by Ashley Mayotte, WEG communications

Campbellville, ON — The featured race on Saturday night (September 17) at Mohawk is the C$1 million Canadian Trotting Classic for 3-year-olds. Blue Porsche, last year’s top 2-year-old trotting colt in Canada, is one of the contenders in this year’s wide open dash.

The Blair Burgess trainee has won three races in eight seasonal starts, including the Goodtimes Trot at Mohawk. The eight-time career winner boasts earnings of $206,630 in 2011 and $609,198 lifetime. The colt’s biggest victory was in the Valley Victory last November at Woodbine.

New Image Media photo

Blue Porsche has banked $609,198 in his career.

Burgess has called upon Mohawk’s leading driver Jody Jamieson to steer the sophomore and after sitting behind him for the first time in last week’s elimination, Jamieson feels he has a real good chance to score an upset.

“We drew the eight hole in the final,” he said. “I think he is going to shock a lot of people this week in the final. I’m excited about it. It’s a $1 million race and I think I have the best horse.”

Jamieson showed his driving versatility in last week’s C$40,000 elimination when he decided to take a careful approach with the colt who is known for having issues with minding his manners.

“Blue Porsche is a tremendously fast animal,” said the Moffat resident. “I was very, very cautious with him in the stretch last week. I really think he could have won (the elimination) if I had turned him loose and driven on him the way he should have been driven on. With a break coming in, I didn’t want to have two breaks going into the final and then we would have to qualify.”

Jamieson believes the son of Glidemaster-Machita could score the lion’s share of the purse and he says the Campbellville conditioner is making some changes to try to keep the colt trotting.

“Blair has kind of played around a little bit with the shoeing,” he explained. “The horse has been hitting his back shin and he interfered with himself again on Saturday. (Blair) is going to go back and change the shoeing on him again, back to what he had the week before, when he was actually trotting better.”

The colt is owned by Robert Burgess, Blue Porsche Stable and Karin Olsson Burgess.

Fans will not just be treated to world-class racing this Saturday at Mohawk as the Woodbine Entertainment Group will host its Customer Appreciation Night.

The first 1,500 customers will receive a free pizza slice and pop voucher. Racing fans will also get a chance to meet top U.S. driver Tim Tetrick. He will be on hand at 6:15 p.m. to sign autographs and provide his thoughts on the 12-race program.

WEG has also beefed up its featured wager with a C$75,000 guaranteed early Pick-4 pool, which includes the Classic, slated for the seventh race.

The rich final will be televised live on The Score, in a special one-hour program from 9-10 p.m. (EDT), with post time for the Trotting Classic scheduled for 9:38 p.m.

Also on Saturday’s program, 2-year-old trotters will be in the spotlight contesting the C$469,000 William Wellwood Memorial final for colts and geldings and the C$447,000 Peaceful Way final for fillies.

In addition, 16 pacing fillies and mares will contest a pair of Milton Stakes eliminations.

Canadian Trotting Classic final
PP-Horse-Listed Driver
1-Whiskey Tax-Randy Waples
2-Daylon Magician-Jack Moiseyev
3-Manofmanymissions-David Miller
4-Broad Bahn-George Brennan
5-Dejarmbro-Brian Sears
6-Sim Brown-Randy Waples
7-Whatever It Takes-Andy Miller
8-Blue Porsche-Jody Jamieson
9-Chapter Seven-Mike Lachance
10-Imperial Count-Scott Zeron
AE. VC Chocoholic-Brian Sears