CAMPBELLVILLE, June 6 – The Pepsi North America Cup eliminations may snag most of the headlines, but Friday and Saturday's cards of harness racing are flooded with stars of the sport competing in a variety of elimination races.
Saturday evening's card features the eliminations for the Fan Hanover Stakes and Roses Are Red.
A total of 19 three-year-old pacing fillies have been split into two $35,000 eliminations for the Fan Hanover.
Idyllic Beach (PP7, Yannick Gingras), who won last year's Shes A Great Lady Stakes, will look to create more magic at Mohawk in the first elimination. The Jimmy Takter trained daughter of Somebeachsomewhere won eight of 14 starts as a rookie and is one for one to start her three-year-old campaign.
The second elimination will see Tequila Monday (PP6, Brian Sears) make her Mohawk debut. The Chris Oakes trainee is coming into the Fan Hanover off victories in the $140,770 Lismore at Yonkers and a division of the New York Sires Stakes at Saratoga.
The daughter of American Ideal won four of five starts as a rookie and has a career record of six wins in nine starts.
A field of nine will battle in the first elimination (Race 5), while ten pacing fillies will compete in the second split (Race 7). The top-five finishers from each elimination will advance to the $440,000 Fan Hanover final.
The Roses Are Red Stakes will require three $35,000 eliminations for the second year in a row, as 23 of the finest older pacing mares will display their talents at Mohawk.
Four-year-old Pure Country (PP7, Brett Miller) will look to continue her success at Mohawk and pick up her first victory of the season in the first elimination. The Takter trainee won the Fan Hanover final and the Simcoe Stakes last season at Mohawk.
The second elimination will see local star Sandbetweenurtoes (PP3, Doug McNair) attempt to protect her home track. The Richard Moreau trained six-year-old has won eight of 16 starts this season and has racked up the dollars in the WEG Mares Preferred.
Sandbetweenurtoes has banked over $150,000 this season for owner Brad Grant and is less than $70,000 away from reaching $1 million in career earnings.
Division leader Lady Shadow (PP5, Yannick Gingras) highlights the third elimination. The Ron Adams trained five-year-old has picked right up where she left off at the end of last season, with victories in the Chip Noble Memorial and Betsy Ross to sit two for two entering the Roses Are Red eliminations.
Lady Shadow won 12 of 20 starts last season and banked over $900,000. Her career earnings currently sit at $1.9 million.
The top-three finishers, plus a fourth-place finisher drawn by lot, will advance to the $365,000 Roses Are Red final. The eliminations are carded as Races 2, 6 and 10.
The stakes action isn't limited to Saturday night this weekend at Mohawk, as Friday evening's card will also have plenty of eliminations for Pepsi North America Cup night stakes.
The Armbro Flight for trotting mares and Goodtimes for three-year-old trotters will each have two eliminations on Friday evening.
Superstar trotter Hannelore Hanover is back to defend her Armbro Flight crown in the first of two $35,000 seven-horse eliminations. The Ron Burke trainee is one for two this season after winning 17 of 20 and banking over $1.1 million last season.
Hannelore Hanover's most recent start was an easy-looking victory in a division of the Miss Versatility on May 22.
The second split features last season's top-two three-year-old trotting fillies, as Broadway Donna (PP1, David Miller) and Caprice Hill (PP2, Doug McNair) will clash for the first-time in the older ranks.
Broadway Donna, a winner of over $1.2 million, finished third against male counterparts in a division of the Graduate on Saturday at Mohawk, while Caprice Hill is coming in off a victory in her four-year-old debut last Friday at Mohawk.
The top-five finishers from each Armbro Flight split will advance to the $253,000 final on Saturday, June 17.
A group of 17 three-year-old trotters have been divided into two $30,000 Goodtimes eliminations.
Wellwood Memorial winner Seven And Seven (PP4, Tom Durand) will make his three-year-old debut in the nine-horse opening split. The son of Chapter Seven won four of eight starts and banked $226,768 last season.
Snowstorm Hanover (PP3, Matt Kakaley), who won last year's Valley Victory at Woodbine, will hope a return to Canadian soil will help him get back into the winner's circle, as the Burke trainee is winless in three starts this season.
