Won The West Equals Canadian Record On Cup Undercard

Won The West turned in a sizzling 1:47.2 performance equalling the fastest mile in Canadian harness racing history on Saturday’s Pepsi North America Cup undercard at Mohawk Racetrack

, featuring the Elegantimage, Fan Hanover, Goodtimes Trot and Mohawk Gold Cup Invitational Pace.

Crys Dream kicked off the stakes action on Pepsi North America Cup night Saturday evening at Mohawk Racetrack with a wrapped up 1:53.2 stakes record performance in the $519,000 Elegantimage.

Longshot Eagle Canada (Doug McNair) left from the inside post position to establish early command while outside starter Lukes Sophie (Jody Jamieson) sprinted off the gate and settled into the two-hole ahead of 1-5 favourite Crys Dream and regular reinsman Luc Ouellette.

Eagle Canada carved out early fractions of :27.3 and :57.1 before Crys Dream made her move and brushed to the top. She reached the third quarter station in 1:25.3 and opened up two and a half lengths on the field en route to lowering her lifetime mark and the stakes record, held by Ultimate Cameron and Mystical Sunshine, by one-fifth of a second. Elimination winner Beatgoeson Hanover (David Miller) was second and Lady Rainbow (Rick Zeron) finished third over Lukes Sophie and Eagle Canada.

Crys Dream paid $2.70 to win. The Henrik Hollsten trainee is owned by breeder Reve Avec Moi Dreamwithme of Grand Valley, Ont. along with American partners Deo Volente Farms, T L P Stable and Jerry Silva. The daughter of Taurus Dream-Crystas Image is now a perfect four-for-four this year after winning seven of eight starts at two and being named Canada’s Two-Year-Old Trotting Filly of the Year. The lion’s share of the purse pushed her career earnings to $928,955.

Also delivering on his pari-mutuel promise, Blue Porsche captured the $347,000 Goodtimes Trot for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings giving driver Trevor Ritchie his fifth win in the stakes event.

Longshot Onirique (Luc Ouellette) took charge off the gate from Post 6 with outsiders Ice Machine (David Miller) settling into the pocket and Sim Brown (Randy Waples) parked out to the first quarter in :28-seconds.

Sim Brown cleared the lead as they moved into the backstretch while Ritchie started up 3-5 favourite Blue Porsche from seventh. Blue Porsche began to advance through fractions of :58.3 and 1:27.3 with fellow elimination winner Vc Chocoholic (Brian Sears) on his back.

Blue Porsche went head-to-head with the pacesetter at the third quarter mark and wore him down in the stretch with a :26.4 final frame to score in 1:54.2 by two lengths. Sim Brown finished second with Onirique third and VC Chocoholic fourth.

“To be honest with you, when I saw the half flash up I wasn’t real happy," commented Ritchie on the mild early fractions. "I know he [Blue Porsche] has tremendous speed so I had all the confidence in the world in him. I thought as long as I could get up reasonably close by the three-quarters mark we could beat them.

"His first start this year I raced him from the back end and I just took him to the head of the lane and beat the field of aged horses pretty handily, so I knew he had a lot of speed."

Blue Porsche paid $3.20 to win. Blair Burgess trains the career winner of $606,161 for Karin Olsson Burgess of Milton, Ont., Robert Burgess and the Blue Porsche Stable, both of Campbellville, Ont. The son of Glidemaster-Machita has prevailed in all three of his sophomore starts after winning five of nine starts during his freshman campaign and being named Canada’s Two-Year-Old Trotting Colt of the Year.

After going winless in four starts this year, Canada’s Older Pacing Horse of 2010 Won The West served notice to his aged pacing rivals that he is back and better than ever, turning in one of the fastest miles in Canadian harness racing history in the $100,000 Mohawk Gold Cup Invitational Pace.

Lisagain (Sylvain Filion) took control of the field off the gate from the inside post position with Silent Swing (Phil Hudon) wedging his way into the pocket spot and Alexie Mattosie (Paul MacDonell) parked out to the speedy :25.4 first quarter.

Alexie Mattosie eventually cleared the lead and reached the half in :53.2, but Won The West and driver David Miller swept up from fifth and within a blink of an eye opened up a five length lead on the field.

