In addition to a trio of high-powered Pepsi North America Cup eliminations for the glamour boys, Woodbine Mohawk Park will play host to several of the sport's biggest names this weekend as those horses compete in elimination races for lucrative stakes finals slated for the Cup undercard on Saturday, June 14.
A pair of $35,000 eliminations for the Fan Hanover (Grade 1) will be needed for three-year-old pacing fillies on Saturday, June 7, with the undefeated Canadian champion filly, Chantilly, and last year's top filly in the states, Miki And Minnie, headlining the two elims (Races 2 and 3).
Miki And Minnie (PP5, Dexter Dunn) gets top billing in the first elim, making the second start of her three-year-old campaign after winning against PA All-Star competition on May 12. Trained by Chris Ryder, the daughter of Always B Miki-Thats The Ticket went on a tear to end her freshman year, winning five of her last six including the Kentucky Sire Stakes final, a Bluegrass Stakes division, Breeders Crown and Three Diamonds.
Chantilly (PP1, James MacDonald) heads the second elimination, picking up where she left off a year ago and remaining perfect through two starts this season for trainer Nick Gallucci. The O'Brien Award-winning daughter of Big Jim-Shiraz Seelster enters off a career-best 1:49.4 score against Ontario Sires Stakes Gold company on May 24 and returns off a nine-for-nine rookie campaign, which included victories in the Shes A Great Lady and OSS Gold Super Final.
Chantilly will be joined in the second elim by fellow O'Brien Award finalist Wickedpace (PP2, Jody Jamieson), Rodeo Drive Deo (PP3, Dave Miller), who has won two of three on the year, and last year's New York Sire Stakes champion and Breeders Crown runner-up The Last Martini (PP5, Doug McNair).
On Friday, June 6, the trotters will take centre stage, with a pair of eliminations each for the Armbro Flight and Goodtimes featured on the card.
In the first of two $35,000 elims for the Armbro Flight, a pair of Ake Svanstedt trainees will look to secure their spot in the $233,000 Grade 1 final.
Dial Square S (PP5, Ake Svanstedt) enters Friday's second race off a victory in her North American debut in the opening leg of the Miss Versatility Series at The Meadowlands, while her stablemate Nelsonbriteagle NO (PP3, James MacDonald) looks to get on the board this season having won the Miss Versatility and FanDuel finals a season ago.
Meanwhile, M Ms Dream (PP1, MacDonald also listed) returns having finished second in this race a year ago and needing a top-two finish in her elim to go over the $2 million plateau.
The second elim — Friday's seventh race — sports a stacked field of seven, including defending champion of this race, Call Me Goo (PP3, Ake Svanstedt) making her five-year-old debut. The 2024 O'Brien Award winner will be joined by Elista Hanover (PP1, Dave Miller), who finished second in the first leg of the Miss Versatility, along with Drawn Impression (PP2, Louis-Philippe Roy), who will be making her four-year-old debut.
Two $30,000 eliminations will be contested for the Goodtimes (Grade 2) with seven three-year-old trotting colts in each vying to reach the $225,000 final.
P L Spencer (PP1, Bob McClure) will lead the first elim from the rail in the fourth race, having won three of five this season including against local Gold company last out. He'll be joined by Galen Erso (PP3, Doug McNair), who won the SBOA Colt Trot final on May 17.
The second elimination, Friday's ninth race, features the 2024 Indiana Sire Stakes champion, Eugene The Genius (PP4, James MacDonald), who was third behind Maryland in last year's Peter Haughton, in addition to Emoticon Legacy, who makes his three-year-old debut following a 1:54.3 qualifying victory on June 2 and won four of seven last season at two.
No eliminations were needed for the $287,000 Roses Are Red (Grade 1) for pacing mares, headlined by reigning U.S. Horse of the Year, Twin B Joe Fresh making the trek to Canada following her romp in the Betsy Ross at Harrah's Philadelphia in her five-year-old debut. She's one of eight mares slated to compete.
The field for the Roses Are Red is listed below in alphabetical order.
- Aardie B Miki N
- Blue Pacific
- My Girl EJ
- Odds On Platinum
- Soft Shot
- Sylvia Hanover
- Twin B Joe Fresh
- Valar Dohaeris
First post time for both Friday and Saturday is 6:35 p.m. To view full fields for Friday and Saturday at Mohawk, click one of the following links:
- Friday Entries // Friday Program Pages (courtesy TrackIT)
- Saturday Entries // Saturday Program Pages (courtesy TrackIT)
(Standardbred Canada)
More on Chantilly
Besides what I wrote about her earlier this week, I can't believe that Chantilly's morning line odds in the TrackIT program are 6-5. I don't think that there's any chance whatsoever that for her fifth race in a row, she won't go off at 1-20. And since it's a 6-horse field, there won't be show OR PLACE betting allowed on the race.