There are bios on Pepsi North America Cup starters, and then there are bios on NA Cup starters done by the Meadowlands Racetrack's resident statistician
Bob 'Hollywood' Heyden.
Heyden has examined the 'Cup' starters the way only he can.
• Made his Mohawk Racetrack debut in his elimination.
• His sire, Cams Card Shark, is looking to join Jate Lobell as winners of the NA Cup who have sired multiple winners themselves. Bettors Delight won the NA Cup in 2001 (a son of Cams Card Shark). Jate Lobell, the 1987 Cup winner, has had three sons emerge victorious.
• Noel Daley -- If All Speed Hanover wins, Daley would be the 11th consecutive different trainer to win the NA Cup. Ironically, Daley's last boss, Brett Pelling, is the last repeat winning trainer (1999, The Panderosa; 2005, Rocknroll Hanover).
• Pierce will be looking to join John Campbell as the only two drivers to win the North America Cup back to back (Campbell turned the trick from 1994 to 1997).
• Will it be two straight NA Cup wins for trainer Steve Elliott? Well Said set the stakes record last year via his victory in 1:48.1.
• Art Professor's sire, Art Major (who was a three-year-old in 2002 and banked $1,879,837) is the richest three-year-old ever that did not race in either the Meadowlands Pace or the NA Cup.
• Art Professor is the only finalist in this year's NA Cup that has less than 10 starts lifetime (7 2-1-0).
• Art Professor drew in via a random draw of those that finished fourth in their NA Cup elims.
• George Teague, Jr. is looking to become a repeat NA Cup-winning trainer. He won the 2006 edition with Total Truth.
• Delmarvalous is 0-6 lifetime at Mohawk.
• Elmer Fannin is a part owner of Delmarvalous. He was also part owner of the biggest upset in Breeders Crown history (75-1, Kadealia, 2008).
• Brett Pelling is the last trainer to win the NA Cup twice (1999 and 2005)
• Four starts so far for Delmarvalous in 2010 and he has had four different drivers
• five of the last seven NA Cups have been won by non-Canadian-born drivers.
• Delmarvalous was bred by Winbak Farms, who bred last year's Horse of the Year, Muscle Hill, 2004 US HOY winner Rainbow Blue, as well as the only Triple Crown/Breeders Crown winner and US HOY No Pan Intended, plus Vivid Photo.
• After finishing second in the Berry's Creek, Fred And Ginger posted three straight lifetime marks (1:50.4, 1:49.4, 1:48.4), improving a second each time until he posted an all-time record for a three-year-old at the Meadows in 1:48.4.
• Real Artist (Fred And Ginger's sire) sired Southwind Lynx, who in 2007 twice won a million-dollar event (Art Rooney and the Meadowlands Pace).
• Fred And Ginger's driver, Dave Palone, is looking for his first million-dollar win. Of the Top 6 dash-winning drivers of all-time, only Cat Manzi has won a million-dollar event, and he's done it twice, including his richest win, the 2004 NA Cup, with Mantacular.
• The horse's trainer, Ron Burke, also looking for his initial million-dollar score.
• Jody Jamieson is the youngest driver to ever win a race valued at over $1.3 million (19 such races in harness racing history). He turned the trick in the 2007 NA Cup with Tell All when he was 30 years of age.
• Kyle Major's sire, Art Major, produced Santanna Blue Chip, who proved to be a force for 'Team Jamieson.'
• The colt's breeder/owner, Bob Hamather, is looking to win his biggest race with Kyle Major. He campaigned HOY and World Record-setting Staying Together in 1993 (1:48.2).
• The last five winning drivers of the NA Cup are all here in 2010.
• Will be part of the first-ever matchup of sub-1:50 two-year-olds in one race. He set his mark of 1:49.2 in the Governor's Cup. Sportswriter got his sub-1:50 mark in last year's edition of the Metro Pace.
• It has been 18 years since the colt's trainer, Ray Schnittker, raced in the NA Cup.
• Schnittker looks to join Blair Burgess and Steve Elliott as the only three trainers in history to win the NA Cup and the Hambletonian.
• One More Laugh has won 11 of his 16 lifetime starts. Only five horses in the field have won 50% of their career starts.
• McArdle was a stablemate to Art Major until late July of their three-year-old seasons (2002). Together they both have sons in the 2010 NA Cup final.
• Matt Meinzinger is part owner of One More Laugh. He had the 1998 NA Cup favourite, Sealed N Delivered.
• Paul MacDonell, Piece Of The Rock's driver, won the NA Cup in 2008 with Somebeachsomewhere.
• Piece Of The Rock's sire, Rocknroll Hanover, was history's first-ever sub-1:50 two-year-old (1:49.4, 2004 Metro Pace).
• Piece Of The Rock is from the first three-year-old crop of Rocknroll Hanover. Real Desire's first three-year-old crop (which was in 2007) yielded NA Cup winner Tell All.
• The gelding angle: Gallo Blue Chip was a gelding and won the 2000 NA Cup en route to HOY honours.
• Overdue? Piece Of The Rock's trainer, Bob Young, entered the elims just 2 for 57 during the Mohawk meet, but his charges have finished in the money 22 times.
• Paul MacDonell will try and win the NA Cup for the second time in three years. Only John Campbell has done that prior.
• John Campbell has picked up the drive (for an injured Dan Dube). Campbell will be going for his seventh NA Cup (he has also won six Hambletonians and seven Meadowlands Paces). A win would give him 20 wins in just those three events.
• Rock N Roll Heaven is one of five finalists that holds a lifetime winning percentage over 50%.
• Eight New Jersey-breds have won the NA Cup and three went on to be Horse of the Year.
• How important is winning the North America Cup? Only once in 26 years has a colt lost the NA Cup and still been named US Horse of the Year (1990, Beach Towel).
• Rocknroll Hanover dominated in this race in 2005, his first crop are now three-year-olds.
• Rock N Roll heaven's dam, Artistic Vision, is a three-time series final winner at the Meadowlands.
• Trainer Bruce Saunders is looking for his first $1 million victory.
• From the final crop of Artsplace, who has never sired the NA Cup winner.
• Final crops? Cam Fella's yielded Eternal Camnation and Balanced Image's had Arch Madness.
• The only finalist who hasn't ever left Canada.
• Sportswriter went six-for-six at Mohawk at two. So far this year at the Campbellville oval, Sportswriter is winless in three races.
• History's first ever matchup of sub-1:50 two-year-olds (Sportswriter and One More Laugh). A two-year-old has won a race in sub-1:50 five times in history, but 2009 was the only time it happened twice.
• Casie Coleman was second in the NA Cup last year, also with a son of Artsplace, Art Colony.
• Casie Coleman, who turned 30 on June 13, recently had horses from her operation toppled the $25 million mark in career purse earnings.
• Sam DePinto was in the 2003 NA Cup dead-heat for second with Artesian, who was from the first three-year-old crop of Artiscape
• Western Hanover, We Will See's sire, is tied with Cam Fella with four NA Cup wins. He's looking for his second straight after Well Said's 2009 romp.
• We Will See won his first race of the year in his Cup elimination.
• Sam DePinto's wife, Shannon, is a part owner of We Will See. Together they've been helping George Berkner with the NJ Classic winner B Gs Folly.
• No 'Miller' has ever won a million-dollar pacing event (Dave, Brett, Andy or Del).