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TORONTO, June 14...The field for next Saturday's $1.5 million Pepsi North America Cup, Canada's richest harness race, has been finalized after four eliminations for three-year-old pacers were contested Saturday night at Woodbine.
A record 34 ‘Cup' hopefuls were battling in the four $35,000 elims, with the top two finishers in each plus two third place finishers drawn by lot qualifying for the final. And when the dust had settled, there were no surprises, as all four elim favourites proved worthy and impressive winners.
The Woodbine oval showed it was lightning quick early on when Carolina Sunshine equalled the world record for pacing mares with a 1:48.4 clocking in taking a Filly and Mare Open, the first race on the card.
The slowest elim went to the prohibitive 1-9 choice on the evening, Allamerican Native, who effortlessly smoked his rivals by an eased up 2 ˝ lengths over Make A Success, with Articulator third, in 1:51.4. The son of 1993 Cup winner Presidential Ball brushed to the lead before the half, reached in 56.1, then was un-threatened the rest of the way with driver Chris Christoforou in the fourth elimination.
Allamerican Native was last year's champion two-year-old pacing colt in the United States, earning just over $1 million in winning eight of 14 starts, including the Woodrow Wilson, Matron and Governor's Cup. He also finished second, as the favourite, to Totally Western in the Breeders Crown.
The strapping bay colt opened his 2003 season only last week at the Meadowlands, easily taking a New Jersey Sires Stake in 1:52.3 over a sloppy track.
"He went very well," said Christoforou. "He did everything I asked him to do and had a little left at the wire so I'm looking forward to next week with him. I think Totally Western is going to be the real tough one (in the Cup final). He's a very versatile horse. He gets himself in the race and if he gets loose late he's always got a big kick. Allamerican Theory is racing good right now. He's been dynamite the last few weeks, so he's going to be tough too. We'll just have to see how it goes."
Totally Western, last year's longshot Breeders Crown champion, indicated he's rounding into peak condition at the right time with a hard fought one-quarter length win over Artesian in the second elim, timed in 1:51.2. Tarpaulin Hanover wound up a flying third, just a half-length back. It was his second win in a row, after finding the winner's circle for the first time in three starts this year when scoring in a division of last week's Burlington Stakes.
Trained and co-owned by Milton's Ben Wallace, odds-on Totally Western and driver Mario Baillargeon were content to sit in the pocket behind second choice Artesian and Mike Lachance for most of the mile. Baillargeon then popped the Western Hanover colt out in mid-stretch and outduked Artesian, winner of the recent $500,000 New Jersey Classic and Berry's Creek at the Meadowlands, to the wire.
"My horse is a real high speed colt. I didn't mind sitting in the two hole, because my colt can
can sprint home," said Baillargeon, of the colt who has now earned almost $650,000.
Another odds-on choice Allamerican Theory, a son of world champion Jennas Beach Boy, wired the first elimination, finishing a comfortable two and three-quarter length in front of a pocket-sitting Execujet, with Quality Western third in the fastest elim, a blistering 1:49.3
Driven by David Miller for trainer Des Tackoor of Whitby, the brown colt cut out torrid fractions of :26, :54 and 1:21.3, before coasting home and setting a lifetime mark in the process.
"The track's very, very fast tonight," said Miller. "We made up our minds we wanted to be on the front or close to it. You have to be one-two to make the final (with four eliminations) so you've got to be in position.. It just worked out. I got the lead and he set a real good pace. He was going at it real easy and kicked home very good."
Yankee Cruiser and Dean Magee got the job done impressively in the third elim, notching a 1 3/4 length score over Quarter Carat and Arts Chip as the even money choice, in a career best 1:50.1. Highly-regarded He Wants It All, who went postward a close second choice at 3-2, made a break leaving and never recovered. Yankee Cruiser, fifth for most of the mile, was sent up to challenge pacesetter Arts Chip heading into the far turn, then wrested command in early stretch.
It was the first win in four starts this year for the Timothy Pinske-trained Yankee Cruiser, a son of Artiscape, after taking nine of 13 last year in stockpiling over $360,000.
"I intended to try to leave with him a little bit," said Magee. "I wanted to be up close, but they kind of busted out of there. So I just thought I'd be better to try to race him from behind. And with that horse (He Wants It All) making a break, it took a little of the pressure off. When they mixed it up up front a little bit, it kind of helped me because I was just sitting back there with cover the whole way. I thought he would be pretty strong turning for home."
Articulator and Tarpaulin Hanover were the two third-place finishers to draw into the Cup final, joining the top two from the each of the four eliminations.
Ten elimination winners have gone on to win the final in 19 previous editions of the ‘Cup', including last year's victor, Red River Hanover, who set the stakes record of 1:48.4 when upsetting his more highly-regarded stablemate Mach Three.
The post position draw for the 20th Pepsi North America Cup will take place Tuesday at Woodbine, with special guest drawmaster, record nine-time Stanley Cup-winning coach Scotty Bowman doing the honours.
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