A talented group of 15 four-year-old pacers will convene on Flamboro Downs this Sunday (May 13) for the eliminations of the Confederation Cup.
The top four finishers from each $20,000 elimination, plus a fifth-place finisher drawn by lot, will qualify for the 40th Confederation Cup on Sunday, May 20. The purse for the final is $182,500.
The first elimination features a field of seven and is fronted by O’Brien Award winner Classic Pro (PP2, Trevor Henry), who is making his 2018 Canadian debut. The Dr. Ian Moore trainee won his season debut on April 15 at Pompano Park.
Classic Pro captured four of 14 starts last season, but his best performances may have come in defeat. The son of Shadow Play finished fourth in the $1 million Pepsi North America Cup and third in The Meadowlands Pace, which helped him bank $293,645 during his sophomore campaign.
The highest earner in Sunday’s first elimination is Funknwaffles (PP1, Corey Callahan) for trainer John Butenschoen. The gelded son of American Ideal was last season’s New York Sire Stakes champion and Little Brown Jug runner-up.
Funknwaffles, a career-winner of $856,813, made his season debut last Saturday at The Meadowlands, finishing fourth in a leg of the Graduate Series.
The second split is headlined by Little Brown Jug champion Filibuster Hanover (PP2, Yannick Gingras). The Ron Burke trainee comes into his Confederation Cup elimination off a win in his season debut last Saturday at The Meadowlands.
Filibuster Hanover won five of 20 starts last season and banked $730,104.
Burke, who won the 2016 edition with Rockin Ron, will send out four starters in Sunday’s eliminations.
Maroma Beach (PP2, Louis Philippe Roy) and Eddard Hanover (PP6, Louis-Philippe Roy) in the first split join Rock N Tony (PP8, Yannick Gingras) and Filibuster Hanover in the second division to make up the Burke quartet.
Trainer Jimmy Takter is back in the Confederation Cup and looking for a repeat of last year’s victory with Western Fame. The Hall of Fame trainer will send out Blood Line from the rail in the evening’s second elimination and has gone back to what worked in last year’s edition by using driver Trevor Henry.
Blood Line scored just one win in 19 starts last season, but did hit the board in nine of those starts, earning $169,819 throughout the course of the season.
The Confederation Cup eliminations have been carded as Races 10 and 11 on Sunday evening’s program. First race post time for the eliminations card is 6:00 p.m.
The 40th Confederation Cup takes place Sunday, May 20 and Flamboro Downs has a night of fun planned for all ages.
Activities onsite for Confederation Cup night includes an appearance from several members of Canada’s Olympic Women’s Hockey Team, driver Paul MacDonell signing photos of the late-great Somebeachsomewhere, strolling entertainment acts, live music, a Rodney Dangerfield impersonator, sampling stations and industry booths.
A sport memorabilia auction will also take place with all proceeds going to the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society.
An exhibition race featuring miniature horses and the opportunity to drive a racehorse with the Wanna Drive team is also part of the entertainment on Cup night.
The Confederation Cup undercard will include the start of the 2018 Ontario Sires Stakes season with three-year-old pacing colts and geldings battling in Gold Series action.
Flamboro Downs is also teaming up with TheStable.ca to give away 10 shares of a racehorse. A total of five shares will be given away through radio contests leading up to Confederation Cup night, while the other five will be won by fans onsite for the big race.
Fans attending this year’s Confederation Cup are encouraged to follow Flamboro Downs on Twitter and Facebook for opportunities to win a VIP experience.
Here are the fields for Sunday’s (May 13) Confederation Cup eliminations with listed driver and trainer.
Race 10 – Confederation Cup, Elimination #1
1. Funknwaffles (Corey Callahan – John Butenschoen)
2. Maroma Beach (Louis-Philippe Roy – Ron Burke)
3. Classic Pro (Trevor Henry – Dr. Ian Moore)
4. Hurricane Beach (Bob McClure – Luc Blais)
5. Western Joe (Scott Zeron – Christopher Choate)
6. Eddard Hanover (Louis-Philippe Roy – Ron Burke)
7. Bags To Riches (TBA – Jason Skinner)
Race 11 – Confederation Cup, Elimination #2
1. Blood Line (Trevor Henry – Jimmy Takter)
2. Filibuster Hanover (Yannick Gingras – Ron Burke)
3. Art Scene (Louis-Philippe Roy – Joe Pereira)
4. Red John (Phil Hudon – Victor Puddy)
5. Daiymir (Montrell Teague – Clyde Francis)
6. Boogie Shuffle (Randy Waples – Murray Brethour)
7. Odds On Delray (Doug McNair – Tony Alagna)
8. Rock N Tony (Yannick Gingras – Ron Burke)
To the view the entries or program pages (courtesy TrackIT) for Sunday's card, click one of the following links:
► Sunday Entries - Flamboro Downs
► Sunday Program Pages - Flamboro Downs
(Woodbine Communications)