Woodbine Mohawk Park is set to host eliminations this weekend for the Grade 1 Metro Pace and Grade 1 Elegantimage Stakes.
The Metro Pace for two-year-old pacers will have a pair of six-horse eliminations on Saturday, Sept. 19 to determine the field for the $1 million final. The Elegantimage for three-year-old filly trotters has two nine-horse eliminations on Friday, Sept. 18 to decide the spots in the $400,000 final.
In the first $40,000 elimination for the Metro Pace, Shalom Hanover will put his undefeated record on the line for driver Louis-Philippe Roy and trainer Dr. Ian Moore. A son of Papi Rob Hanover, Shalom Hanover is six-for-six with $432,891 banked going into the Metro elimination and will look to give Dr. Moore back-to-back wins in the richest race for rookies after winning last year with Beau Jangles. Shalom Hanover's six wins include scores in the Pennsylvania Sires Stakes final along with a division of the Nassagaweya Stakes (Grade 3) and the Dream Maker (Grade 3). His current mark sits at 1:49.2 taken at Pocono Downs.
Dr. Moore will also send out Cattletracks, a son of Cattlewash with $123,959 earned who enters off a 1:50.1 win in last Saturday’s Champlain Stakes (Grade 3).
New York Sires Stakes standout Rose Run Cowboy will make his Mohawk debut for trainer Ron Burke. The son of Huntsville has six top three finishes from seven starts, including three wins. In his most recent outing, he was second in a photo finish in last weekend’s New York Sires Stakes final. Yannick Gingras is listed to drive the winner of $334,275.
The second Metro elimination appears to be wide open on paper, as all six of the entrants have one or two wins on their record.
Burke trainee Eastie Boy is the highest earner with $227,653 in seven starts. The son of Sweet Lou is a two-time winner and was third in the Pennsylvania Sires Stakes final last time out. Ronnie Wrenn Jr. is listed to drive.
Mascarpone gives Dr. Moore another entrant in the Metro eliminations. The son of Stay Hungry has two wins and $130,582 earned in seven starts. He posted a significant victory on Aug. 29 at Mohawk by winning a division of the Nassagaweya (Grade 3). Scott Zeron gets the driving assignment.
The full fields for the Metro Pace eliminations are listed below.
$40,000 Metro Pace Elimination #1 - Race 2
Post - Horse - Listed Driver - Trainer
1. Th Theo - Doug McNair - Gregg McNair
2. Th Benedict - James MacDonald - Tony O’Sullivan
3. Rose Run Cowboy - Yannick Gingras - Ron Burke
4. Cattletracks - Louis-Philippe Roy - Dr. Ian Moore
5. Shalom Hanover - Louis-Philippe Roy - Dr. Ian Moore
6. L A Captain - James MacDonald - Luc Blais
$40,000 Metro Pace Elimination #1 - Race 7
Post - Horse - Listed Driver - Trainer
1. Vanqueur - Dexter Dunn - Andrew Harris
2. Mascarpone - Scott Zeron - Dr. Ian Moore
3. Big D Energy - Mark MacDonald - Herb Holland
4. High Rise Hanover - J.R. Plante - Nicky Comegna
5. Eastie Boy - Ronnie Wrenn Jr. - Ron Burke
6. Global Choice - Mark MacDonald - Garry Merner
The first $35,000 Elegantimage Stakes elimination on Friday features last year’s O'Brien Award divisional champion Storybook Love. Trained by Matt Bax, Storybook Love deked through rivals to rally for victory in last October’s Breeders Crown at Mohawk. The daughter of Chapter Seven struggled to get back to the winner’s circle this season until capturing a division of the Simcoe Stakes (Grade 3) on Sept. 4. Storybook Love followed up her Simcoe win with a runner-up finish in last Saturday’s New York Sires Stakes final. Todd Ratchford has been her exclusive driver at age three. She’s posted one win among seven top three finishes from 12 starts this season for $278,020 in earnings.
The Nancy Takter-trained Leading Lady has the highest earnings this season in the first elimination at north of $300,000. The daughter of Walner has just one win this year, but nine on-the-board finishes from 12 outings. Just like Storybook Love, Leading Lady also enters off a second-place finish, having grabbed runner-up honours in the New Jersey Classic last Friday. Jason Bartlett will catch-drive.
