Metro Pace champion Captains Quarters has set sail on his journey towards another Canadian classic as the North America Cup eligible colt won his qualifier on Monday, May 6 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Monday morning's five-pack of qualifiers got underway after an hour delay with three-year-old pacing colt Captains Quarters lining up behind the gate in the second race looking for a clean trip after hooking wheels with another starter in his season's qualifying debut a week ago.
With regular reinsman Jody Jamieson righting the ship, Captains Quarters floated out ahead of three other sophomore colts to lead the quartet through fractions of :29.4, :59.2 and 1:26.4 en route to a 1:53 victory. Matching the winner's :26.1 final quarter speed, multiple Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots winner Like A Glove and Nassagaweya Stakes runner-up Calicojack Hanover, both also eligible to the Cup, followed in line with Bettin Again lagging the group through the stretch.
Trained by Herbie Holland, the Captaintreacherous-Prescient Beauty colt put together a 2-1-2 rookie record last year from five starts, which included a pair of top three finishes in divisions of the Nassagaweya and Champlain Stakes. His 1:49.3 victory in the $970,000 Metro Pace capped off the season, boosting his bankroll over the half million-dollar mark for Michigan owner Rich Stiles and earned him an O'Brien Award nomination.
Captains Quarters has been assessed as the 8-1 fourth choice in TROT Magazine's Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book. He is also eligible to the preceding Somebeachsomewhere Stakes.
Jamieson also drove four-year-old pacing mare Sweet Amira for her second qualifier of the season, prevailing off a pocket trip in an 8-1/2-length romp in 1:53.3. A Pennsylvania Sire Stakes winner with more than a quarter of a million dollars in earnings, the daughter of Sweet Lou out of Bolt Of Thunder is trained by Chantal Mitchell for Michigan owners Lindsey and Connie Rankin. She is eligible to the Roses Are Red and Milton Stakes at Mohawk.
Three-year-old filly Tactical Strike was the morning's fastest winner on the trot in her season's qualifying debut, scoring in 1:56.3 with a :28.1 final frame for driver/owner Gino Toscani and trainer Desiree Jones. The Tactical Landing-Sorceress Seelster filly remains eligible to late summer Grand Circuit stakes at Mohawk, including the Casual Breeze, Simcoe and Elegantimage. Two-time OSS-winning gelding Indy Be Quick finished 1-1/2 lengths behind.
A replay of the Woodbine video stream is available below.
For complete results from the qualifying session, click the following link: Monday Results (Qualifiers) - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
(Standardbred Canada; Photo fo Captains Quarters winning the 2023 Metro Pace)