Fresh off his win on Sunday in track and Canadian record time, Peter Pan Stables' star two-year-old colt pacer Nebupanezzar will aim to make it a repeat for the Ontario-breds on Saturday in one of three $40,000 Metro Pace eliminations at Mohawk Racetrack.
The winner of last year's $1 million Metro Pace final was Ontario-sired phenom Somebeachsomewhere - only the second Ontario-bred to capture the prestigious freshman event. The first, coincidentally, was Sir Luck - whose 1:53.4 track mark Glazer's rookie colt equaled on Sunday in the $120,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Final at Flamboro Downs.
The man behind Peter Pan Stables told Trot Insider the story behind how he acquired Western Wonder - the dam of Metro contender Nebupanezzar and standout sophomore The Mohegan Pan.
"I purchased Western Wonder at the end of her two-year-old season from Dan Altmeyer," recounted Glazer. "She had a terrific rookie campaign for him apart from getting sick at the end of the year. I had high hopes for her three-year-old year, but most of those were unfulfilled. She performed with little consistency - occasionally showing flashes of brilliance, however - and always displaying high flashes of speed. At four, she took her mark of 1:51.1 in a top level condition at The Meadowlands while Chris Marino was training her. I think that most of her inconsistent racing was attributed to internal issues."
After retiring Western Wonder to his broodmare band, Glazer bred the mare to Artsplace and The Firepan - with whom Glazer captured his first Metro title in 1999 - before finding a more successful cross - with his Triple Crown winning stallion No Pan Intended.
"No Pan Intended was just a great racehorse, period," said Glazer. "While one couldn't necessarily predict his future three-year-old greatness from his rookie season, he started his two-year-old season early and raced all year - getting better as the season progressed.
"But at three, he was just a different horse; he wanted to win and he learned how to race. And while he wasn't always flashy, he really displayed lots of his grand-sire's [Cam Fella] grit and determination. Once he learned how to win, he just flat out refused to lose."
According to Glazer, the brothers were exceptional looking yearlings, just like their father - who fetched $150,000 at the Tattersalls Yearling Sale.
"Early on [trainer] Bob McIntosh expressed his fondness for Nebupanezzar, both for his gait and his speed," Glazer told Trot Insider. "Bob and [driver] Steve Condren have mentioned some similar traits about the two brothers, but both have felt that Nebupanezzar has come to his speed a little faster."
Although his colt comes into Saturday's elimination off a Canadian record, Glazer knows the competition - with Woodrow Wilson winner Major In Art and the speedy Annieswesterncard headlining the other divisions - will be tougher than the OSS colts he faced on Sunday.
"The bottom line is that it's definitely a step up for us; going from Ontario Sires Stakes races to open company, but we're coming into the race in good form and soon enough we'll know how we fit."
To view Saturday's entries for Mohawk, click here.