Stakes Elims Highlight Saturday Woodbine Card

Published: October 17, 2008 10:00 am EDT

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.

Click here to view the entries.

(With files from WEG)

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