With the division's top performer — Miki And Minnie — on the sidelines, the timing was right for another older pacing mare to challenge Twin B Joe Fresh for supremacy.
Enter Francent N, the 7-5 morning line choice in the $255,000 Milton Stakes set for this Saturday, Sept. 5 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Supplemented to the Grade 2 pacing event for $20,000, Francent N made her Canadian debut one week ago at Mohawk in a $50,000 Fillies & Mares Open Pace. Not clearing until just before the :54.1 half, Francent N got a two-hole ride behind Twin B Joe Fresh for the third quarter and into the stretch before driver Louis-Philippe Roy found a seam up the cones to hit the wire first in a lifetime best 1:48.1 effort.
A six-year-old New Zealand-bred daughter of Vincent-Mary Niven, Francent N is owned by Sylvain Descheneaux's Ecurie CSL of Sorel-Tracy, Que. Before coming to North America, Francent compiled a record of 13-6-2 from 29 starts — including a three-race win streak before heading to the northern hemisphere.
Descheneaux's Ecurie CSL currently sits second in wins (28) and third in earnings ($790,780) at Mohawk this year, thanks in large part to southern hemisphere imports the likes of Lets N Joy N, Ultimate Desbi N, Helluva N and Carrera Sunset N from the Jacques Duport barn and Ontario Sires Stakes two-year-old Twin B Mayreau from the stable of Francis Dumouchel.
"I have a very good barn," said Descheneaux. "I'm very proud of that."
Francent N can add significantly to his stable's stats this weekend. Originally purchased as a mare he hoped to campaign at Yonkers Raceway in preparation for the Ursula MacIntrye (formerly Blue Chip Matchmaker) Series, Francent N reported to the stateside stable of trainer Pat Lachance. She made four appearances at the New York half-mile oval, compiling a record of 2-1-0-1. In her fourth-place finish, she finished 1-1/4 lengths back of the winner on debut in the Fillies & Mares Invitational, pacing her final quarter in :26.3.
"You don't see that every week," noted Descheneaux, who was encouraged to supplement Francent N to the Milton. "The first thing in my mind was [the MacIntyre]. But we decided to [supplement to the Milton]. The most important thing you have to know is that it's not easy to call a trainer and ask him to bring the mare to Ontario. But Pat Lachance works as a team, and that's the reason why we work as a team. Jacques Dupont's barn, Pat and me work as a team.
"I just hope that it will be okay for Saturday, but I think she can win that race," the owner continued. "I'm less angry about them than they are about us. But we'll see Saturday night."
After Saturday, Descheneaux didn't want to look too far ahead. While there are still some lucrative stakes events left on the calendar, he understands asset management is important. That's part of the reason why stablemate Lets N Joy N isn't racing in the Milton.
"When I bought [Francent N], it was for Yonkers. But after seeing all that, maybe I have to pay more," said Descheneaux with respect to staking. "I was not able to see what she can do. But next year, it will be different.
"When you see six years old [for her age], you know that they are only five and a half. And it's the same thing for Lets N Joy. The reason why we never put her in a stakes like the Milton, after a discussion with [driver] James MacDonald, he said to us, 'She's just three and a half.' If you want to have a good mare next year, you're better to protect her a little bit...The way you manage the horse is more important than the race."
Francent N retains driver Louis-Philippe Roy this Saturday, drawing post six in her Grand Circuit debut. Twin B Joe Fresh, the two-time defending Milton champion, is set to depart from post nine with Dexter Dunn at the controls for trainer Chris Ryder. She's the second choice at 5-2 on the morning line. The field also includes Unreasonable (PP1, Todd McCarthy, 4-1), Rodeo Drive Deo (PP8, Yannick Gingras, 6-1), second to Francent N in last Saturday’s prep, and Mohawk Open regulars Absolution (PP2, Trevor Henry, 20-1) and Grit N Grace (PP5, Travis Henry, 20-1).
The full Milton field is listed below. The race is the fifth dash on Saturday with an approximate post time of 8:13 p.m.
$255,000 Milton Stakes (Grade 2)
Post - Horse - Driver - Trainer - Odds
1. Unreasonable - Todd McCarthy - Andrew Harris - 4-1
2. Absolution - Trevor Henry - Jack Moiseyev - 20-1
3. Louies Girl N - Jason Bartlett - Petter Engblom - 8-1
4. Cold Creek Fuego - Scott Zeron - Daniel Walker - 20-1
5. Grit N Grace - Travis Henry - Mike Kwietniowski - 20-1
6. Francent N - Louis-Philippe Roy - Jacques Dupont - 7-5
7. Talk Curdy To Me - James MacDonald - Dave Menary - 20-1
8. Rodeo Drive Deo - Yannick Gingras - Ron Burke - 6-1
9. Twin B Joe Fresh - Dexter Dunn - Chris Ryder - 5-2
The stakes-stacked Saturday card also features the $705,000 Canadian Pacing Derby (Grade 1), $620,000 Maple Leaf Trot (Grade 1), the $140,000 Simcoe Stakes (Grade 3) for three-year-old trotters and Ontario Sires Stakes Gold legs for two-year-old pacers. First post time is set for 6:30 p.m.
To view Saturday’s harness racing entries, click one of the following links: Saturday Entries || Program Pages (courtesy TrackIT).
(Standardbred Canada)