Brazuca wakes up for Cancelliere
June 29, 2017,by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications
Ken Weingartner
Freehold, NJ — Brazuca is a quiet filly around the stable, but she is capable of making noise on the racetrack.
Unbeaten in three races this year, Brazuca heads to Saturday’s $300,000 James M. Lynch Memorial for 3-year-old female pacers at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono off a 1:52.3 win in her elimination last weekend. She starts the final from post No. 5 with Corey Callahan driving for trainer Tom Cancelliere and is 5-1 on the morning line.
Tequila Monday and Agent Q, also elim winners, are 5-2 and 3-1, respectively, on the morning line. Fan Hanover Stakes winner Bettor’s Up, second to Agent Q last weekend, is 4-1.
The Lynch is one of four stakes at Pocono on Saturday, with the $500,000 Ben Franklin Pace for older male pacers, $500,000 Max C. Hempt Memorial for 3-year-old male pacers and $500,000 Earl Beal Jr. Memorial for 3-year-old trotters.
Ariana G, the Dan Patch Award-winning filly who is 3-for-3 this season, is the favorite in the Beal as she looks to take down eight male rivals; North America Cup champion Fear The Dragon and stablemate Downbytheseaside are the top choices in the Hempt while elimination winners Mel Mara and Keystone Velocity lead the Franklin.
Curtis Salonick photo
Brazuca heads to Saturday’s $300,000 James M. Lynch Memorial off a 1:52.3 win in her elimination last weekend.
Brazuca, purchased by the Cancelliere brothers — Tom and John — for $65,000 at the 2015 Standardbred Horse Sale, is a daughter of stallion Bettor’s Delight out of the stakes-winning mare Knock Three Times. Her family includes New Jersey Sire Stakes champion Doo Wop Hanover and Dorsoduro Hanover, who makes his debut Sunday in a Pennsylvania All-Stars division for 2-year-old male pacers.
Last year, Brazuca won five of 10 races, finished second twice, and earned $89,666. She was the Pennsylvania Stallion Series champion for 2-year-old female pacers and also won a Keystone Classic division over favorite Agent Q.
Brazuca prepped for her Lynch elim with two wins in the Stallion Series, the first at Harrah’s Philadelphia in 1:51.2 and the second at The Meadows in 1:51.3. Her Philly time is tied for sixth fastest of the year by a 3-year-old filly pacer.
“She’s a nice filly, coming along slower,” Tom Cancelliere said. “I started her in the Stallion Series and bravened her up a little bit, aiming for this race. I think she fits OK. She should be very respectable in this field.”
There often are times when Brazuca seems more interested in resting than racing. It was a trait that worried Cancelliere initially, but he has come to appreciate it.
“At The Meadows she slept all morning and then turns around and goes (1):51.3,” Cancelliere said. “It’s stuff that makes you nervous when you see it at first, but she’s just quiet. She’s very calm. You train her and she’s OK, but when she sees the gate all the lights come on and she wants to do it. You’ve got to love that.
“She’s the sweetest thing you’d ever want to be around.”
Brazuca is eligible to a number of stakes including the Pennsylvania All-Stars, Mistletoe Shalee, Adioo Volo, Shady Daisy, Jugette, Bluegrass, Glen Garnsey, and Breeders Crown.
“I chose not to go to Canada early with her because if you want to race all year it’s not easy,” Cancelliere said. “It’s not an easy schedule for a 3-year-old filly. There’s so much money; you can pick your spots. Hopefully everything will work out for her. I’m looking at the big picture, not just one race. I just want to keep her progressing in the right direction.”
Following her racing career, Brazuca is expected to join the brothers’ growing band of broodmares. But for now Cancelliere is focused on Saturday.
“I thought she raced well in her elimination,” Cancelliere said. “She’s going to be fine.”
Racing at Pocono begins at 6:30 p.m. Saturday. The night’s stakes finals are races nine through 12. Following is the field for the James M. Lynch Memorial, which is race nine. For the complete card, click here.
PP-Horse-Driver-Trainer-Line
1-Tequila Monday-Brian Sears-Chris Oakes-5/2
2-Big City Betty-Jim Marohn Jr.-Steve Salerno-20/1
3-Inverse Hanover-Tim Tetrick-R. Nifty Norman-10/1
4-Agent Q-David Miller-Aaron Lambert-3/1
5-Brazuca-Corey Callahan-Tom Cancelliere-5/1
6-Bettor’s Up-Doug McNair-Scott McEneny-4/1
7-Misqued-Steve Smith-John Balzer-15/1
8-Caviart Ally-Andy McCarthy-Noel Daley-12/1
9-Idyllic Beach-Yannick Gingras-Jimmy Takter-6/1
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Ariana G, Mel Mara, and Downbytheseaside were impressive in victories in the Sun Super Stakes eliminations Saturday (June 24) at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono in a night with a healthy dose of favorites and a sprinkling of longshots as victors. Each of next week’s (July 1) championship events on the $2 million Sun Stakes Saturday card – the $500,000 Ben Franklin Free-For-All Pace, the $500,000 Earl Beal 3-Year-Old Trot, the $500,000 Max C. Hempt 3-Year-Old Colt Pace, and the $300,000 James Lynch 3-Year-Old Filly Pace – had enough entrants to necessitate three elimination divisions on this Saturday’s (June 24) card, with the top three finishers returning in seven days for their respective championship event.
- Posts drawn for Sun Stakes (Monday, June 26, 2017)
The post positions have been drawn for the Sun Stakes finals at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono. The Saturday (July 1) championship events on the $2 million Sun Stakes card are the $500,000 Ben Franklin Free-For-All Pace, the $500,000 Earl Beal 3-year-old trot, the $500,000 Max C. Hempt 3-year-old colt pace, and the $300,000 James Lynch 3-year-old filly pace.
- ‘King Kong’ hopes to topple Franklin foes (Tuesday, June 27, 2017)
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- Update on Sun Stakes Saturday finals (Tuesday, June 27, 2017)
The fields for the four rich championship races to be held during this weekend’s $2,169,500 Sun Stakes Saturday card at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, have been updated with final driver assignments and morning line odds.
- Sun Stakes finals top Grand Circuit schedule (Wednesday, June 28, 2017)
The Grand Circuit spotlight will once again be on The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono this Saturday night (July 1) as the track will host four lucrative stakes finals in the $500,000 Ben Franklin for older pacers, the $500,000 Earl Beal Jr. Memorial for 3-year-old trotters, the $500,000 Max C. Hempt Memorial for 3-year-old male pacers and the $300,000 James M. Lynch Memorial for 3-year-old filly pacers.
- Ariana G aims to be Beal’s first female champ (Wednesday, June 28, 2017)
Ariana G starts Saturday’s $500,000 Earl Beal Jr. Memorial for 3-year-old trotters from an unfavorable spot, but trainer Jimmy Takter is confident the filly can step up and defeat eight male rivals in one of the season’s few remaining preps for August’s Hambletonian Stakes.
- Hempt elimination victory not shocking to owners of Santafe’s Coach (Friday, June 30, 2017)
When Santafe’s Coach strode into the winner’s circle at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono on Saturday (June 24) after his triumph at odds of 21-1 in his $25,000 Max C. Hempt Memorial elimination, quite the contingent was there to greet him. Although the public did not appreciate the 3-year-old colt’s chances to have his picture taken, his connections were not surprised they were exactly in that very position and hope to repeat that experience on Saturday (July 1) after the $500,000 final.