Millionaire pacer Nebupanezzar made his 2011 debut in a qualifier at Mohawk on Friday, and it was anything but a run of the mill prep for the talented Bob McIntosh pupil
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The 2008 Governor’s Cup and OSS Super Final winner, who did not race as a three-year-old and only faced the gate twice in last year’s four-year-old campaign, is the kind of horse worth waiting on – and that’s exactly what McIntosh and owner Bob Glazer (of the Peter Pan Stables Inc) did.
Nebupanezzar got away fourth and sat fourth through panels of :26.4, :54.3 and 1:22.1 before tipping off the rail and kicking into another gear. His :28-second final frame was more than enough to post the winning effort in an eye-catching clocking of 1:51.1. Faucon Stena was 1-1/4 lengths in arrears, with third-place finisher St Elmo Hero beaten the same margin.
Scott Zeron handled the driving duties behind the five-year-old gelded son of No Pan Intended-Western Wonder, who owns a 10-2-1 record in 16 lifetime starts on top of a bankroll that stands at $1,090,930.
Zeron also guided the Tony O’Sullivan-trained Seriously to a 1:53.3 victory in what was her first qualifier of the season. The four-year-old daughter of Rocknroll Hanover-Serious Smile enjoyed a pocket trip behind splits of :27.4, :57.3 and 1:26.3 before unleashing a :26.2 closing frame to win by 3-3/4 lengths over Smokin N Grinin.
The Emerald Highlands Farm’s homebred assembled a 4-4-6 record from 17 starts last season while racking up more than $183,000 in the process. She has banked just over $200,000 in lifetime earnings.
Epoxy Queen made her second qualifying appearance of the season, and it was a winning effort in 1:53.4 for the tandem of driver Doug McNair and trainer Eric Adams. The three-year-old Camluck-Tropicana Chris miss won a qualifier at Georgian Downs in a time of 1:57 back on May 7 before resurfacing this morning and drawing clear to win by 5-1/4 lengths in 1:53.4 after sitting a two-hole trip behind fractions of :28.3, :58 and 1:27.
The Millar Farms’ homebred went 4-for-11 last year and stashed away close to $83,000.
The other qualifying winners on Friday were Chasingutley (2:00.1), Eight Bells (1:59.1), AS Duharas (1:56.4) and Andover America (1:55.1),
To view results for Friday's harness racing qualifiers, click the following link: Friday Results – Mohawk Racetrack.
Hey, when did Elmo get back
Hey, when did Elmo get back here?? Great to see Nebupanezzar return to form.