Won The West sprinted to the third quarter mark in 1:19.3 – the fastest three-quarters ever at Mohawk – and extended his lead in the stretch before stopping the clock in a sizzling 1:47.2, equalling Primetime Bobcat’s all-time Canadian record. Favourite Art Professor (Jody Jamieson) narrowed the winner's margin of victory to two and three-quarter lengths finishing second. Mach Dreamer (Rick Zeron) was third.

The time of the mile obliterated the 1:48.2 stakes record set by stablemate Foiled Again and the 1:48.1 all-time track record held by Well Said, Shark Gesture and Buckeye One.

"That was definitely an improvement," noted Miller in the winner's circle. "I wasn't going for the track record, but the horse actually raced better last week and showed signs of improvement - I know he hasn't been racing great this year - so I kind of made up my mind tonight to test him a little bit. He got a big half and when he cleared like that I just let him keep rolling and he did the rest."

Sent postward as the 3-1 second choice, Won The West paid $8.20 to win. The son of Western Hanover-Gabrielle earned the first victory of his seven-year-old campaign for trainer Ron Burke and Ohio owners Country Club Acres, the Strollin Stable and William Robinson. The winner of 33 races boasts $3.55 million in career earnings.

See You At Peelers extended her undefeated win streak to 18 with a 1:50 stakes record equalling performance in the $601,000 Fan Hanover for three-year-old pacing fillies.

Idyllic (David Miller) fired to command from the outside Post 10 off the gate, but gave way to elimination winner See You At Peelers and driver Brian Sears at the :27.2 opening quarter mark.

The heavy 1-5 favourite carved out middle splits of :55.3 and 1:23.2 with Krispy Apple (Tim Tetrick) advancing from third to apply first over pressure around the final turn.

See You At Peelers refused to let her perfect record be ruined and kicked away in the stretch with a :26.3 final frame to a three length victory in 1:50 flat. The time of the mile matched Not Enough's stakes record set in 2009. Krispy Apple finished second and Idyllic was third.

"She was really relaxed [once I put her on the lead]," said Sears after the victory. "She did really good at minding her own business until [Krispy Apple] came at her first over, but she was real strong and just didn't release her.

"She was kind of waiting on her a little bit," he continued. "I knew that horse was the horse to beat and she'd be coming pretty soon, but [See You At Peelers] pretty much picked it up when she heard her coming and took off from there. She's a pro, she's done it 17 times before so she knows what's going on out there. It makes my job really easy."

See You At Peelers paid $2.50 to win. She sports a perfect five-for-five record this year, which includes a victory against the boys in the Art Rooney Pace at Yonkers Raceway on June 4.

When asked how he felt See You At Peelers could do competing against the boys again in the Little Brown Jug later this year, Sears said the timing could be right.

"It's not really a stretch. The boys are knocking heads pretty good and she's been kind of beating up on the girls pretty easy. Come Jug time, hopefully the boys will be a little ragged by then."

The daughter of Bettors Delight-West Side Glory is trained by Jimmy Takter for owners John and Jim Fielding of Toronto, Ont. and breeder Christina Takter from New Jersey. Her career bankroll climbed over the $1 million mark thanks to tonight’s victory, her first stakes win in Canada.

The Tony O’Sullivan-trained Honky Tonk Woman converted from the pocket to win the $75,000 consolation in a career-best 1:50.2 with Pepsi North America Cup champion driver Jody Jamieson in the bike for the Let It Ride Stables, Mentally Stable, Robert Cooper Stables and Jerry Silva. First over challenger Tea Party Princess (Tim Tetrick) finished second and pacesetter Swinging Beauty (Doug McNair) was third.

In regular racing action, Fire On The Water wore down pacesetter Major Hottie (Chris Christoforou) to win this week's edition of $35,000 Preferred Pace by half a length in a career-best 1:49.2. Martha Maxine (Luc Ouellette) finished third. Steve Nichols trains the 2009 Cup consolation starter for owner Anthony Nichols of Omemee, Ont.

For a recap of tonight's feature event, the $1.5 million Pepsi North America Cup, click here.

For results from Saturday's harness racing card, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Mohawk Racetrack.