Hot Wheelz has established himself as the one to beat in next week's $75,400 Dream Of Glory Trot after taking the fastest of the three eliminations contested on Saturday (July 25) at Hanover Raceway.
In the first of three $7,500 elims, Hot Wheelz and driver Jody Jamieson sat patiently early behind second choice Remember Titans (Doug McNair). When McNair angled Remember Titans to pressure temposetter Awesomedabra (Chris Christoforou) heading to the :58.4 half, Jamieson followed for second over cover. Remember Titans cleared at the 1:27.4 third station, leaving Hot Wheelz first over. With a :29 final panel, Hot Wheelz had more than enough speed to power past Remember Titans in the stretch and trip the timer in 1:57 -- just a fifth of a second off the 1:56.4 track record of Hemi Seelster taken five years ago to the day. Remember Titans stayed for second with Hetalkstoangels (Trevor Henry) third.
Stephanie Jamieson trains sophomore gelding Hot Wheelz (Wheeling N Dealin - Affair Hall) for owner Jody Jamieson of Moffat, Ont. The win gives Hot Wheelz a 2-3-0 summary from six seasonal starts and $69,860 in purses.
Lexus Markus and driver Trevor Henry found room late in the mile and found the wire just in time to take the second elimination. Henry had Lexus Markus on top but then yielded to Bramasole Hanover (Bob McClure) just after the 1:01.2 half. Lifeisgood Hanover (Mike Saftic) applied pressure to the leader through that back half and struck the front turning for home. As Bramasole Hanover started to fade, Henry was able to angle to the inside and engage the afterburners on Lexus Markus through some newfound daylight. In the final strides, Lexus Markus powered past to win by a half-length in 2:01.2 over Lifeisgood Hanover and a hard-closing Angel Nation (Jamieson).
Another Dream Of Glory finalist hailing from a husband and wife tandem, Lexus Markus (Amigo Hall - Lexus Helios) is trained by Shannon Henry for husband Trevor and his co-owners Dave Hudson of Dallas, Tex. and breeder Norm Dunstan of Caledon Village, Ont.
The final elim went to Field Gunner for the team of driver Bob McClure, trainer Luc Blais and owner Determination of Montreal, Que. McClure landed in fifth early as Kenogami Coco (Christoforou) fronted the field through a :28.4 opener. The leader was then forced to fend off the attack of Charmbo Prince (Saftic) through a 1:00.1 half and 1:29 third panel, with McClure advancing into second over striking range at that third station. Tipping three wide around the final turn, Field Gunner's sprint for home was just enough to hold off the passing lane blitz of True Brew (McNair) and trip the timer in a lifetime best 1:59.2. Kemogami Coco stayed for show.
A $200,000 yearling purchase from Harrisburg in 2018, Field Gunner (Kadabra - Ilia) was unraced as a rookie and now sports two wins in five sophomore outings.
The 2020 Dream Of Glory Trot Final - Purse: $75,400
1. Angel Nation
2. Lifeisgood Hanover
3. Hot Wheelz
4. True Brew
5. Lexus Markus
6. Remember Titans
7. Kenogami Coco
8. Field Gunner
AE. Hetalkstoangels
The Catch Driver Pick 4 brought in more than $3,100 of wagering and was the record high for this pool. This pool complimented the strong overall handle of $52,939.
Next week's Dream of Glory card will showcase the Dream Of Glory Trot Final and the Gail Murray Invitational Pace. The Gail Murray Invitational will showcase top class pacers battling for a $10,000 purse. The Survivor Challenge will offer a $500 HPI deposit for the winner, up from the regular $100 reward. This is sponsored by COSA. Woodbine Mohawk Park’s Mark McKelvie will join the broadcast as host/race analyst for next week's card.
To view the results from Hanover's Saturday card, click the following link: Saturday Results - Hanover Raceway.