"I thought he had a real good trip out of it. He raced a quarter of a mile so he's not going in spent."
Jim King Jr., husband of trainer Joann Looney-King, discussed 2015 North America Cup starter Wakizashi Hanover with Trot Insider at the post draw on Tuesday, June 16. The $1 million final will be contested on Saturday, June 20 at Mohawk Racetrack.
The Dragon Again-Western Gesture gelding won his elimination with a :25.3 final kicker over divisional champion Artspeak in 1:49.2. As an elimination winner, his connections were able to choose their post position for Canada's richest race. Wakizashi Hanover will be leaving from post two with Tim Tetrick driving for the Tri County Stable of Truro, N.S.
To view the entries for Saturday's card at Mohawk or a free program for Mohawk’s Saturday card, courtesy of TrackIT, click on one of the following links: Saturday Entries -- Saturday Program Pages.
The Pepsi North America Cup is the centerpiece of Mohawk’s fantastic Saturday card of racing that will also feature the $479,000 final of the Fan Hanover Stakes (which will showcase three-year-old pacing fillies), the $350,000 final of the Roses Are Red (pacing mares), the $272,000 final of the Armbro Flight (trotting mares), the $233,000 final of the Goodtimes Stakes (three-year-old trotting colts), the $100,000 Mohawk Gold Cup (invitational pacers) and the $75,000 North America Cup consolation.
TSN1 will televise the Cup final on Saturday. The race will also be featured on Sirius XM satellite radio during an edition of the ‘Saturday Night at the Races’ series. First-race post time for Mohawk’s Saturday card of racing is 6:30 p.m. The NA Cup has been slotted as Race 12 on the 15-dash card and has an approximate post time of 10:40 p.m.