The only thing as good as Maven’s finish last year is her start this year.
The four-year-old ended 2012 with two straight wins, taking the American National Stakes and Breeders Crown. She has started this year with two more wins, claiming the opening round of the Miss Versatility Series by setting the Woodbine track record and equalling the Canadian record of 1:52 for the fastest mile ever by a trotting mare. That was followed by a first in her Armbro Flight Stakes elimination.
Thus, Maven has won four straight entering Saturday’s Armbro Flight final at Mohawk Racetrack. She starts from post three and is the even-money favourite on the morning line.
“She couldn’t be coming into the race any sharper,” said Yannick Gingras, who has driven Maven in all but four of her 28 career races. “She’s been really good and came back real strong this year. That makes my job real easy.”
Trained by Jonas Czernyson, Maven won eight of 15 races and earned $758,680 last year. She also won the Moni Maker Stakes and was second to Check Me Out in the Elegantimage Stakes, Bluegrass Stakes and Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championship.
There is always some uncertainty when a horse returns after a big year, but Maven has not missed a beat.
“You never know, she finished up the year really well so you always hope they’ll come back strong, if not stronger,” Gingras said. “Some of them do, some of them don’t, but thankfully she’s one of them that did.
“She’s done everything I’ve asked of her so far. This weekend many people would argue she is the horse to beat in the final.”
For her career, Maven has won 17 races and $946,774 by pretty much coming from behind. That hasn’t changed.
“She’s pretty much the same as when she was a filly last year, maybe a little bit stronger,” Gingras said. “She likes to chase the horses. You give her a target within striking range down the stretch and she’ll always give you a good run.
“She did it last year and so far this year she’s done the same. Obviously she can go a little faster this year. In the elimination last week she overcame three-deep early and still won the race. Maybe she wouldn’t have done that last year. As far as her manners and stuff like that she’s the same.”
The driver did note that she has gotten a little more playful this year, but once the race starts, “She’s all business.”
“You couldn’t ask for a nicer horse to drive,” he said. “Once you put her behind the gate she wants to go to work.”
While making the jump from a three to a four-year-old is usually a tough transition, Gingras feels Maven and her nemesis will have few problems with that.
“When you have fillies like her and Check Me Out, who was exceptional last year as well, most of the time they can handle the jump up,” Gingras said. “If you put them racing against a mare last year they wouldn’t have dominated but they would have done quite well. I’m definitely not shocked that she can handle the mares. I think she was an exceptional filly and nothing shocks me from her.”
That dependability was not as apparent two years ago, when maturity issues held Maven back.
“I always thought from the time she was two she had the ability,” Gingras said. “But having the ability and putting it together are two different things. She showed flashes of talent here and there, but she wasn’t as consistent. When she came back at three you could tell she was a different filly.
“As a two-year-old she was definitely immature, but as a three and four-year-old she’s as consistent as they come. A couple times she didn’t win a race, but it wasn’t from a lack of effort. Obviously, this year we’ve won every time. It’s very hard for any horse to go undefeated now. But she’s done what she has to do so far and pretty handily too. I haven’t really asked her for that much yet. She still has some left.”
Gingras feels that her speed, which he quickly noted isn’t everything, is a big asset. Maven also allows Yannick to take control and doesn’t try to fight it.
“That’s a big thing,” he said. “She’s definitely a horse that prefers to start off from the back. Wanting to race that way definitely doesn’t hurt her.”
Maven will face a deeper talent pool this year competing in the mare division.
“Last year it was me and Check Me Out most of the time,” Gingras said. “You’ve got to race her a little harder because you can’t let Check Me Out get away from you. Obviously, she was always in the front and we would try to track her down. As a four-year-old now there are more horses that belong in the race. It’s not a two-horse race anymore.”
But it hasn’t stopped Maven from starting this season the way she finished last -- as a winner.
Here is a lookat the Armbro Flight field in post position order with listed drivers and trainers:
1. Intense America, Sylvain Filion, Rene Dion
2. Personal Style, David Miller, Nifty Norman
3. Maven, Yannick Gingras, Jonas Czernyson
4. Smarty Pants, Scott Zeron, Per Henriksen
5. Cedar Dove, Ron Pierce, Mike Vanderkemp
6. China Pearls, Randy Waples, Carman Hie
7. Daylon Miracle, David Wall, David Lemon
8. Unefoisdansmavie, Tim Tetrick, Ron Burke
9. Mystical Starlight, Jody Jamieson, Tony O’Sullivan
10. Bax Of Life, Chris Christoforou, Jerry Duford
To view the harness racing entries for Saturday at Mohawk, click the following link: Saturday Entries - Mohawk Racetrack.
For free, printable program pages for Pepsi North America Cup Night courtesy of TrackIT, click here.
First-race post time for Saturday's card is 7:05 p.m. The $1-million Pepsi North America Cup has been carded as Race 7.
The Woodbine Entertainment Group has signed a deal with Sportsnet to air the NA Cup on The Score. The one-hour broadcast, a joint production between WEG and Sportsnet, is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. (EDT). It will be the first time that a standardbred race will be shot and aired live in high-definition (HD) in Canada.
Pepsi North America Cup night will not only feature some of, if not the best harness racing in Canada this year, but also loads of contests, draws, music and entertainment for fans on track at Mohawk.
Every customer can register on site for a free $2 bet. There will be free commemorative NA Cup posters given away and you can have it signed at the driver’s autograph session from 6:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
There will be a draw for the Pepsi Best Seats at the Track and you can take the Pepsi Taste Challenge for a chance to win a BBQ set valued at $2,000.
Visit Labatt’s Beerville to play great games and win cool prizes.
There will be a $100,000 guaranteed Early Pick 4, and HPI members will receive four times the HPI points when you wager on Mohawk at Mohawk on Pepsi NA Cup night.
This story courtesy of Harness Racing Communications, a division of the U.S. Trotting Association. For more information, visit www.ustrotting.com.