Antonio Vecchio hoisted the Coville Cup at Rideau Carleton Raceway on Sunday, Aug. 31 on the strength of a come-from-behind victory and a narrow place finish.
The Coville Cup is an annual tournament for young drivers that are looking to break through in the industry and advance their driving careers. The 2025 edition was contested over four races, with each of the eight drivers making three starts and earning points based on finishing position.
Vecchio’s victory came in the third round as he guided Bettorholdontight ($3) past four rivals in the final quarter-mile. Bettorholdontight sat a strung-out fifth to the quarter in :27.1, but the field condensed as leader Red Cape Party (Claude Larose) slowed things down through middle fractions of :57.2 and 1:26.4. Vecchio kept his charge on the pylons entering the final turn but found a way out for Bettorholdontight, who swung three-wide and blew past his opponents to win by 1-1/4 lengths in 1:57.1. Cb Caper (Sebastien Turenne) skimmed the pylons to finish second over Red Cape Party. Bettorholdontight, owned and trained by Luc Loyer, improved to three-for-29 this year.
The win followed Vecchio’s close defeat in the second contest race as he and Midnight Mood set the pace but were collared in the stretch by Bad Apple ($18.20), who prevailed by a head in 1:56.1 with Mike Armstrong at the lines. Proberts Legacy (Josh Miller) finished third.
Vecchio did not score in his final drive, finishing sixth after attempting a first-over advance with Threesixtyfour. Howies Man ($2.20) and Miller went all the way and won in 1:53.4, finishing 2-1/2 lengths clear of Shanghaigold (Turenne). Keystone Prestige (Steve Germain) was third.
Vecchio, shortly after being lifted onto the shoulders of his fellow drivers and receiving the trophy in the winner’s circle, expressed his excitement at winning the competition.
“Harness racing has definitely been a big thing in our family since the beginning with my grandfather (the late Sam Sergi),” he said in his broadcast interview. “So to get this opportunity to have everyone here and get in the winner’s circle is a big moment for all of us, without [Sergi] tonight though.”
Vecchio, a 24-year-old Canton, N.Y. native, recorded his fifth lifetime win in the contest. The reinsman made his pari-mutuel debut in 2023 and earned his first win at the Franklin Country Fair in July of that year, winning two races on the same card. Overall, Vecchio, a three-time Coville Cup participant, has five wins, six seconds, and 12 show finishes in 81 career starts.
The first leg, in which Vecchio had a bye, was won by Tignanello ($3.40) and Michel Lagace by a nose over Beach Cowboy (Germain) in 1:55.1, with Montysgonemarble (John MacMillan) a half-length back in third.
Vecchio finished with 75 points, eight more than second-place finisher Miller with 67. Lagace was third with 63, followed by Armstrong with 58, Turenne with 50, Germain with 45, Larose with 25, and MacMillan with 17. The scoring system mirrored purse distribution percentages, with the top five finishers in each race receiving 50-25-12-8-5 in order. The competition, founded in 2007, is named after the winningest driver ever at Rideau, Darrell Coville.
Shotgun Jerry upset at 9-1 in the featured non-contest dash, the $10,000 Preferred Handicap Pace. Driver Melanie Plourde pulled the trigger from the pylon post, and the gelding fired to the lead before the first turn. Major Fernco N (Ryan Guy) took a peek out of the pocket at the quarter in :27.3 but quickly tucked back in, and favourite The Light Speed (Guy Gagnon) made the first-over move instead as they turned for the half in :57.2.
The seven-time Rideau Preferred winner this season pushed up to the leader’s wheel at three-quarters in 1:24.2, but Shotgun Jerry found another gear as they came off the final turn, opening up by 2-1/2 lengths, and he held off a re-rallying The Light Speed by a length in 1:52.2. Mythic Gambler (Robert Shepherd) closed for third.
Shotgun Jerry won at the Preferred level for the first time since 2023 and earned his fifth victory of the year in 21 outings. The six-year-old gelded son of Royal Mattjesty-Michiko has won 30 of his 121 career starts and has earned $201,919. Stephane Pouliot trains him for 9096 9205 Quebec Inc. of Gloucester, Ont.
To view Sunday’s harness racing results, click the following link: Sunday Results - Rideau Carleton Raceway.
(Standardbred Canada)