Published: May 5, 2010 02:31 pm EDT

O'Brien Award winner Sportswriter has been entered to make his 2010 charted debut during Thursday's qualifying session at Mohawk Racetrack, and trainer Casie Coleman has discussed the standout

Artsplace colt heading in.

"I'm going to qualify him twice," the three-time O'Brien Award-winning trainer said in an interview with the Woodbine Entertainment Group this past weekend. "I'm probably going to go around (1:) 55 or so with him this Thursday. I trained him at the farm the other day in (1:) 55.4, home in 27 (seconds) and he was awesome."

Coleman's stable star will start from Post 8 in Race 9 during Mohawk's 10-dash docket, which will get underway at 10:00 a.m.

Sportswriter, winner of the $1 million Metro Pace last season, captured divisions of the Nassagaweya and Champlain Stakes in his freshman campaign, but it was his gutsy head loss in the $720,860 Breeders Crown to All Speed Hanover which showed many that he has the will of a champion.

Off his '09 campaign, Sportswriter was installed as the 3-1 choice in Trot Magazine's 2010 Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book.

2009 Breeders Crown 2yoCT (All Speed Hanover)

In terms of the way Sportswriter came back, Coleman said that things have been pretty much fine, despite a very brief sickness.

"He did get sick once which lasted 24 hours," Coleman explained. "I'm going to say it was January, late January. He spiked a temperature and came right out of it after 24 hours. Since then, knock on wood, he's been great, so hopefully we drive on from here on in."

Sportswriter will be in with no less than three other NA Cup eligibles, as Red Bugler (25-1 in Spring Book), OK Commander (32-1 in Spring Book) and Stonebridge Tonic (80-1 in Spring Book) will all contest Race 9

'Cup' eligibles will also be putting in miles during Race 1 and 3, as Haul Away (42-1 in Spring Book) will contest the former and Keystone Raptor (45-1 in Spring Book) the latter.

Millionaires Our Lucky Killean (Race 10), To Helen Back (Race 7) and Silent Swing (Race 7) will also be qualifying during the session.

Western Silk (Race 1), You See LA (Race 3), Ticket To Rock, Bay Girl (Race 5), Future Million (Race 5), Grin For Money (Race 5) and Text Me (Race 6) are also scheduled to be putting in miles.

To view the entries for Mohawk's qualifying session, click here.

The Meadowlands Racetrack has also assembled a Thursday qualifying session full of stars once again, as 15 races are set to tour the East Rutherford, New Jersey oval.

The standout three-year-old Muscle Yankee filly Costa Rica will be making her second qualifying mile of the season in Race 4 for driver Ron Pierce and trainer Jimmy Takter.

Three-year-old Andover Hall filly Spicy Wings will be making her second qualifying mile of the season in Race 6 for driver John Campbell and trainer Jeffrey Webster.

Race 12 will see three of the top 10 selections in Trot Magazine's 2010 Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book square off. Code Word (48-1 in Spring Book), a Western Terror colt trained by Erv Miller, will be putting in his second charted line of the season and will be partnered with Andy Miller. Rocknroll Hanover colt Woodstock (22-1 in Spring Book) will be making his seasonal charted debut for trainer Noel Daley and driver Tim Tetrick. Rocknroll Hanover colt Rockin Image (20-1 in Spring Book) will be putting in his second qualifying mile of the year for driver John Campbell and trainer Jimmy Takter. Cams Card Shark colt All Speed Hanover (6-1 in Spring Book) will be making his seasonal charted debut for trainer Noel Daley and driver Ron Pierce. Red River Hanover colt Zarachino will also be putting in his second 2010 qualifier for trainer Bart Dallious and driver David Miller.

Off a tremendous $1.3 million three-year-old campaign, Jimmy Takter's Vintage Master will be making his seasonal charted debut. The son of Western Ideal will be paired with driver Dan Dube.

Down Under pacing phenom Auckland Reactor will be putting in his second-ever qualifying mile on North America soil in Race 15. Kelvin Harrison trains the six-year-old son of Mach Three and Brian Sears drives.

To view the entries for the Meadowlands' qualifying session, click here.

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