A pair of World Records were equalled on Saturday night as Mohawk Racetrack hosted eliminations for the Metro Pace, Shes A Great Lady and Canadian Pacing Derby
.
Wide Open Final After Metro Elims Contested
The continent’s top two-year-old colt pacers battled it out in a trio of Metro Pace eliminations Saturday night at Mohawk Racetrack with D Terminata, Speed Again and A Rocknroll Dance taking the spotlight and earning the right to pick their post positions in next week’s $1 million final.
D Terminata, who found the winner’s circle in the first $40,000 division, lowered his lifetime mark to 1:51.2 for trainer Bob McIntosh and driver Randy Waples.
Escape The News (Jack Moiseyev) clocked the opening panel in :27.2, but into the backstretch D Terminata came first-up and cleared before the half in :56.2.
The other freshmen could not reach D Terminata as he passed the three-quarters in 1:24.4 and then scored a half length victory over the 6-5 favourite, Major Bombay (Brian Sears), with Simply Business (Ron Pierce) rounding out the triactor.
“He races well from behind, I was just going to see what was going to happen behind that gate,” said Waples, following the win. “Last week I got caught in traffic with him and I just wanted to give him a clear shot at it. If someone came and wanted to cover me up that would have been cool too.”
Waples expects to see a big mile in the final next Saturday.
“I don’t think there is any real one big, huge, clear-cut, stand out just yet, but so far they just seem like a real competitive group,” he said. “If you get a competitive group of horses like that usually that’s when you start to go fast miles instead of that one horse that is able to get to the front and he is the heavy favourite who controls things and backs the pace down. It will be an interesting race.”
The gelded son of Rocknroll Hanover-Determination Plus has two wins and four second-place finishes in seven career outings with $65,147 in lifetime earnings for McIntosh, C S X Stables, and DM Stables LLC.
D Terminata paid $8.90 to win as the third choice.
Speed Again just got up in time to capture the second elimination for trainer Jeff Gillis and driver Jody Jamieson.
Gable Blue Chip (Ron Pierce) took the field to the first quarter in :26.4, but his lead was short lived as driver Paul MacDonell pulled State Treasurer from the pocket to take command before the half in :55. The pair held the front past the three-quarter pole in 1:23.3
As the freshman pacers turned for home, Speed Again exploded from back in fourth to take the lead in deep stretch. The Gillis pupil got under the wire in a career-best clocking of 1:50.3, scoring the victory by a head. State Treasurer finished second, I Fought Dalaw (Dave Miller) was third and Ideal Champ (Brian Sears) was fourth.
The mile time eclipsed Annieswesterncard's track and Canadian record for two-year-old geldings by one-fifth of a second.
“It was a Herculean effort,” said Jamieson, following the win. “At the half I thought Mac [Paul MacDonell with State Treasurer] stole it with his horse and even half way down the stretch I thought he had it. Speed Again dug in like no horse I have driven in awhile. It kind of reminded me of Up The Credit in the Somebeachsomewhere Stakes coming a huge last quarter, just refusing to lose. It bodes well going into next week.”
The gelded son of Dragon Again-Sand Speed has four wins and two second-place finishes in six career outings with $112,196 in lifetime earnings for Gillis, Ken Henwood, Mac Nichol and Gerald Stay.
Speed Again paid $4.60 to win.
In the third and final Metro Pace elimination, A Rocknroll Dance pulled off a 20-1 shocker while lowering Sportswriter's track record by one-fifth of a second and equalling Big Jim's world and Canadian record for two-year-old pacers with a 1:49.1 effort.
Sent off as the 4-5 favourite, Hurrikane Kingcole (Luc Ouellette) took command and held the lead through fractions of :26, :53.4 and 1:21.3, but in deep stretch driver Ron Pierce tipped longshot A Rocknroll Dance off the rail from third.
The pair paced on by the heavy favourite to score the colt’s first lifetime victory by two and three quarter lengths. Allstar Legend (Tim Tetrick) got up for second and Hurrikane Kingcole faded to third.
“He is a green colt. He has never been that fast before,” said Pierce, following the win. “He just got a little loose [into the first turn] and I just had to gather him up. Luckily for us there was a hole down there we fell in and just followed along. He had plenty of pace all the way.”
Pierce believes there was still some left in the tank after they crossed the wire.
“He could have went more,” he stated.
The son of Rocknroll Hanover-Wichita Hanover has a one win and one second-place finish in three career outings with $25,000 in lifetime earnings for trainer James Mulinix who owns a piece of the bay with Denny Miller.
The freshman paid $42.70 to win as the upsetter.
The top three finishers and one fourth place finisher drawn by lot advance to the rich final next Saturday.
