by Paul Ramlow, USTA Internet News Manager

Columbus, OH — The entry box closed this morning for the C$1.5 million North America Cup and when Racing Secretary Scott McKelvie separated the declarations he came up with four elimination fields of 10, each set to go to post for a C$50,000 purse on Saturday night (June 20).

The top two in each elimination, plus two third-place finishers drawn by lot, will advance to the lucrative final on Saturday, June 27.

Last weekend’s six major stakes champions — New Jersey Classic winner Passmaster Hanover, Art Rooney Pace champion If I Can Dream, and Burlington victors Carnivore, Keep It Real, Ideal Danny, and OK Boromir — are all converging on the Campbellville oval for the Cup eliminations.

Here are the fields:

1st Elimination-Race 5
Post-Horse-Driver-Trainer
1-Fireintheshark-G. Brennan-J.Campbell
2-Lisagain-Y. Gingras-E. Miller
3-Carnivore-P. MacDonell-J. Darling
4-Well Said-R. Pierce-S. Elliott
5-Chasin Racin-J. Campbell-B. Teague
6-Glad To Be Back-L. Ouellette-J. Wilkinson
7-Waffles And Cream-J Morrill, Jr.-T. Brainard
8-Captain Sir-J. Jamieson-C. Jamieson
9-Nob Hill High-D. Miller-W. Webb
10-Keep It Real-S. Condren-J. Shea

The skinny on elim 1: Well Said won last season’s Breeders Crown for 2-year-old male pacers. He has two wins and three second-place finishes in seven previous starts at Mohawk. He was fourth in last year’s Metro Pace at Mohawk; Fireintheshark is coming off a second-place finish in the Art Rooney Pace at Yonkers; Chasin Racin won the Matt’s Scooter at the Meadowlands and was second in the Hoosier Cup at Hoosier Park; Waffles And Cream was second in the Upper Canada Cup at Georgian Downs.

2nd Elimination-Race 6
Post-Horse-Driver-Trainer
1-Stinger Blue Chip-J. Campbell-C. Coleman
2-Dial Or Nodial-B. Sears-J. Campbell
3-Ok Boromir-L. Ouellette-F. Baker, Jr.
4-Ideal Race-M. Macdonald-T. Brainard
5-Johnny Z-B. Sears-B. Teague
6-Ideal Danny-R. Pierce-E. Miller
7-Mysticism-T. Tetrick-S. Elliott
8-Bay Of Sharks-M. Baillargeon-B. Wallace
9-Hay Goodlooking-G. Brunet-G. Brunet
10-Mighty Me-J. Moiseyev-R. Furlong

The skinny on elim 2: Dial Or Nodial is a two-time New Jersey Sire Stakes champion and is coming off a third-place finish in the Anthony Abbatiello New Jersey Classic at the Meadowlands; Ok Boromir and Ideal Danny both won a Burlington division last weekend; Johnny Z won the Max C. Hempt Memorial at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs; Mysticism was second in last year’s Woodrow Wilson; Hay Goodlooking was last season’s New York Sire Stakes 2-year-old champ.

3rd Elimination-Race 8
Post-Horse-Driver-Trainer
1-Schoolkids-TBA-T. Brainard
2-Sheer Desire-D. Palone-R. Burke
3-Arctic Warrior-D. Miller-B. Wallace
4-Shipps Xpectancy-J. Moiseyev-J. Kopas
5-If I Can Dream-G. Brennan-T. Brainard
6-Stonebridge Terror-M. Saftic-J. Darling
7-Barber Pole-B. Sears-B. Teague
8-Manhattan Bluechip-Ra. Waples-M. Austin
9-Annieswesterncard-R. Pierce-T. Deters
10-Passmaster Hanover-T. Tetrick-B. Burgess

The skinny on elim 3: If I Can Dream is coming off a win in the Art Rooney Pace at Yonkers and won last year’s Matron Stakes at Dover Downs; Passmaster Hanover is coming off a victory in the Anthony Abbatiello New Jersey Classic at the Meadowlands; Stonebridge Terror won the Upper Canada Cup at Georgian Downs; Annieswesterncard won the Berry’s Creek at the Meadowlands and was third in last year’s Metro Pace; Schoolkids won a Bluegrass Stakes division last year; Sheer Desire won Bluegrass and International Stallion stakes last year at Lexington’s Red Mile; Arctic Warrior was last year’s Pennsylvania Sire Stakes runner-up; Shipps Xpectancy won a Nassagaweya Stakes division at Mohawk last year.

4th Elimination-Race 9
Post-Horse-Driver-Trainer
1-Fire On The Water-P. MacDonell-M. Brethour
2-Fast Pay-P. MacDonell-D. Menary
3-Vintage Master-D. Dube-J. Takter
4-Drop Red-G. Brennan-R. Horowitz
5-Straight Shooting-T. Tetrick-T. Brainard
6-Sombrero Blue Chip-S. Condren-R. Laarman
7-Art Colony-J. Campbell-C. Coleman
8-Millionaire Cam-J. Jamieson-T. O’Sullivan
9-Mr Wiggles-C. Callahan-B. Teague
10-Chief Of The Beach-S. Filion-B. Wallace

The skinny on elim 4: Mr Wiggles won the Hoosier Cup at Hoosier Park; Fast Pay is coming off a win in an Ontario Sire Stakes Gold Final; Vintage Master was second in the New Jersey Classic and has made $296,670 in his career despite being winless; Drop Red was second in the Berry’s Creek; Straight Shooting won a Nassagaweya division at Mohawk last year; Art Colony was second in both last season’s Breeders Crown and Governor’s Cup.

— Ken Weingartner also contributed to this report