The connections of 30 of the continent's top three-year-old pacing colts and geldings have entered their charges to contest the Pepsi North America Cup eliminations, which will take place Saturday, June 19 at Mohawk
Racetrack.
The top three finishers from each elim, plus one fourth-place finisher drawn by lot, will advance to the $1.5 million Pepsi North America Cup, harness racing's richest event for three-year-old pacers, which will take place as part of a massive program of racing on Saturday, June 26 at the picturesque Campbellville, Ont. track.
The connections of the elim winners will earn the right to select their horse's post position for the rich final.
Saturday's elims have been carded as Races 5 (8:54 p.m.), 7 (9:36 p.m.) and 8 (9:57 p.m.) on the 13-dash program, which will kick off with a 7:30 p.m. first-race post time.
Sportswriter, the 2009 Metro Pace victor and O'Brien Award winner as Canada's top freshman pacing colt of the year, will headline the first elim. The Casie Coleman-trained Artsplace colt won seven of eight races last season at age two, including a World Record 1:49.2 mile in the Metro, but has yet to reach the winner's circle in his two pari-mutuel starts this season. Coleman has listed Mark MacDonald to drive Sportswriter, who has drawn Post 7. Earlier this year, Sportswriter was installed as the 3-1 choice in Trot Magazine's 2010 Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book.
The first elim is arguably the most contentious of the three. Kyle Major, winner of a division of the Burlington Stakes last week, has drawn Post 8. Fellow Burlington winner Ideal Matters, has drawn Post 3. Berry's Creek and New Jersey Sire Stakes Final winner Rock N Roll Heaven has drawn Post 9.
Fresh off a North American season's fastest win time of 1:48.4 for the three-year-old pacing division, the Ron Burke-trained Real Artist colt Fred And Ginger has drawn into the second elim. Having won four of his six starts, including the Max C. Hempt Memorial Pace, the bay has yet to miss the board this season and has been individually timed in sub-1:50 three times this campaign. Burke has listed Dave Palone to drive Fred And Ginger, who has drawn Post 9. Fred And Ginger was gauged at odds of 62-1 choice in Trot's NA Cup Spring Book.
Other notables horses that have drawn into the second elim are Upper Canada Cup winner Haul Away (Post 8), 2009 Breeders Crown winner All Speed Hanover (Post 5) and 2009 Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots Final winner Twin B Warrior (Post 3).
The 2009 Governor's Cup and 2010 Art Rooney Pace winner One More Laugh will headline the third elim. The Ray Schnittker-trained McArdle gelding started his Cup quest with a couple of flashy qualifying efforts over the Meadowlands Racetrack in late April before making his season's pari-mutuel debut with a win in an elim for the Max C. Hempt Memorial Pace. After breaking stride and knocking himself out of the final one week later, the gelding rebounded with a 1:53.3 neck victory in the Rooney at Yonkers Raceway last weekend. One More Laugh, who is the 12-1 fourth choice in Trot's NA Cup Spring Book, will start from Post 8. Schnittker has listed Tim Tetrick to drive.
Other notables which will be contesting the third elim are Burlington winner Keystone Raptor (Post 5) and the Dr. Ian Moore-trained Malicious (Post 10).
To view the entries for Saturday's program from Mohawk, click here.
To view free, printable program pages for each of the Cup elims (courtesy of TrackIt), please click the links which appear within the race title.
Elim 1 (Race 5)
Post Position - Horse
1 - Rock Me Please
2 - OK Commander
3 - Ideal Matters
4 - Power Of A Moment
5 - Code Word
6 - Allthatgltrsisgold
7 - Sportswriter
8 - Kyle Major
9 - Rock N Roll Heaven
10 - Dr Dreamy
Elim 2 (Race 7)
Post Position - Horse
1 - Mach Dreamer
2 - Delmarvalous
3 - Twin B Warrior
4 - Art N Charm
5 - All Speed Hanover
6 - Four Starz Trace
7 - Stonebridge Tonic
8 - Haul Away
9 - Fred And Ginger
10 - Triple Major
Elim 3 (Race 8)
Post Position - Horse
1 - We Will See
2 - Woodstock
3 - IAM Bonasera
4 - BP Chimo
5 - Keystone Raptor
6 - Piece Of The Rock
7 - Warrawee Legend
8 - One More Laugh
9 - Art Professor
10 - Malicious