by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Ken Weingartner

Freehold, NJ — Through the early part of his career, Control The Moment has been in total control. On Saturday, he will try to seize the moment and win the Metro Pace.

Unbeaten in six races, Control The Moment is the 9-5 morning line favorite in Mohawk Racetrack’s C$685,000 Metro Pace for 2-year-old male pacers. He won his Metro elimination by 3-1/2 lengths last weekend and will start the final from post four with regular driver Randy Waples at the controls for trainer Brad Maxwell.

Voracity and Betting Line also won Metro eliminations. Voracity, who was piloted by Waples in his elim, will start from post three with Sylvain Filion driving for trainer Tony Alagna. Betting Line leaves from post two with Steve Condren at the lines for trainer Casie Coleman.

Saturday’s card at Mohawk also includes the C$685,000 Canadian Pacing Derby for older male pacers and the C$455,000 She’s A Great Lady Stakes for 2-year-old female pacers.

Post time is 7:05 p.m. for the first race. The Metro Pace is race seven, with a post time of 9:17 p.m. approximately.

New Image Media photo

Control The Moment won his Metro Pace elimination by 3-1/2 lengths in a time of 1:52.1.

The precocious Control The Moment has shown versatility so far in his career, winning from both off the pace and on the lead, with an average margin of victory of nearly two lengths.

“I know I’ve never had one this good at this stage,” said longtime harness racing owner Howard Taylor, who shares Control The Moment with Maxwell, Ed Gold, and Ben Mudry. “Every start is just so impressive. Every week has just been better and better. It’s been a fun ride so far.”

It’s a ride that began with a conversation prior to the 2014 Lexington Selected Sale, where Control The Moment was purchased by Maxwell for the group for $47,000.

Control The Moment is a son of stallion Well Said out of the mare Life’sliltreasure. Taylor had mentioned to Maxwell that he was a fan of Well Said as a sire — so much so he bought a share of the stallion — and Maxwell was a fan of Life’sliltreasure, who he trained during the final two years of her racing career.

“It was right before the sale I was telling him how much I liked Well Said and it stuck in his head,” Taylor said. “He said that’s why he bought him, because I said I liked Well Said and he liked the mare. It was her first colt.”

Control The Moment’s family includes past Pennsylvania Sire Stakes champion You Rock as well as Summer Child, who is the dam or grandam of a slew of stakes-winners including 1999 Metro Pace winner The Firepan, Indulge Me, Thong, and Summertime Lea.

Taylor didn’t hear much about Control The Moment as Maxwell methodically prepared him for the season. When the colt was nearer to racing, he received a favorable report from Maxwell.

“I didn’t even think about (Control The Moment) over the winter,” Taylor said. “Brad never really said too much until he was getting ready to race, and then he said he thought we had a good one. He was pretty high on him when he got close to racing. And he’s been since.”

Last week in his Metro elimination, Control The Moment was parked out in third place through an opening quarter-mile of :26.3. He briefly took a spot inside off the first turn before Waples guided him to the lead on the backstretch. He was a length in front as the field neared the stretch, but opened up by more than four lengths before coasting home in 1:52.1 over a track labeled “good” because of rain.

Betting Line won his division by 2-1/4 lengths over The Catamount Kid in 1:52.2 and Voracity won his division by a nose over American Passport in 1:54.3.

“I re-watched the elimination and I didn’t appreciate how roughed up he got in the race,” Taylor said. “He got stung pretty good before he got in a hole, and he only sat in the hole for a couple steps. He basically cut it.

“I’ve never had one win that easy. I’m sure he’s got a bottom — they all do — but I don’t think he’s gotten close to it. (Waples) was effortless and motionless in the bike and he just opened up on them. And those are good horses. I was impressed, and it takes a lot to impress me like he has. It’s exciting.”

Following is the Metro Pace field in post order with drivers, trainers, and morning lines:

1. The Catamount Kid, Jody Jamieson, Carl Jamieson, 10-1
2. Betting Line, Steve Condren, Casie Coleman, 7-2
3. Voracity, Sylvain Filion, Tony Alagna, 3-1
4. Control The Moment, Randy Waples, Brad Maxwell, 9-5
5. Racing Hill, Doug McNair, Tony Alagna, 8-1
6. Nvestment Bluechip, James MacDonald, Dave Menary, 15-1
7. Pretty Boy Hill, Matt Kakaley, Ron Burke, 15-1
8. Ideal Rocky, John Campbell, John Butenschoen, 12-1
9. Cruise Patrol, Brett Miller, Jimmy Takter, 20-1
10. American Passport, Scott Zeron, Tony Alagna, 15-1