In the Governor's Cup eliminations, after a 49-day layoff, Woodrow Wilson and Metro Pace winner Major In Art raced first-up, closed on a fresh horse and lost by one length in 1:51. Trainer Justin Lebo told Trot Insider this morning that he is looking forward to the $820,000 final Saturday at Woodbine Racetrack.
"The trip in the elim definitely tightened him up," Lebo explained about the Art Major colt. "We think that he is in good shape heading into the final."
Saturday's lucrative dash for the freshman pacers has been carded as Race 7 (9:46 p.m.).
To no surprise, the connections of the impressive elim winners have opted to start from the advantageous inside posts.
Dial Or Nodial, who won in 1:52, will start from Post 2 (Brian Sears, 4-1). Nebupanezzar -- who also stopped the timer in 1:52 -- will start from Post 3 (Steve Condren, 7-2). After pacing in 1:51 and defeating Major In Art, Art Colony's connections opted for Post 4 (Randy Waples, 4-1).
Now paired with Mark MacDonald, Major In Art will have a new driver for the final and will start from Post 8. Well Said, who finished second in his elim, has been given the status of morning line favourite from Post 9. Ron Pierce will guide Well Said.
"I imagine a bunch of those horses on the inside will leave quite a bit," Lebo told Trot Insider. "We're just going to let Mark take it from there."
In terms of driver choices for the event, Brian Sears decided to opt off Major In Art in favour of Dial Or Nodial. If Lebo has any concerns, he surely hasn't conveyed them. "It feels good to have arguably the best driver at Woodbine [Mark MacDonald] driving him [Major In Art]," he said.
Lebo told Trot Insider that Major In Art has gotten more comfortable racing from off the pace as his career has maturated, He also confirmed that if everything goes according to plan, his $729,160 earner will be contesting the Breeders Crown and Matron Stakes down the road.
To view the entries for Woodbine's lucrative Saturday card, click here.