With a display of fierce competition in the Molson Pace Handicapping Contest organized by the I Love Canadian Harness Racing Fan Club, a winner has emerged.
Congratulations to Ed Pepin of Mississauga, Ontario for scoring 18 of the possible 20 points!
The Fan Club has also put together a gallery from the Molson Pace night, which you can view here.
Below are Ed’s selections, as well as the answers from Friday’s contest:
Select the post position that will return the highest number of wins on the day (2 points):
Ed: Post 3
Answer: Post positions 2, 4, 7 and 8 each had two wins on the 12 race card.
Select the winner of race 11, the third OSS Gold Division (3 points):
Ed: 1 - Sportskeeper
Answer: Casie Coleman trainee Sportskeeper won in an impressive wire-to-wire performance, hanging on by a head in 1:53 over post-time favourite Physicallyinclined.
Select the horse that will reach the quarter pole first in the Molson Pace final (3 points):
Ed: 1 - All Bets Off
Answer: All Bets Off left hard off the gate from the rail position for Matt Kakaley, sailing to the quarter first in 26.2.
Select the winner of the Molson Pace (3 points):
Ed: 8 - State Treasurer
Answer: State Treasurer made history on Friday night, capturing the Molson Pace for his third year in a row. The trip to victory lane also made the son of Real Desire harness racing’s newest millionaire.
Will the Molson Pace go faster or slower than the Confederation Cup Final, won by All Bets Off in 1:51.3? (3 points)
Ed: Yes, it will be faster than 1:51.3
Answer: Defeating 3-5 favourite All Bets Off in a flashy 1:51, State Treasurer rewrote his name into the record books, shaving a fifth of a second off the stakes record he equaled in 2013.
Select the leading money-winning driver for the day’s races (3 points):
Ed: Chris Christoforou
Answer: Chris Christoforou collected $127,000 in four starts at the London raceway. Finishing first and second in two of the OSS Gold divisions for the Coleman stable, he wrapped up the card on a high note with State Treasurer in the Molson Pace.
Select the leading money-winning trainer for the day’s races (3 points):
Ed: Casie Coleman
Answer: Casie edged out training competition on Friday night, with $9,132 separating her and the next on the list. Her stable collected $59,500 at The Raceway, with a win, a second and two fifths from seven starters on the stakes-filled card.
Ed won a $50 Fan Club prize package as well as a $50 gift certificate to the track of his choice. At Ed's request, the Fan Club will be donating the $50 to OSAS in Ed's name.
“I work as the Supervisor for Track Maintenance at Mohawk and I’ve been taking care of tracks for 31 years now. I started with Thoroughbreds and then moved to Standardbreds not that long ago.”
Unfortunately Ed wasn’t able to be trackside on Friday night as he was working at Mohawk.
“I was just sitting at the computer before work and thought ‘Oh I like this horse!’ as I was picking. I really like State Treasurer and I figured he would be great.”
The Molson Pace also featured a trackside contest where fans were asked to choose the winner of the night’s signature event. Congratulations to Lisa Reid of Dutton, Ontario, for selecting State Treasurer!
Lisa is a long time racing fan, having spent time training racehorses. Though she is currently recovering from a major foot surgery, she is eager to get back involved with racing. For now, she is a dedicated trackside supporter and we wish her a swift recovery. Lisa’s selection won her a $50 Fan Club prize package as well as a $20 betting voucher.
The next Fan Club handicapping contest will be centered around the North America Cup at Mohawk Racetrack in June, but this time with a twist. Keep an eye on the Standardbred Canada website for more information!