Going into this Saturday's $1.5 million Pepsi North America Cup eliminations, the lines on One More Laugh show that he won the Art Rooney Final
on Saturday, June 12. What the lines don't show is how fast he raced over the Yonkers' half-miler the week before.
“He’s looking good going in [to the North America Cup elims],” said Ray Schnittker, who trains and shares ownership of One More Laugh with Mathias Meinzinger of Central Islip and Jerry Silva of Long Beach, New York.
After winning nine of 12 starts at two, including the Governors Cup in a 1:49.2 world record at Harrah’s Chester and Pennsylvania Sires Stakes Championship at The Meadows, to bank $594,306, One More Laugh was ranked fourth in Trot Magazine’s 2010 Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book at odds of 12-1.
The son of McArdle-Fancy Creek Funny returned to the track at the end of April winning two qualifiers at the Meadowlands. He then captured his elimination for the $300,000 Max C. Hempt Memorial in 1:51.3 at Pocono Downs on May 15, but broke stride and finished eighth in the final – his third break in four Pocono starts. This past week, however, One More Laugh bounced back with a victory in Saturday’s four-horse $250,000 Art Rooney Pace at Yonkers Raceway.
“He only had to work a quarter,” said Schnittker of One More Laugh’s winning trip in the Rooney – he pulled the pocket around the last turn and kicked home in :26.4 to prevail by a neck over pacesetter Hes Gorgeous in 1:53.3. “They were walking and he come a real good last quarter. It actually wasn’t a real tough race for him.”
Prior to the race, Schnittker prepped the bay gelding with a speedy training mile. “I trained him real quick, probably track record time there. He needed a tightener for the North America Cup. He’ll be ready to go.”
Schnittker says One More Laugh has been turned out for a couple of days and will ship to Canada on Wednesday. “He’ll probably just jog Thursday and Friday and hopefully have a good performance Saturday.”
With speed and versatility on his side, One More Laugh will look to advance to the the $1.5 million Pepsi North America Cup on June 26 with a top three finish in this weekend's eliminations. “He can usually get home good and he can take a lot of air,” noted Schnittker. One More Laugh has drawn Post 8 in Saturday’s third and final Cup elimination.
To view the fields for the 2010 North America Cup elims, click here.