The second elimination, which has a field of eight, is headlined by Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final champ Mass Production (PP3, Rick Zeron). The gelded son of Muscle Mass made a break in his only start this season after winning five of nine and banking $285,673 as a rookie.
The top-five finishers from each elimination will advance to the $251,000 Goodtimes final on Saturday, June 17. The eliminations are carded as Races 5 and 8 on Friday.
Post time on Friday and Saturday night is 7:30 p.m. The finals of all the stakes eliminations being contested this weekend will take place on the Pepsi North America Cup card on Saturday, June 17.
Total purses for Pepsi North America Cup night will exceed $2.4 million.
Tickets are currently available for the Pepsi North America Cup and can be purchased by clicking here.
Below are the full fields for the eliminations of the Armbro Flight, Goodtimes, Roses Are Red and Fan Hanover.
Friday, June 9
Armbro Flight – Sire – Elimination #1 (Race 3)
1. Hannelore Hanover – Swan For All – (Yannick Gingras – Ron Burke)
2. Emoticon Hanover – Kadabra – (Sylvain Filion – Luc Blais)
3. Non Stick – Lucky Chucky – (Chris Christoforou – Ake Svanstedt)
4. Oho Diamond – Ken Warkentin – (Chris Christoforou – Renaldo Morales III)
5. Ready Any Time – Kadabra – (Jack Moiseyev – Dagfin Henriksen)
6. Kestrel – Triumphant Caviar – (Trevor Henry – Chris Beaver)
7. Renegade Magic – Kadabra – (Trevor Henry – Jeffrey Thomson)
Armbro Flight – Elimination #2 (Race 6)
1. Broadway Donna – Donato Hanover – (David Miller – Jim Campbell)
2. Caprice Hill – Kadaba – (Doug McNair – Tony Alagna)
3. Lady Ping – Muscle Mass – (Jack Moiseyev – Dagfin Henriksen)
4. Flowers N Songs – Deweycheatumnhowe – (Randy Waples – Paul Reid)
5. Charmed Life – Majestic Son – (Louis Philippe Roy – Rene Allard)
6. Pink Pistol – Cantab Hall – (Tim Tetrick – Peter Shody)
7. Majestic Presence – Majestic Son – (Chris Christoforou – Dagfin Henriksen)
Goodtimes – Elimination #1 (Race 5)
1. Ice Hockey Hanover – Donato Hanover – (Paul MacDonell – Mike Keeling)
2. Jake – Muscle Hill – (Sylvain Filion – Luc Blais)
3. Snowstorm Hanover – Muscle Massive – (Matt Kakaley – Ron Burke)
4. Seven And Seven – Chapter Seven – (Tom Durand – Tom Durand)
5. Guardian Angel As – Archangel – (Tim Tetrick – Anette Lorentzon)
6. Scene A Magician – Daylon Magician (Jack Moiseyev – Jennifer Pinkerton)
7. Southwind Woody – Muscle Hill – (Yannick Gingras – Ron Burke)
8. Dunbar Hall – Deweycheatumnhowe – (Jody Jamieson – Carl Jamieson)
9. International Moni – Love You – (Scott Zeron – Frank Antonacci)
Goodtimes – Elimination #2 (Race 8)
1. Shake It Off Lindy – Crazed – (Brett Miller – Frank Antonacci)
2. Manssive – Muscle Mass – (Jody Jamieson – Howard Okusko Jr)
3. Mass Production – Muscle Mass – (Rick Zeron – Rick Zeron)
4. Resita – Manofmanymission – (Randy Waples – Per Henriksen)
5. Enterprise – Chapter Seven – (Tim Tetrick – Marcus Melander)
6. Awol Hanover – Donato Hanover – (TBA – Luc Blais)
7. Dancer Hall – Deweycheatumnhowe – (Sylvain Filion – Paul Reid)
