Elusive Desire will lead a parade of North America’s top three-year-old trotting fillies to the starting gate in this Saturday’s $783,042 Hambletonian Oaks at the Meadowlands Racetrack, and the early favourite will attempt to be the first Canadian-sired winner in the rich stake event's history
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Coming off a career-best 1:53.2 win in the fastest of four eliminations with John Campbell at the lines, the connections of Elusive Desire chose post position No. 1 for the final. Regular reinsman Paul MacDonell will be reunited with the Angus Hall-Valley Amber filly, who has the potential to surpass the million-dollar mark in career earnings and extend her current win streak to six.
“I don’t mind it at all to tell you the truth,” said MacDonell in regards to his starting post. “I was looking at last year’s [Hambletonian] picture of Deweycheatumnhowe and he had the rail, so I guess it’s as good a place as any.
“If [this year's Hambletonian favourite] Muscle Hill is also comfortable with it, I guess we are too,” laughs MacDonell, who will be flying down to New Jersey on Saturday morning for the dazzling 15-race stakes-packed program.
Elusive Desire, who earned divisional year-end honours last year in Canada, is trained by Mike Keeling for Paula Wellwood of Cambridge, Charlie Armstrong of Brampton and Robert Fasken of Oakville, Ont. The winner of $650,099 lifetime was victorious in her four July starts before the Oaks, which included her Ontario Sires Stakes Gold elimination and the final at Georgian Downs and her Canadian Breeders Championship elim and the final at Mohawk Racetrack.
Elusive Desire - Hambletonian Oaks Elim
“From what I’ve heard she’s come out of the race really good and is no different than she was any other week, so if she can keep up that same program, she’ll be in good shape,” said MacDonell.
“She stayed in New York at Mark Ford’s farm this week. At this point and time she’s had so many starts in a row that I don’t believe she needs a lot of training.”
“She’s been on the same routine,” added Keeling. “This will be her 10th week in a row racing and she’s been doing the same thing for those 10 weeks. She doesn’t train, she gets three days in the paddock, jogs two or three days and then she goes to the track. She just enjoys racing so it’s easy to keep her that way.”
Elusive Desire will face off with her fellow elim winners Raising Rachel (Jack Moiseyev), Ok To Play (Daniel Dube) and Broadway Schooner (Brian Sears) in the ninth race on Saturday along with Moonlight Kronos (Tim Tetrick), Jersey As (Tim Tetrick), Margarita Momma (Ron Pierce), I Wanted Wings (Dave Miller), Honorable Daughter (John Campbell) and Timelesswinner Two (Andy Miller). Final driver changes have not been finalized.
“I think any of the elimination winners are always dangerous. They show they can trot where she can,” says Keeling. “And I’m always worried about John Campbell. If he’s not driving my horse I’m always worried about the one he is driving.”
Elusive Desire remains eligible to the SBOA Stake, which begins on Friday, August 14 at Mohawk and the Simcoe Stakes in September. While Keeling says the SBOA is up the air, the Simcoe is definitely on the map for Elusive Desire as is one more OSS start at either Grand River and Kawartha Downs to ensure her place in the Super Final.
To view the harness racing entries for Hambletonian Day at the Meadowlands, click here.