Here is a look at the field for the $1 million Metro Pace:
PP - Horse - Listed Driver
1. I Fought Dalaw - D. Miller
2. Ideal Champ - J. Moiseyev
3. Speed Again - J. Jamieson
4. D Terminata - R. Waples
5. A Rocknroll Dance - R. Pierce
6. Allstar Legend - T. Tetrick
7. Hurrikane Kingcole - L. Ouellette
8. State Treasurer P. Macdonell
9. Simply Business - R. Pierce
10. Major Bombay - B. Sears
AE1. Mcboogie - A. Miller
Team Takter Sweeps Again
After sweeping last Saturday’s Eternal Camnation divisions with American Jewel and Romantic Moment, Takter did it again. Both fab fillies won their respective Shes A Great Lady eliminations for two-year-old filly pacers Saturday night at Mohawk.
In a world, Canadian and track record equalling performance, 1-9 favourite American Jewel romped in her $35,000 elimination.
In a 1:50.3 effort, the daughter of American Ideal-Trim Hanover joins A And Gsconfusion (world record) and Pretty Katherine (world, Canadian and track record) in the history books.
With driver Tim Tetrick in the sulky, the freshman remains undefeated in all five of her lifetime starts after the gate-to-wire victory through fractions of :27, :55.3, 1:23.4 and 1:50.3.
Economy Terror (Brian Sears) was second by half a length and Apogee Hanover (Dave Miller) finished third. Yummuy Sushi, who finished fourth and Mcdeal, who finished fifth, also advance to the final.
American Jewel has lifetime earnings of $123,891 for owner-breeder Brittany Farms. She paid $2.30 to win.
Brittany Farms repeated when Romantic Moment found a seam between horses late and drew off to a two-length victory in the second elimination for the Shes A Great Lady.
Tetrick guided the Takter-trained freshman daughter of American Ideal to a final berth in 1:51.2, after sitting behind early fractions of :27.2, :55.1 and 1:24.2.
Also making the $633,000 final were Pirouette Hanover, Shelliscape, Podges Lady and Major Look, second through fifth respectively.
Romantic Moment, who paid $5.50 to win as the second choice, won her second race in four starts.
Here is a look at the field for the $633,000 Shes A Great Lady final:
PP - Horse - Listed Driver
1. Podges Lady - B. Sears
2. Romantic Moment- T. Tetrick
3. Yummy Sushi - R. Pierce
4. Big Mcdeal - J. Jamieson
5. American Jewel - T. Tetrick
6. Economy Terror - B. Sears
7. Shelliscape - R. Waples
8. Apogee Hanover - D. Miller
9. Major Look - J. Jamieson
10. Pirouette Hanover - R. Pierce
AE1. Notreadytobenice - Y. Gingras
Burke Has Hot Hand Going Into Canadian Pacing Derby
Foiled Again ranged up first over on the turn to take the first of two $50,000 eliminations in the Canadian Pacing Derby series, Saturday at Mohawk.
The “CPD” final, worth a $832,000, is set for next Saturday night, along with the finales in the Metro and Shes A Great Lady stakes.
Yannick Gingras and Foiled Again, a seven-year-old son of Dragon Again, sat mid-pack before making the decisive move to earn the one-length victory for Ron Burke, who owns a piece of the gelding with Bruscemi LLC of Pennsylvania and JJK Stables LLC of Florida.
It was the ninth win of 2011 and 53rd overall for Foiled Again, who will be joined by We Will See and St Elmo Hero in the final after their second and third place finishes, respectively. For finishing fourth and fifth, Won The West and Bettor Sweet also made the lucrative final.
Foiled Again, who paid $9.60 as the third choice, stopped the tele-timer in 1:48.1 after early splits of :25.4, :55.1 and 1:24.2.
The Burke-trained Atochia upset in the second CPD elimination with Ron Pierce in the sulky.
Sent off at 20-1, Atochia was the early leader at the quarter pole in :26.3 before being overtaken to sit behind splits of :54.2 and 1:22.2.
The brown gelding was able to squeeze up the rail to notch his fourth victory of the season and stop the teletimer in a new mark of 1:49. Art Professor finished second and Razzle Dazzle rounded out the triactor. Also making the rich final were One More Laugh, and Alexie Mattosie, who was fourth and fifth respectively.
Owned by Burke, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, JJK Stables LLC and M1 Stable LLC, the six-year-old son of Dragon Again scored his 22nd lifetime victory lifting his earnings to $1,097,608.
Here is a look at the field for the $832,000 Canadian Pacing Derby:
PP - Horse - Listed Driver
1. Atochia - R. Pierce
2. Foiled Again - Y. Gingras
3. Art Professor - J. Jamieson
4. We Will See - Pierce,
5. Won The West - D. Miller
6. St Elmo Hero - J. Jamieson
7. One More Laugh - T. Tetrick
8. Razzle Dazzle - J. Campbell
9. Alexie Mattosie - D. Miller
10. Bettor Sweet - B. Sears
AE1. Mach Dreamer - S. Zeron
For results from Saturday's harness racing card, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Mohawk Racetrack.
(With files from WEG)