Brilliant He’s Watching colt Tattoo Artist, the winner of three $100,000 Ontario Sire Stakes Gold Finals this year, is among the leading fancies for the harness racing $1 million Pepsi North America Cup to be run at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Saturday (August 29).
The joint leader in the OSS pointscore standings, Tattoo Artist has won five of his seven starts this year for $139,345 in stakes and with a mark of 1:48.4 is the fastest pacer in Canada in 2020.
He’s Watching is enjoying a boom season with his three-year-olds in North America. From a foal crop of 77, he has had 56 starters and they have amassed almost $500,000 in stakes.
Leading the vanguard for He’s Watching last weekend was the New Zealand-bred three-year-old gelding Pocket Watch, who led from end to end in 1:53 at Harrah’s Philadelphia at his American debut.
Other recent He’s Watching winners in North America have been Dontblvmejustwatch (1:54.2), Retour Au Jeu (1:55.8), Gucci Eyepatch (1:58.4) and Panerai (1:59.8).
On the home front, Lester became He’s Watching’s seventh individual two-year-old winner at Shepparton. Of He’s Watching’s first Australian crop of 57 foals, 18 have been winners – an impressive 32 percent strike rate.
He’s Watching is standing this season at Luke Primmer’s Tipperary Equine stud, Young (NSW).
Peter Wharton