On Saturday night at Woodbine Racetrack, freshman colt and gelding pacers will duke it out in eliminations for entrance to the $732,000 Governor's Cup. Juvenile colt and gelding trotters will also be contesting elims for the $660,000 Valley Victory.
The finals are scheduled for Saturday, October 25.
Saturday night's trio of $23,000 eliminations for the lucrative $732,000 Governor's Cup at Woodbine Racetrack, has an abundance of rich pacing talent, with the potential for three classic duels.
In the first of the three $23,000 Governor's Cup elims (Race 2, 7:51 p.m.), Metro Pace runner-up Nebupanezzar will go head-to-head with Champlain Stakes winner Well Said. Well Said had the better luck in the post position draw, and will be leaving from Post 4 with driver Ron Pierce. Nebupanezzar and pilot Steve Condren have drawn Post 8. The morning line oddsmaker has rated both highly.
The second Governor's Cup elim (Race 4, 8:33 p.m.) features Major In Art, rated the 8-5 morning line favourite, leaving from Post 1, and Millionaire Cam and Art Colony, also well-favoured at 7-2 and 9-2, respectively, on his outside in Post Positions 4 and 5. All three have impressive credentials for two-year-olds: Major In Art has already pocketed nearly three-quarters of a million dollars thanks to wins in the Woodrow Wilson stakes and the Metro Pace, while Millionaire Cam was a recent Ontario Sires Stakes Gold final winner and already has a record of 3-1-0 in just four lifetime starts. Casie Coleman trainee Art Colony is unbeaten in three lifetime starts and already has a career clocking of 1:52.2.
In the third Governor's Cup elim (Race 7, 9:36 p.m.), Carnivore will face off against Dial Or Nodial. Carnivore, a runaway winner in a division of the $85,350 Bluegrass Stakes in Lexington recently, is hoping to build on a two-race win streak for trainer Jack Darling, while Dial Or Nodial was also a recent Bluegrass winner and has captured seven of his eight starts for trainer Jim Campbell. The two colts are rated at 6-5 and 8-5, respectively.
Two $23,000 eliminations this Saturday night at Woodbine will decide which 10 two-year-old trotters will advance to the rewarding $660,000 final for the Valley Victory Stakes at Woodbine … and both are shaping up to be exciting contests.
In the first of two $23,000 Valley Victory elims (Race 3, 8:12 p.m.), Winning Mister, who recently lived up to his name with a victory in the $120,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Gold final at Mohawk, will face off against Hurrikanebiggeorge. Keith Klages trains Winning Mister, who has been pegged the 8-5 morning line favourite.
The second of the Valley Victory elims (Race 5, 8:54 p.m.) pits stakes-proven Federal Flex against Encore Encore, who was recently triumphant in a $98,000 division of the Bluegrass Stakes at the Red Mile. After starting his career in the barn of trainer Carl Jamieson, Federal Flex is now conditioned by Jeff Gillis.
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(With files from WEG)