Harness racing’s heavyweights will clash this Saturday (Aug. 31) at Woodbine Mohawk Park in the $600,000 Maple Leaf Trot and $525,000 Canadian Pacing Derby.
Over $1.6 million in purses will be up for grabs during the stakes-filled program, which will also include the Simcoe Stakes for three-year-old pacers and Ontario Sires Stakes Gold for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings.
The Maple Leaf Trot for older trotters has been carded as Race 5, while the Canadian Pacing Derby for older pacers will face the gate for Race 8.
The Canadian Pacing Derby is the oldest stakes race in Canadian harness racing. This year’s edition will feature a field of nine with $14.2 million in combined career earnings, including the defending champion and the co-fastest Standardbred of all time.
Casie Coleman trainee McWicked is returning to defend his ‘Pacing Derby’ title. The eight-year-old captured last year’s edition in convincing fashion en route to being named the Horse of the Year in both Canada and the U.S.
McWicked continues to add to incredible legacy. He has banked over $500,000 in purses this season which as brought his career earnings to $4.5 million for owner Ed James’ S S G Stables. The superstar led all Standardbreds in earnings last season, as he became the oldest horse in 43 years to top the money standings. He is also the oldest horse in harness racing history to receive Horse of the Year honours.
David Miller, who steered McWicked to victory in last year’s race, will sit behind the Coleman trainee for the first time this season. The duo will start from the outside Post 9.
Lather Up, the co-fastest Standardbred of all time, will return to the site of his richest victory and attempt to add another lucrative victory to his dream season. The four-year-old captured last year’s $1 million Pepsi North America Cup at Mohawk and earlier this season matched Always B Miki’s world record of 1:46 at the Meadowlands Racetrack.
Trained by Clyde Francis, Lather Up is undefeated in six career starts at Mohawk. The son of Im Gorgeous is currently riding a four-race win streak, which includes victories in the Dan Patch, Sam McKee Memorial, Haughton Memorial and Graduate Series. He has recorded eight wins from 11 starts this season. In terms of his career, he has notched 23 wins from 36 trips behind the gate.
Montrell Teague will team up with the career earner of $1.7 million and the duo will start from Post 5.
The Canadian Pacing Derby field also includes This Is The Plan (PP1, Yannick Gingras), Done Well (PP2, Andrew McCarthy), Western Fame (PP3, Louis Philippe Roy), Jimmy Freight (PP4, Scott Zeron), Courtly Choice (PP6, James MacDonald), Filibuster Hanover (PP7, Gingras) and Casimir Richie P (PP8, Sylvain Filion).
The Maple Leaf Trot will feature an all-star field of ten older trotters – which will include four mares – competing for a purse of $600,000. Eliminations winners Crystal Fashion and Guardian Angel As carry the momentum into Saturday’s final.
Jim Campbell trainee Crystal Fashion will be looking to pull off the Canadian Trotting Classic-Maple Leaf Trot back-to-back. The four-year-old captured last year’s marquee event for sophomore trotters and returned to Mohawk Park to win his elimination last Saturday by a pair of lengths in 1:52.
Crystal Fashion is currently on a three-race win streak to bring his four-year-old record to five wins and $450,775 earned in nine starts. His career numbers sit at 18 wins and $1.7 million earned for owner Fashion Farms.
David Miller will guide the Campbell trainee from Post 2.
Anette Lorentzon trainee Guardian Angel AS has been putting together a fantastic five-year-old season and enters the Maple Leaf Trot final off a game 1:51.4 elimination score. The five-year-old has won six of nine starts and earned just shy of $400,000 this season.
Guardian Angel AS has competed in many marquee events over his career. A victory in the Maple Leaf Trot would mark his first classic victory and push him over $1 million in career earnings for owners ACL Stuteri and Kjell Johansson.
Driver Tim Tetrick has the assignment behind Guardian Angel As and the duo will start from Post 3.
A quartet of accomplished mares will compete in Saturday’s Maple Leaf Trot.
World champion Atlanta fell just short to Guardian Angel As in last Saturday’s elimination and will now have to overcome Post 10. The Ron Burke trainee captured the Armbro Flight earlier this year at Mohawk in track record fashion.
Luc Blais trainee Emoticon Hanover will compete in her second Maple Leaf Trot final. The two-time Breeders Crown champion is the second-richest horse in the field with over $1.7 million earned. She will start from Post 9.
Blais will also send out mare Dream Together, a career-earner of $835,250, from Post 6.
Manchego completes the mare quartet and will start from Post 7. The Nancy Johansson-trained four-year-old has a pair of victories this season and will be looking to add to her career earnings of $1.7 million.
The richest horse in the Maple Leaf Trot field is six-year-old Marion Marauder at $3.3 million. The Mike Keeling trainee is winless in five starts this season, but rallied in his elimination to finish second.
The Maple Leaf Trot field is completed by millionaire Six Pack (PP1, Ake Svanstedt), Speeding Spur N (PP4, Jody Jamieson) and Dancer Hall (PP5, James MacDonald).
Saturday’s program also includes the return of Pepsi North America Cup winner Captain Crunch to Mohawk for the $171,503 Simcoe Stakes. Captain Crunch will tackle Meadowlands Pace winner Best In Show and five other rivals in the Grand Circuit contest. Trained by Nancy Johansson, Captain Crunch will be making his first start since winning the Cane Pace on August 3. The son of Captaintreacherous has won five of seven starts this season and earned $777,027 for owners 3 Brothers Stables, Christina Takter, Rojan Stables and Caviart Farms. The Simcoe Stakes has been carded as Race 9.
A trio of Ontario Sires Stakes Gold divisions for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings will also take place on Saturday’s program. The second division will see the undefeated Johansson-trained colt Tall Dark Stranger search for his fourth consecutive victory.
The OSS Gold divisions have been carded as Race 2, 3 and 6.
Post time for Saturday evening’s card will be at 7:10 p.m.
To view the harness racing entries for Saturday at Mohawk, click the following link: Saturday Entries – woodbine Mohawk Park.
(Woodbine Entertainment)