A handful of racehorses have got off to a quick start in 2022, racking up wins, earnings and records.
Trot Insider takes a look at some of the top ranked Standardbreds in Canada and their on-track achievements through the first half of the year.
Century Mach, Jimmy Freight and Linedrive Hanover lead all racehorses with the most wins in Canada so far in 2022, each boasting 11 victories. The only other horses that have hit double digits in the win column are Codename Cigar Box, Pure Addition, Vines To Heaven and W C Kenzie Cookie, tied in second-place with 10 wins each.
Four-year-old pacing mare Century Mach has won half of her 22 starts this year competing at Century Mile, Fraser Downs and Century Downs for trainer/owner Kelly Hoerdt of Beaumont, Alta. Among her highlights, the daughter of JK Royal Flush took her mark of 1:52.2 and won the Mares Open in the spring at Fraser.
Back on track after a two-year absence from performing only stallion duties, former O'Brien Award winner Jimmy Freight has been a dominant force in the Preferred/Free-For-All ranks this season at Woodbine Mohawk Park, earning eight victories there, in addition to starring in a track record-setting Camluck Classic at The Raceway at Western Fair District and taking a 1:48 lifetime mark in the Mohawk Gold Cup. The seven-year-old millionaire son of Sportswriter has been trained by Richard Moreau through his 17 starts in Canada this year for owner Adriano Sorella of Guelph, Ont. and will see a trainer and ownership change through the second half of the year.
Linedrive Hanover kicked off his comeback season with 10 straight victories at Mohawk and added the inaugural Charles Juravinski Memorial Cup to his resume winning Flamboro Downs' signature race in a 1:49 Canadian record. Tony Beaton trains the four-year-old Betting Line gelding, who has made 14 starts in Canada this year, for owners West Wins Stable of Wellington, Florida, McKinlay & Fielding of Toronto, Ont. and Mac Nichol of Burlington, Ont.
North America Cup champion Pebble Beach's victory in the nation's richest race so far catapulted him to No. 1 on the charts for earnings. Trained by Noel Daley, the Downbytheseaside colt has gone three-for-three in Canada, adding $565,500 to his bankroll for owners Patricia Stable of Massapequa, New York, Joe Sbrocco of Brecksville, Ohio, Country Club Acres Inc. of Findlay, Ohio and Laexpressfoderadeovolente of Chesterfield, New Jersey. Jimmy Freight ($300,720) and Linedrive Hanover ($293,600) round out the top three.
Jimmy Freight's 1:48 mile in the Mohawk Gold Cup on June 18 stands as the national season's record. Five-year-old gelding Outlaw C My Shadow paced the fastest mile on a five-eighths track, winning in 1:50.4 on March 27 at Fraser for trainer/co-owner Connie Kolthammer of Falun, Alta., while Linedrive Hanover's aforementioned 1:49 mile in the Juravinski Cup on May 22 at Flamboro is not only a season's record but the fastest ever on a half-mile track in Canadian harness racing history.
Oney Hall's 1:51.1 victory in the Free-For-All at Mohawk on May 16 is the fastest trotting mile this season in Canada. The six-year-old Deweycheatumnhowe gelding is trained by Bob McIntosh for owner Alan Leavitt of Lexington, Kentucky. Tymal Riggs, a five-year-old son of Kadabra owned and trained by Mark Etsell of Rockwood, Ont., holds the season's record for a five-eighths track courtesy of his 1:53.4 victory on July 3 at Georgian Downs. The fastest trotting winner on a half-mile track is the six-year-old Trixton gelding The Fixer, who earned his only win this year in 1:54.4 on May 14 at Flamboro for trainer David Frey and 1652281 Ontario Limited of Maple, Ont.
**All statistics include Canadian starts from January 1, 2022 up to the first Monday in July.
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