8. Southwind Cobra – Muscle Hill – (Yannick Gingras – Ron Burke)
Saturday, June 10
Roses Are Red – Elimination #1 (Race 2)
1. Witch Dali – Dali – (Doug McNair – Richard Moreau)
2. Blue Moon Stride – Rocknroll Hanover – (Andrew McCarthy – Mark Harder)
3. Bernadette – Big Jim – (Yannick Gingras – Ron Adams)
4. Darlinonthebeach – Somebeachsomewhere – (David Miller – Nancy Johansson)
5. Lakeisha Hall – Third Straight – (Matt Kakaley – Ron Burke)
6. Frost Damage Blues – Western Ideal – (Brett Miller – Tom Fanning)
7. Pure Country – Somebeachsomewhere – (Brett Miller – Jimmy Takter)
Roses Are Red – Elimination #2 (Race 6)
1. Penpal – American Ideal – (Pat Lachance – Pat Lachance)
2. Call Me Queen Be – Somebeachsomewhere – (Scott Zeron – Tony O'Sullivan)
3. Sandbetweenurtoes – Somebeachsomewhere – (Doug McNair – Richard Moreau)
4. Windsun Glory – Mach Three – (Matt Kakaley – Ron Burke)
5. Nike Franco N – McArdle – (Tim Tetrick – Joann Looney King)
6. Solar Sister – Mach Three – (Brian Sears – Gregg McNair)
7. Bedroomconfessions – American Ideal – (Scott Zeron – Tony Alagna)
8. Lyons River Pride – Somebeachsomewhere – (Jody Jamieson – Bruce Goit)
Roses Are Red – Elimination #3 (Race 10)
1. Wrangler Magic – Mach Three – (Louis Philippe Roy – Rene Allard)
2. Sassa Hanover – Rock N Roll Heaven – (Matt Kakaley – Ron Burke)
3. Seventimesavirgin – Always A Virgin – (John De Long – John De Long)
4. Waasmula – Million Dollar Cam – (Trevor Henry – Bruce Goit)
5. Lady Shadow – Shadow Play – (Yannick Gingras – Ron Adams)
6. Lay Lady Lay – Up The Credit – (Trevor Henry – Chris Matthews)
7. Prairie Sweetheart – Royal Milennium – (Matt Kakaley – Tony O'Sullivan)
8. Ms Mac N Cheese – Badlands Hanover – (Sylvain Filion – Richard Moreau)
Fan Hanover – Elimination #1 (Race 5)
1. Al Mar Got A Fever – Third Straight – (Brian Sears – Mike Weller)
2. Roaring To Go – Art Major – (Brett Miller – Kevin Lare)
3. Soiree Seelster – Big Jim – (Sylvain Filion – Tony O'Sullivan)
4. Jayes A Lady – McArdle – (Brett Miller – Nancy Johansson)
5. Dancing Shadows K – Shadow Play – (Yannick Gingras – Rod Boyd)
6. Future Headlines – Sportswriter – (Jonathan Drury – Colin Johnson)
7. Idyllic Beach – Somebeachsomewhere – (Yannick Gingras – Jimmy Takter)
8. Blameitonthenight – Mach Three – (Jonathan Drury – Tony Alagna)
9. Roselily – Big Jim – (Travis Cullen – Richard Moreau)
Fan Hanover – Elimination #2 (Race 7)
1. Agent Q – Western Terror – (David Miller – Aaron Lambert)
2. Obvious Blue Chip – Roll With Joe – (James MacDonald – Mark Steacy)
3. Action Majesty – Royal Mattjesty – (Brian Sears – Gregg McNair)
4. Dudesalady – Shadow Play – (TBA – Howard Okusko Jr)
5. American Sara – American Ideal – (Sylvain Filion – Murray Brethour)
6. Tequila Monday – American Ideal – (Brian Sears – Chris Oakes)
7. Shes Watching – Rocknroll Hanover – (Scott Zeron – Tony Alagna)
8. Bettors Up – Bettor's Delight – (Doug McNair – Scott McEneny)
9. Someomensomewhere – Somebeachsomewhere – (Tim Tetrick – Jimmy Takter)
10. Aint Three Ok – Mach Three – (Trevor Henry – Mike Weller)
Mark McKelvie