Two-time New York Sires Stakes champion Sharp Seven headlines the second Elegantimage split. Trainer George Ducharme ships in Sharp Seven off her second regional championship victory last Saturday and sporting a seasonal record of five wins and two seconds with $431,163 earned from 12 starts. Bartlett is listed to drive the daughter of Chapter Seven.
One of the season's top Ontario Sires Stakes performers, Cher Hill will also line up in the second split. The Gregg McNair-trained daughter of Muscle Mass is coming in off a 6-1/4-length victory last Friday in the Gold Series. She’s posted four wins and earned $229,677 in 10 starts this year. Doug McNair will drive again.
Trainer/driver Ake Svanstedt’s Busy Miss Lissy S is also in the second elimination. The daughter of Calgary Games has just seven starts this season, posting three wins. She has not raced since Aug. 18 when she won a consolation of the Delmonica Hanover at Pocono.
The fields for the Elegantimage eliminations are listed below:
$35,000 Elegantimage Stakes Elimination #1 - Race 3
Post - Horse - Listed Driver - Trainer
1. Upto Laura Hanover - Steve Hudon - Laura Toscani
2. Nuance - James MacDonald - Marcus Melander
3. Sugar Packet - Jody Jamieson - Blake MacIntosh
4. Storybook Love - Todd Ratchford - Matt Bax
5. R Ro - Jody Jamieson - Susie Kerwood
6. Leading Lady - Jason Bartlett - Nancy Takter
7. Sparks - Ake Svanstedt - Ake Svanstedt
8. Pats Queen - Scott Young - Rod Hughes
9. Courtneys Promise - Trevor Henry - Rick Zeron
$35,000 Elegantimage Stakes Elimination #2 - Race 7
Post - Horse - Listed Driver - Trainer
1. Lainey W - James MacDonald - Marcus Melander
2. Ill Have The Red - Trevor Henry - Rick Zeron
3. Cher Hill - Doug McNair - Gregg McNair
4. Kngtstlkrs Games - Louis-Philippe Roy - Peter Shody
5. Th Trix R Forkids - Mark MacDonald - Murray Brethour
6. Busy Miss Lissy S - Ake Svanstedt - Ake Svanstedt
7. Sharp Seven - Jason Bartlett - George Ducharme
8. Denarius - Jason Bartlett - Nancy Takter
9. Shimmering Hanover - Bob McClure - Luc Blais
The top five finishers in each elimination advance to the finals. Elimination winners draw for posts two through six.
Post time for Friday and Saturday at Mohawk is 6:30 p.m.
The entry box also closed on Tuesday, Sept. 15 for the Canadian Trotting Classic for three-year-old trotters and the Shes A Great Lady Stakes for two-year-old filly pacers. Those two Grade 1 events will not require eliminations this weekend. The Canadian Trotting Classic received eight entrants, while the Shes A Great Lady attracted a group of 11.
The entrants for both races are listed below in alphabetical order with trainers.
$590,000 Canadian Trotting Classic (Grade 1)
- AI (Ron Burke)
- Apex (Marcus Melander)
- Highland Destiny (Nancy Takter)
- Magic Punk (Ake Svanstedt)
- Nix Nacken (Marcus Melander)
- Strobe Lite (Ben Baillargeon)
- Touchedbyanangel (Kyle Fellows)
- Yankee Boost (Gregg McNair)
$510,000 Shes A Great Lady Stakes (Grade 1)
- Aceandaten (Gregg McNair)
- Jersey Bulldog (John Pentland)
- Mauritius (Kyle Fellows)
- Mericana Hanover (Tony O’Sullivan)
- Money Carlo (Dr. Ian Moore)
- Qued Up (Kyle Fellows)
- Rockin Jade Deo (Luc Blais)
- Treacherous Nova (Kevin Benn)
- Twin B Copacabana (Anthony Beaton)
- Twin B Mayreau (Francis Dumouchel)
- Waves Of Fortune (Anthony Beaton)
The finals will take place on Saturday, Sept. 26.
To view this weekend's harness racing entries, click the following links: Friday Entries - Woodbine Mohawk Park // Saturday Entries - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
(With files from Woodbine; photo of Shalom Hanover winning a Nassagaweya Stakes division on Aug. 29 at Mohawk)