Trainer Tony Alagna has high hopes for the undefeated Stay Hungry in Saturday night’s (September 23) $816,000 Metro Pace for two-year-olds at Mohawk Racetrack. And despite the colt only having raced—and won—three times to date, Alagna has nothing but high praise for his progress to date and optimism for his future.
“He has progressed so well since we started,” Alagna told the Toronto Star. “We felt like he was sitting on a really big effort and he didn’t disappoint, that’s for sure.
“Based on the way we’ve managed him going into this race, I think we’re in good shape.”
While a 1:50.2 victory in last week’s elimination was good enough to be the fastest among two-year-old pacers this year, driver Doug McNair feels Stay Hungry, a son of 2007 Metro Pace champion Somebeachsomewhere, still can pace faster.
“He’s only had the three starts and keeps dropping two seconds a start,” McNair said. “He’s coming into the race as good as any in there, he dropped two more seconds off his previous mark and did it pretty handily.”
The Metro Pace is carded as the ninth of 12 races on Saturday night’s card, and it shares top billing with the $500,000 Shes A Great Lady, programmed as the night’s sixth event.
The Metro Pace field, in its entirety:
Post – Horse – Driver – Trainer – Morning Line
1 – St Lads Neptune – Jody Jamieson – Carl Jamieson – 20-1
2 – Stay Hungry – Doug McNair – Tony Alagna – 3-1
3 – Twin B Tuffenuff – Brett Miller – Steve Elliott – 6-1
4 – Pedro Hanover – Andy McCarthy – Andrew Harris – 5-2
5 – Lost In Time – Scott Zeron – Jim Mulinix – 7-2
6 – Nutcracker Sweet – Tim Tetrick – Jimmy Takter – 8-1
7 – Taste Of History – Louis-Philippe Roy – Rene Allard – 12-1
8 – Odds On Lauderdale – Sylvain Filion – Tony Alagna – 15-1
9 – Springsteen – Chris Ryder – Chris Ryder – 15-1
10 – Hayden Hanover – Yannick Gingras – Julie Miller – 12-1
To read the Toronto Star article in its entirety, click here.
To view the entries for Saturday's card, click one of the following links:
➤ Saturday Entries - Mohawk Racetrack
➤ Program Pages (courtesy TrackIT)
(with files from the Toronto Star)