CAMPBELLVILLE, March 23 – The connections of 56 harness racing three-year-old pacers have made the first sustaining payment to remain eligible to the 34th Pepsi North America Cup.
The $1 million Pepsi North America Cup is Canada's richest harness race and will take place on Saturday, June 17 at Mohawk Racetrack.
A total of 60 three-year-olds were originally nominated and all but four have been kept eligible through the first sustaining payment.
Ray Schnittker trainee Huntsville and Brian Brown trainee Downbytheseaside headline the group of eligible three-year-olds. Both colts are sired by 2008 Pepsi North America Cup champion Somebeachsomewhere and both set World Records during their rookie campaigns.
2016 Metro Pace winner Beyond Delight, who is trained by Tony O'Sullivan, is another notable pacer on the list eligible three-year-olds. The son of Bettors Delight won the O'Brien Award as Canada's top two-year-old pacing colt in 2016.
The eliminations for this year's Pepsi North America Cup will take place on Saturday, June 10. The $1 million final will take place the following week.
The next sustaining payment for the Pepsi North America Cup is due April 15. The fee is $1,000 CAD or $715 USD.
Below is the list of current eligible three-year-old pacers to the 2017 Pepsi North America Cup.
AIR STRIKE by Always A Virgin
AMERICAN SPORTSMAN by Somebeachsomewhere
ARSENAL SEELSTER by Artistic Fella
ART SCENE by American Ideal
BEACH HOUSE by Somebeachsomewhere
BECKHAMS Z TAM by Always A Virgin
BETTORS DREAM by Bettor's Delight
BETTOR'S WESTERN by Bettor's Delight
BEYOND DELIGHT by Bettor's Delight
BLOOD LINE by Somebeachsomewhere
CALVIN K by Classic Card Shark
CLASSIC PRO by Shadow Play
CLOUSEAU HANOVER by Western Ideal
DARLING'S DRAGON by Dragon Again
DIAL THE BOSSMAN by Artistic Fella
DOWNBYTHESEASIDE by Somebeachsomewhere
DRAGNET ALERT by Dragon Again
EDDARD HANOVER by Dragon Again
FEAR THE DRAGON by Dragon Again
FILIBUSTER HANOVER by Somebeachsomewhere
HENRY THE DRAGON by Custard The Dragon
HUNTSVILLE by Somebeachsomewhere
HURRICANEBEACH by Somebeachsomewhere
IDEAL WHEEL by American Ideal
LAWRENCETOWNBEACH by Somebeachsomewhere
LINDYTHEFOURTEENTH by Somebeachsomewhere
LYONS WELSH PRIDE by Roll With Joe
LYONS WILLIAM by Big Jim
MAC ATTACK by Somebeachsomewhere
MAC'S JACKPOT by Somebeachsomewhere
MAJOR MOE by Art Major
MC MACH by Mach Three
MISO FAST by Roll With Joe
MR VARSITY by Roll With Joe
NORMANDYBEACH by Somebeachsomewhere
OCEAN COLONY by Somebeachsomewhere
ODDS ON DELRAY by Somebeachsomewhere
OZONE BLUE CHIP by Bettor's Delight
PERFECTLY CLOSE by Ponder
PHOTOBOMBR HANOVER by Somebeachsomewhere
R J P by Somebeachsomewhere
RICHARD HILL by Mach Three
ROCK IT SCOTT by Roll With Joe
ROCK THIS WAY by Rocknroll Hanover
SANTAFE'S COACH by Bettor's Delight
SOME ATTITUDE by Somebeachsomewhere
SPORTS COLUMN by Sportswriter
STEALTH BOMBER by Rocknroll Hanover
STREAKAVANA by Big Jim
TALBOT ROMEO by Roll With Joe
THREE MORE SMILES by Mach Three
TWIN B COWBOY by Roll With Joe
WESTERN HILL by Western Ideal
WHO SAID NOT TO by Well Said
WINDSONG NAPOLEON by Art Major
YOUNG DRUNK PUNK by Bettor's Delight
Sustain 1 Payment – 56 horses