"That was the first time, I think, I went to the races. It was a big hoopla. Everyone was there and it was really exciting for me. That got me going back to the track."
For Mike Guerriero, watching Goalie Jeff win the 1989 Pepsi North America Cup at Greenwood Raceway as a young boy with his father and uncle got him hooked on harness racing.
But the 2014 edition of the $1 million race has the potential to top the experience from that night 25 years ago as Guerriero may find himself cheering on a horse he owns in the prestigious race.
"That race is filled with just great horses that have won or even come second or third," the co-owner of Hes Watching was quoted as saying in a Hamilton Spectator article. "It's just a great race. I don't know if I could ask for anything more in my racing career as an owner than to have a piece of that or even to be part of it.
"That's the feather in the cap," he added. "I don't know if I could ask for anything else."
After going undefeated in eight New York Sire Stakes as a two-year-old, the David Menary-trained Hes Watching earned U.S. divisional honours and was deemed the early season Spring Book favourite for this year's Pepsi North America Cup. Last week, Hes Watching rebounded from his first career loss in the Art Rooney eliminations by winning the fastest division of the Somebeachsomewhere Stakes (1:49.3) in advance of Saturday's eliminations for the Pepsi North America Cup.
Hes Watching has drawn post one in the third and final $50,000 elimination of the night with Jody Jamieson listed to drive. The top three finishers from each elimination, plus one fourth-place finisher (drawn by lot), will advance to the final on June 14 at Mohawk Racetrack.
To view the entries for Saturday night, click here.
For a free, printable program page of Mohawk’s Saturday card (courtesy of TrackIT), click here.