With the eliminations for the 2025 Pepsi North America Cup set for this weekend, Trot Insider continues to profile some of the race's top contenders as they aim for Canadian harness racing's most prestigious prize on Saturday, June 14.
Coming in at 27-1 odds, Papis Pistol was ranked no. 9 in TROT Magazine’s 2025 Pepsi North America Spring Book.
Coming off a rookie campaign earning $261,904 for owners Shannon DePinto, Chris Arvanitis, Anthony Perretti and Brad Shackman, Papis Pistol seemed to get stronger as the year went on. Finishing the season with a mark of 1:49.3 and total 14 starts, the son of Papi Rob Hanover-Bang Bang found the winner’s circle four times, including a dominant score in the $206,250 Kindergarten final at The Meadowlands in early November. A $95,000 yearling purchase at the Standardbred Horse Sale, Papis Pistol's freshman campaign gives his trainer Sam DePinto plenty to be excited for in advance of what could be a busy sophomore season.
Papis Pistol comes into Saturday's Cup eliminations off a fourth-place effort in his Somebeachsomewhere Stakes division. It was his lone sophomore start after a trio of qualifying efforts at The Meadowlands.
“I don’t want to race too many times prior to the North America Cup,” shared the trainer. “I’d like to go in there nice and fresh and ready to roll, heading him into that race.
“I’m trying to get him prepped for that race, because it’s a race I’ve finished second in twice throughout my lifetime," added DePinto, noting the near misses of Artesian (2003) and We Will See (2010). "I want to win that race so bad.”
It won't be easy, as Papis Pistol will vie for a top-three spot in the second Cup elimination as part of a field of eight sophomore pacers that includes local standouts Sterling Choice, Lite Up The World and Crack Shot as well as world record holder Sippinonseroc and Metro Pace champ Fallout. Trot Insider caught up with DePinto to discuss his star colt, and what he hopes to accomplish with him on June 14, and beyond.
Where did he winter for you and when did you start back with him?
"He went to Andy Miller’s farm, which is in Cream Ridge, N.J., which is about 20 minutes from Gaitway Farm. We started him back on the 1st of January."
Have you noticed any changes from last year to this year?
"His demeanor is the same, but he’s filled out a little bit… he’s more muscular this year as opposed to last year. He might've gotten a little bit taller and he’s added a little bit of weight on… He’s added about 150 pounds this year as a three-year-old. Other than that, he really hasn’t changed much."
What’s his biggest asset?
"That horse can carry his speed for more than a quarter of a mile. He can carry his speed for three-quarters of a mile, and he doesn’t need a trip to win. He’s the kind of horse that is versatile and he can do anything you ask him to do. He can come first up, come out of a whole, cut a mile, you name it."
At what point last year did you think this horse was North America Cup material?
"He acted like a nice colt when I got to 2:30 with him, but you just never know. The more I trained him and raced him, he showed me that he had a set of lungs that I’ve never seen from a horse I’ve had before. He never gets tired, which indicated that he would be this type of a horse. When you see a horse come back off of a double-header and he can’t blow out a match, that’s a little something special right there."
What were your thoughts on his Somebeachsomewhere performance?
"Coming off of three qualifiers and then going into that race, he dropped like a second and a half. He come a back half in :54.2, I think it was. I thought he raced very well.
"He came out of it almost better than he went into it."
Any equipment changes or tweaks for this Saturday after his Mohawk debut?
"I just had to readjust the head pole. Andy said the head pole was up a little too far. But other than that, no, everything was pretty good. I was real pleased with his gait and the way he handled the racetrack."
What's his schedule look like heading into Saturday's elim?
"He'll train [Wednesday]. We're going to go to Mohawk and he'll train a trip. And then he'll jog light on Thursday and probably Friday, maybe three miles. And then that's it, off we go."
What does his tentative schedule look like after the North America Cup?
"I have him staked into everything there is. There’s nothing I didn’t stake him to. I actually even double-staked him for other races in case I elected to go a different route… It’s good to have options."
Given that he’s eligible for everything, and some of his characteristics, would this be a colt that would really benefit from going two heats and competing in a Little Brown Jug?
"It’s funny, because I’ve never had him on a half [mile track]. We have a half here at the farm where I’m going to train him prior to that race and make sure that he can get around it. If he shows that he can, we’ll show up [to compete in that race]. If he can’t, then we’ll skip it."
(Standardbred Canada)