The Pepsi North America Cup is just a month away and Woodbine’s Mark McKelvie has unveiled his latest ‘Road to the Pepsi North America Cup’ rankings.
Bulldog Hanover moves to number one after scoring an Ontario Sires Stakes Gold victory last Saturday at Woodbine Mohawk Park. The Jack Darling trainee was last year’s Ontario champion and has won three of five starts this season. Reinsman Jody Jamieson is hoping Bulldog Hanover is his ticket to a third Pepsi North America Cup (Tell All, Up The Credit).
The Ontario-sired competitors appear poised to make their presence felt when the Grand Circuit arrives in two weeks to Woodbine Mohawk Park. A total of five Ontario-sired three-year-old pacers can be found on this week’s rankings (Bulldog Hanover, Lawless Shadow, Second Bruiser, Desperate Man, Bettor Sun).
Perfect Sting, the most recent number one ranked contender, slips down to number two after finishing second in last Saturday’s Cane Pace. The wins are no longer rolling in at the same rate as last year’s award-winning season for the Joe Holloway trainee, but Perfect Sting continues to be right in the thick of things with three wins, three seconds and a third in seven starts this season.
Rockyroad Hanover’s victory in the Cane Pace sees him make the large leap up seven spots to number three. The Tony Alagna trainee has been the victim of bad luck this season but turned his fortunes with a career-best 1:48.1 victory in the Pacing Triple Crown leg.
This week’s full rankings are listed below.
The $1 million Pepsi North America Cup takes place on Saturday, Sept. 11 at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Eliminations are scheduled for the week prior on Saturday, Sept. 4.
Road to the NA Cup – August 10, 2021
Record: Starts-1st-2nd-3rd (Earnings)
1 – Bulldog Hanover (Previously Ranked: #3)
Owner: Jack Darling Stables, Brad Grant
Trainer: Jack Darling
Driver: Jody Jamieson
2021: 5-3-0-1 ($183,936)
Life: 11-7-1-1 ($432,786)
Time: 1:49.1 (Woodbine Mohawk Park)
Last Week: 1st in OSS Gold at Woodbine Mohawk Park (08/07/21)
2 – Perfect Sting (Previously Ranked: #1)
Owner: Brittany Farms, Val D’or Farms
Trainer: Joe Holloway
Driver: David Miller
2021: 7-3-3-1 ($374,933)
Life: 17-13-3-1 ($909,233)
Time: 1:48.1 (Meadowlands)
Last Week: 2nd in Cane Pace at The Meadowlands (08/07/21)
3 – Rockyroad Hanover (Previously Ranked: #10)
Owner: Riverview Racing, Brad Grant, Kenneth Jacobs, Plouffe Head And Vj Stabl,
Trainer: Tony Alagna
Driver: Dexter Dunn
2021: 11-4-2-2 ($286,254)
Life: 14-5-2-2 ($291,864)
Time: 1:48.1 (Meadowlands)
Last Week: 1st in Cane Pace at The Meadowlands (08/07/21)
4 – Southwind Gendry (Previously Ranked: #4)
Owner: Burke Racing Stable, Phillip Collura, Knox Services, JandT Silva Purnel & Libb
Trainer: Ron Burke
Driver: Yannick Gingras
2021: 8-3-2-2 ($264,572)
Life: 21-13-2-3 ($847,641)
Time: 1:49.1 (Meadowlands)
Last Week: Did Not Race
5 – Lawless Shadow (Previously Ranked: #2)
Owner: Dr. Ian Moore, R G McGroup Ltd, Serge Savard, Frank Cannon
Trainer: Dr. Ian Moore
Driver: Bob McClure, Mark MacDonald
2021: 9-4-3-1 ($420,506)
Life: 18-8-6-2 ($728,130)
Time: 1:48.3 (Meadowlands)
Last Week: 10th in OSS Gold at Woodbine Mohawk Park (08/07/21)
6 – Abuckabett Hanover (Previously Ranked: #7)
Owner: Crawford Farms Racing, Alagna Racing, Jablonsky Held Stable, Barbera Wienick Stable
Trainer: Tony Alagna
Driver: Andrew McCarthy
2021: 9-5-0-0 ($133,436)
Life: 21-9-1-2 ($327,665)
Time: 1:49.1 (Meadowlands)
Last Week: Did Not Race
7 – Second Bruiser (Previously Ranked: #9)
Owner: Stefan Piekos, Vernon Cochrane
Trainer: Vernon Cochrane
Driver: James MacDonald
2021: 5-2-2-0 ($113,080)
Life: 10-6-2-0 ($183,905)
Time: 1:50.2 (Georgian)
Last Week: 5th in OSS Gold at Woodbine Mohawk Park (08/07/21)
8 – Desperate Man (Previously Ranked: N/A)
Owner: Kathy & John Cecchin, Nicole & Paul Davies
Trainer: Kathy Cecchin
Driver: Trevor Henry
2021: 5-1-0-1 ($61,580)
Life: 11-4-1-2 ($280,252)
Time: 1:49.4 (Georgian)
Last Week: 6th in OSS Gold at Woodbine Mohawk Park (08/07/21)
9 – One Eight Hundred (Previously Ranked: #6)
Owner: Brixton Medical Inc, Nancy Taker
Trainer: Nancy Takter
Driver: Tim Tetrick
2021: 12-6-0-0 ($114,441)
Life: 17-7-1-1 ($131,239)
Time: 1:48 (Meadowlands)
Last Week: 5th in Cane Pace at The Meadowlands (08/07/21)
10 – Bettor Sun (Previously Ranked: N/A)
Owner: Willow Oak Ranch, Gregg McNair
Trainer: Gregg McNair
Driver: Doug McNair
2021: 8-2-2-1 ($47,027)
Life: 18-5-4-3 ($320,828)
Time: 1:49 (Woodbine Mohawk Park)
Last Week: 3rd in OSS Gold at Woodbine Mohawk Park (08/07/21)
Upcoming Major Stakes Races:
Friday: New York Sires Stakes – Yonkers (New York)
Saturday: Milstein Invitational – Northfield Park (Ohio)
Eligible Horses:
ABUCKABETT HANOVER
ALWAYS A MIKI
AMERICAN COURAGE
AS ALWAYS
BAYFIELD BEACH
BETTIM AGAIN
BETTOR SUN
BULLDOG HANOVER
CANDY TRADER
CAPTAINOFROCKNROLL
CAPTAINS PLACE
CHASE H HANOVER
CONTROL HEAVEN
DEAN B HANOVER
DESPERATE MAN
EXPLOIT
GREAT SOMEWHERE
HIGHLANDBEACHSBEST
ISLAND BEACH BOY
JIMMY CONNOR B
JK GOING WEST
JOELSYY HANOVER
JTS JET
KINKAID SEELSTER
KOMODO BEACH
LAWLESS SHADOW
LINEDRIVE HANOVER
LOUS PEARLMAN
NO BETTER JOY
ONE EIGHT HUNDRED
PERFECT STING
PIRATE HANOVER
P L OZZY
PROLINE
RAU RU
RED RIGHT HAND
ROCKYROAD HANOVER
SARATOGA BLUE CHIP
SECOND BRUISER
SIMON SAYS HANOVER
SOUTHWIND GENDRY
SOUTHWIND PETYR
SUMMA CUM LAUDE
TWIN B EAGLE
WARRAWEE WHYNOT
WHICHWAYTOTHEBEACH
(Woodbine)