Mindsweeper held off heavy 3-5 favourite Class Of O Nine on the line to win the single $63,660 Canadian Breeders Championship elimination for sophomore pacing fillies on Saturday night at Mohawk Racetrack.
When the wings of the gate folded, it was Eat Me Up (Doug McNair) who fired to command from post six and led the 10-horse field past early fractions of :27.4 and :56. As the fillies rolled past the half-mile marker, driver Jody Jamieson sent Mindsweeper first up from fourth with Class Of O Nine (Steve Condren) tracking her cover.
Eat Me Up was still clear on top by the 1:23.3 third quarter mark, but Mindsweeper was just heads apart as they moved into the stretch, where Class Of O Nine rallied three-wide. Down the lane, Mindsweeper gained the upper hand and a battle ensued between that filly and the favourite. Digging in on the inside, Mindsweeper held on to win in the photo finish. Mindsweeper matched her lifetime mark of 1:51.4, taken in her SBOA Stakes elimination, and paid $14.90 to win as the 6-1 second choice.
"I thought I had the best filly [in the elimination]," commented Jamieson after the win. "I think this filly will be one of the top fillies down the road. I've liked her all along. I've had some conflicts with her early on with Big McDeal and Jet Wash. I've since lost the drive on Jet Wash and Big McDeal will race in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes coming up. But I don't think she's the consolation prize; she's definitely a nice filly in this division."
The homebred Mach Three-Catch A Wish filly notched her second win of the season in seven starts for trainer Eric Adams and Millar Farms of Newmarket, Ont. Last season's Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final runner-up now boasts a bankroll of more than $223,000.
Finishing second through seventh to advance to the final were Class Of O Nine, Eat Me Up, Mia Seelster (Keith Oliver), Lyons Luck (Mike Saftic), Katys Jet (Scott Zeron), and Jeremes Sweetheart (Brett Miller). The top finishers will be joined in the final by a trio of fillies who received byes. Those fillies include Gold Final champion Cooking The Books, SBOA Stakes winner Jet Wash and Hope For Paddy.
Eliminations for the pacing colt division are not necessary with only 10 entered. The field will include Hard To Mach, I Found My Beach, In Commando, Lucky Jet, Machapelo, Michaels Power, Secretsoftheknight, Thunder Steeler, Warrawee Needy, and Winbak Warrior.
$148,540 Canadian Breeders Championship - Three-Year-Old Filly Pace
1. Eat Me Up
2. Jet Wash
3. Mindsweeper
4. Lyons Luck
5. Hope For Paddy
6. Mia Seelster
7. Katys Jet
8. Cooking The Books
9. Jeremes Sweetheart
10. Class Of O Nine
$230,000 Canadian Breeders Championship - Three-Year-Old Colt Pace
1. I Found My Beach
2. Winbak Warrior
3. Hard To Mach
4. Secretsoftheknight
5. Thunder Steeler
6. Michaels Power
7. Lucky Jet
8. In Commando
9. Machapelo
10. Warrawee Needy
The eliminations for the trotting divisions were contested on Friday night. For recaps of all the action, click here.
All four Canadian Breeders Championship finals will be held on Saturday, July 21.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Mohawk Racetrack.