On Saturday morning at Mohawk Racetrack, all eyes will be watching for the future stars of harness racing as 11 sets of two-year-olds head to the gate
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Seven groups of pacers are set to make their on-track debuts, with eight of the freshmen sired by Camluck - leading all stallions. Among first crop pacing stallions, Ponder has two rookies in to go.
The highest priced pacing freshman set to start is Up The Credit, a Western Terror colt from the Pacific Rocket mare Canbuymehappiness. Sold at Lexington for $72,000, Up The Credit has Post 7 in the seventh qualifier for owner-trainer Carl Jamieson who shares partnership with Brian Paquet, Tom Kyron and Joanne Morrison.
Dancin Darlin topped the second session of the 2009 Canadian Open at $140,000, and the well-bred trotting daughter of Angus Hall - Dance To Market will make her qualifying attempt in Race 4 from Post 2 for trainer John Kopas, driver Jack Moiseyev and Ontario-based owners Mel Hartman, Doug Millard, LLK Stable and KR Stable.
The half-sister to the O'Brien Award winning two-year-old Il Villaggio is the highest priced yearling on the qualifying docket.
Here Comes Herbie tops all first crop trotting stallions with five freshman on the ledger. His highest priced yearling colt from last Fall was Mister Herbie, who will start from Post 5 in the sixth split of the morning. Sold at the 2009 Canadian Open, Mister Herbie was purchased for $67,000 by Tom Kyron and trainer Carl Jamieson.
Widely known as a developer of early speed, Mister Herbie is one of ten two-year-olds entered for Jamieson on Saturday's qualifying session. That total, however, is not the most for one trainer. James MacDonald will bring in 11 rookies, while Jim Ainsworth is hoping to qualify eight.
Winbak Farm is well represented through stallion Angus Hall, who boasts six freshman entered and that total is tops among trotting stallions. On the breeding side, both Winbak and Seelster Farms bred seven of the rookies in to go.
To view the TrackIT entries for Saturday's qualifiers at Mohawk, click here.