According to Meadowlands Racetrack Statistician Bob 'Hollywood' Heyden, the number 'five' seems to be the operative digit for this year's edition of the Pepsi North America Cup
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Heyden would like you to consider that:
• FIVE times in history a two-year-old has won in sub-1:50 for the first time, two will meet up in the NA Cup (Sportswriter and One More Laugh).
• FIVE years since Rocknroll Hanover dominated in the NA Cup -- now his sons take a shot at giving him a first-crop credit in the year's richest pacing pot (Piece Of The Rock, Rock N Roll Heaven).
• FIVE straight winners of the North America Cup have been named Pacer of the Year in the United States (Rock N Roll Hanover, Total Truth, Tell All, Somebeachsomewhere, Well Said), which is amazing considering that only three of the 21 winners prior to that were.
• FIVE -- the last five winning drivers in the North America Cup will all be contesting the 2010 edition of the Cup (Ron Pierce [twice], Jody Jamieson, Brian Sears, Paul MacDonnell).
• FIVE times the winning driver in the North America Cup has been past his 50th birthday. It appears that this year the two favourites are going to be handled by John Campbell (55) and Ron Pierce (54).
Heyden has also compiled some little-known tidbits for Saturday's undercard.
Fan Hanover Stakes
• This is the 28th year the stakes event has been raced.
• US Horse of the Year Rainbow Blue won in 2004; Eternal Camnation won in 2000 and went on to be the richest female pacer in history.
• 1:50 stakes record is currently held by Not Enough, who lowered it in 2009.
• Tim Tetrick will try and become the first driver ever to win this back to back (he will be driving Put On A Show).
• Mark Capone will be sending out A And Gs Princess this Saturday. Another A And Gs Confusion World Record setter?
• Fancy Filly, who will be contesting the dash, is five-for-five at Mohawk.
• Walter Whelan, who won the 1987 Breeders Crown with Armbro Emerson, resurfaces with Brushstrokes.
• Chris Ryder, trainer of Put On A Show, won the Fan Hanover in 2001 with Cathedra Dot Com.
• Driver Brian Sears, who will be steering Fancy Filly, won the Fan Hanover in 2006 with Cabrini Hanover.
• There has never been a sub-1:50 mile in the Fan Hanover Stakes.
Elegantimage Stakes
• This will be the 11th year the stakes event has been raced.
• Jimmy Takter is the only three-time-winning trainer in the Elegantimage.
• Chris Ryder is the only Down Under trainer to win this (2004, Mystical Sunshine). Can trainer Richard 'Nifty' Norman turn the trick this year with Poof Shes Gone?
• Six of the 10 finals have gone in under 1:55. The stakes mark is 1:54.2.
• Paul MacDonnell is the only repeat-winning driver.
• Is this a Hambo Oaks preview? In a word, no. Just once has a filly won both (2003, Southwind Allaire).
• Name brand winners include Casual Breeze, Mystical Sunshine, Pampered Princess and Lantern Kronos.
Goodtimes Stakes
• This is the seventh year the stakes event will be contested.
• Named for the iron-tough son of Balanced Image that won over $2 million and took his lifetime mark at age eight.
• Windsongs Legacy won the first edition (2004) and is the only Goodtimes winner to also capture the Hambletonian.
• Hambo favourite Classic Photo won the Goodtimes in 2005.
• Trevor Ritchie is the only two-time winning driver in the Goodtimes.
• Federal Flex just did hang on last year as the prohibitive favourite.
• The first three Goodtimes finals went faster than the last three.