Driver Tim Tetrick dominated the elimination rounds for the $642,000 Fan Hanover Stake and $351,000 Goodtimes Trot on Saturday night at Mohawk Racetrack.
Tetrick, trainer Jimmy Takter and owner Brittany Farms swept both $35,000 Fan Hanover Stakes eliminations for three-year-old pacing fillies with Romantic Moment and American Jewel.
Kicking off the evening's elimination action, Tetrick showed Romantic Moment open road in the stretch and the American Ideal-Time N Again miss drew off by over two lengths for a career-best victory in 1:50.4.
Tetrick first fired the Takter trainee off the gate from post five to establish the early lead, but gave way to outsider Angel Scent (Jody Jamieson) at the :26.4 opening quarter mark. Angel Scent led the way to the half in :56.2 with favourite Sarandon Blue Chip (David Miller) underway flushing Pirouette Hanover (Ron Pierce) first up from the three-hole.
Piroutte Hanover swept by the leader as they raced towards the 1:23.2 three-quarters mark. With Sarandon Blue Chip fading in the first over spot as they turned for home, Angel Scent pulled the pocket while Tetrick found a clear path for Romantic Motion on the outside and she zipped by with :26.3 final quarter speed to win. Pirouette Hanover held off Angel Scent for second while Jet Wash (Sylvain Filion) and Legal Entity (Anthony MacDonald) finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
"I just wanted to try to get early position and I just wanted to be up close," said Tetrick of his race strategy. "It worked out for me that Casie [Coleman]'s filly [Sarandon Blue Chip] wasn't that good and I got to slip out at the top of the lane. My filly really responded well when she got room; she kicked home really nice. That's a good mile for her."
Romantic Moment paid $14.50 to win as the 6-1 fourth choice. The lightly raced filly has won four times in nine career starts, including last year's Eternal Camnation Stake.
In the second elim, Tetrick fired O'Brien Award winner American Jewel to command early on and never looked back en route to a 1:50 career-best triumph of her own.
Leaving from the outside post eight, American Jewel crossed over to take the lead ahead of Big McDeal (Jody Jamieson) around the first turn. The American Ideal-Trim Hanover miss hit the first quarter mark in :27.1 and rolled past middle splits of :55.3 and 1:22.4 en route to a one and a half length victory. Big McDeal stayed for second while favourite Economy Terror (Brian Sears) finished third. Shelliscape (John Campbell) and Kiss Dont Bite (Yannick Gingras) were fourth and fifth.
"She was a really good filly last year. She competed in all the big races and only got beat a couple of times," said Tetrick. "It took her a couple of starts to get back and she's coming into form. She just really impresses me. She's getting her legs back up under her and I expect good things from her this year."
Tetrick also indicated that he would be driving American Jewel in next week's final.
"I'm happy to get to drive both of them, but American Jewel is my filly," he said.
American Jewel paid $9.70 to win for the first time this year as the 7-2 second choice. The multiple stakes winner has recorded nine victories in 11 career starts while finishing second in her only two losses.
Tetrick also captured the first of two $30,000 Goodtimes Trot eliminations for three-year-olds with the Linda Toscano-trained Market Share turning in a 1:53.2 triumph.
Reckon Im Ready (Mike Vanderkemp) established the lead from post five off the gate and posted a :27.3 opening quarter before being confronted by favourite Beer Summit (Ron Pierce), who advanced from third and cleared just past the :57.1 half.
Beer Summit led the way past the next marker in 1:25 with Lindys Jersey Boy (Frank Antonacci) advancing first up and Market Share following his cover after sitting mid-pack early on.
Down the stretch, Market Share unleashed a :27.4 final frame to sweep by for the one and a quarter length victory over Beer Summit. Il Mago (Trevor Ritchie) closed well for third while Lindys Jersey Boy and early trailer Mikey Hanover (Paul MacDonell) coming on for fourth and fifth.
“[Post 9] is definitely not the spot I wanted to start, but my horse is very tactful – he can leave, he can race off the pace – and tonight I just kind of went forward and saw how things were playing out," said Tetrick. "I didn’t really have any certain plans, I just wanted to get a good trip and be within three or four turning for home. My horse didn’t rest, he trotted home strong and did it very handily.”
Market Share paid $6.30 to win as the 2-1 second choice. The Revenue S-Classical Flirt colt is owned by Richard Gutnick and Gary Cocco.
The O'Brien Award winning driver-trainer duo of Jody Jamieson and Jeff Gillis teamed up to win the other Goodtimes elimination with the undefeated Knows Nothing taking a new mark of 1:53.4.
Leaving from post six, Jamieson sent the Kadabra-Savvy Yankee colt after early leader Prayer Session (David Magee) and cleared to command just past the :28.4 first quarter mark. The 3-2 second choice rolled to the half in :57.3 and three-quarters in 1:26 before opening up almost three lengths into the stretch where first over Guccio (Jimmy Takter), the even-money favourite, closed in for second. The winning margin was one and a quarter lengths. Prayer Session, Gym Tan Laundry (Jack Moiseyev) and Scary Good (Frank Antonacci) finished third through fifth to advance to next week's final.
"It didn't take a lot [to make the lead]," said Jamieson after the win. "The way it set up Dave got over there and seemingly he was looking at me like he was looking for cover so I let my horse trot up. Being 3-2 you have a few advantages and one of them is to get released early in the race. But it's not his forte. I think he's better chasing horses and hopefully next week I can get on a helmet and you'll see a completely different horse. Tonight, the situation obviously dictated that I go to the lead and once I got him there he was really good. He just relaxed and was waiting for horses to come and dug in down the stretch. That's a big trip, :27.4 on the end."
Knows Nothing returned $5.10 to his backers. The winner of five races in as many starts is owned by Al Libfeld of Pickering, Marvin Katz of Toronto, Mac Nichol of Burlington and the J Gillis G Stay ownership group from Hillsburgh, Ont.
In regular racing action, Indiana invader Allthatgltrsisgold and driver Ron Pierce pulled off a 20-1 upset in this week's $50,000 Open Pace. Fresh off a victory in Hoosier Park's Open, the Bobby Brower trainee sat fourth for most of the mile before kicking home to win in 1:50.1. Owned and bred by Victory Hill Farm Inc., the five-year-old Cams Card Shark-Glitter N Glitz pacer prevailed by a length over the rallying Lonesome Attack (Jody Jamieson) and the popular pacesetter Bigtime Ball (Paul MacDonell). He returned $43.70 to his backers.
Bettor Again rallied home off second over cover to win the $30,000 Preferred 2 Pace in 1:50.4 for trainer-driver Mike Vanderkemp and the Patricia Stable. The five-year-old Bettors Delight-Jated Love gelding paid $14.60 to win by one length over Odysseus Bluechip (Mario Baillargeon) and St Elmo Hero (Jody Jamieson).
Here is a look at the fields in post position order for next week's stakes finals:
$642,000 Fan Hanover Stake
1. Angel Scent
2. Legal Entity
3. Big McDeal
4. Romantic Moment
5. American Jewel
6. Jet Wash
7. Pirouette Hanover
8. Shelliscape
9. Economy Terror
10. Kiss Dont Bite
AE1. Cooking The Books
$351,000 Goodtimes Trot
1. Lindys Jersey Boy
2. Il Mago
3. Knows Nothing
4. Market Share
5. Scary Good
6. Prayer Session
7. Beer Summit
8. Guccio
9. Gym Tan Landry
10. Mikey Hanover
AE1. Southwind Warsaw
For recaps of Saturday's Pepsi North America Cup eliminations, click here.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Mohawk Racetrack.