Blue Porsche's new pilot, Jody Jamieson, had a chance to get up behind the O'Brien Award winner for the first time during last week's eliminations for Saturday's $1-million Canadian Trotting Classic. He is now exuding confidence leading into Mohawk Racetrack's seven-figure event
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“We drew the eight-hole in the final,” he told the Woodbine Entertainment Group's media department. “I think he is going to shock a lot of people this week in the final. I’m excited about it. It’s a $1-million race and I think I have the best horse.”
Jamieson showed his driving versatility in last week’s $40,000 elimination when he decided to take a careful approach with the Blair Burgess-trained colt that has made breaks in the past.
“Blue Porsche is a tremendously fast animal,” he said. “I was very, very cautious with him in the stretch last week. I really think he could have won [the elimination] if I had turned him loose and driven on him the way he should have been driven on. With a break coming in, I didn’t want to have two breaks going into the final and then we would have to qualify.”
In an attempt to stop Blue Porsche from making any untimely breaks, Jamieson said that Burgess has been doing a little tinkering.
“Blair has kind of played around a little bit with the shoeing,” he explained. “The horse has been hitting his back shin and he interfered with himself again on Saturday. [Blair] is going to go back and change the shoeing on him again, back to what he had the week before, when he was actually trotting better.”
Fans will not just be treated to world-class racing Saturday at Mohawk. The Woodbine Entertainment Group will also be hosting its Customer Appreciation Night.
The first 1,500 customers will receive a free pizza slice and pop voucher. Racing fans will also get a chance to meet top U.S. driver Tim Tetrick. He will be on hand at 6:15 p.m. to sign autographs and provide his thoughts on the 12-race program.
WEG has also beefed up its featured wager with a $75,000 guaranteed early Pick-4 pool, which includes the CTC, which has been carded as Race 7 (9:38 p.m.). The race will be televised live on The Score, as part of a special, one-hour program which will kick off at 9:00 p.m. (ET)
Two-year-old trotters will also be in the spotlight on Saturday, as they will be contesting the $469,000 William Wellwood Memorial for colts and geldings and the $447,000 Peaceful Way for the fillies.
In addition, 16 pacing mares will contest a pair of eliminations for the Milton Stakes.
To view the harness racing entries for Saturday at Mohawk, click the following link: Saturday - Mohawk Racetrack.
(With files from WEG)