by Mark McKelvie, WEG Communications

Campbellville, ON — After each winning consecutive Grand Circuit events, Caprice Hill and Emoticon Hanover will meet up in one of two Elegantimage eliminations Friday night (Sept. 9) at Mohawk Racetrack.

The Elegantimage eliminations for 3-year-old trotting fillies are joined by the eliminations for the William Wellwood Memorial on Friday evening’s 11-race card.

Caprice Hill and Emoticon Hanover, both daughters of Kadabra, are each in the midst of fantastic sophomore campaigns. Over the last two weeks, the Ontario Sires Stakes standouts avoided each other in the Casual Breeze and Simcoe Stakes.

New Image Media photo

Caprice Hill has won six of nine starts this season and recently surpassed $800,000 in career earnings.

Caprice Hill delivered powerful victories in both Grand Circuit events. The Tony Alagna trainee won her Casual Breeze division by a little over three lengths in 1:53.3 and followed that up with an emphatic 6-1/2 length, 1:53.1 score in last Friday’s Simcoe.

Emoticon Hanover also added the Casual Breeze and Simcoe Stakes to her list of accomplishments. The Luc Blais trained filly front-stepped her way to back-to-back 1:54.2 victories.

The two fillies will not only meet up in the first C$35,000 Elegantimage elimination Friday, but they will also line up side-by-side. Caprice Hill and driver Randy Waples will start from post six in the field of eight, while Emoticon Hanover and driver Sylvain Filion will start from post seven.

After an O’Brien Award winning season at two, Caprice Hill has won six of nine starts this season and recently surpassed $800,000 in career earnings.

“Horses like her, they don’t come around too often,” said Waples following Caprice Hill’s Simcoe victory last Friday. “You got to enjoy it when you get that opportunity and she’s about as professional of a racehorse as you’re going to get.”

Emoticon Hanover won four of her first five starts last season, but ended up running into Caprice Hill in the Peaceful Way and OSS Super Final. This season, the Blais trainee has won five of nine starts, including victories in three of her last four outings, for earnings of $209,954.

“She’s way stronger and way easier to drive,” said Filion about Emoticon Hanover’s progression from two to three. “Last year she was a little erratic and you had to be real careful behind the gate, but this year she’s pretty good.”

The OSS stars have squared off twice this season with Emoticon Hanover finishing second to Caprice Hill on both occasions. If all goes well this week for both fillies, Emoticon Hanover will likely have a pair of big stage opportunities (Elegantimage final and OSS Super Final) to turn the tables on her rival in the next month.

Another Ontario sired filly that can’t be overlooked in the same Elegantimage elimination is Celebrity Eventsy. The Staffan Lind trainee has gone the Grand Circuit route this season with only a single OSS start.

Celebrity Eventsy won her elimination of the Hambletonian Oaks, before finishing third in the $500,000 final. She followed up her Hambo experience with a victory in the $147,500 Moni Maker at The Meadows.

The daughter of Manofmanymissions has four wins and hasn’t missed the board in nine starts this season for earnings of $243,169. Celebrity Eventsy will look to upstage her Ontario sired sisters from post two with driver John Campbell.

The other Elegantimage elimination is headlined by OSS standout Flowers N Songs. The Paul Reid trained filly has eight wins this season, including victories in the $134,233 SBOA Final and $140,000 Zweig Filly Trot. In the midst of her first season on the track, Flowers N Songs has hit the board in 16 of 22 starts for earnings of $297,628. The daughter of Deweycheatumnhowe will start from post six in a field of eight with Yannick Gingras at the controls.

The top five finishers from the Elegantimage eliminations will advance to the C$436,000 final on Saturday (Sept. 17).

Also on Friday, 14 2-year-old trotting colts and geldings will meet in two C$30,000 William Wellwood Memorial eliminations.

The first elimination has Champlain Stakes division winners Rubio (post four, Gingras) and Signal Hill (post seven, Brett Miller) along with Peter Haughton Memorial winner What The Hill (post five, David Miller) headlining the field of seven.

The second split features the local debut of Italian bred trotter Victor Gio IT (post four, Gingras) and Define The World Series winner Seven And Seven (post two, Tom Durand).

The top five finishers from each elimination will advance to the $350,000 William Wellwood Memorial on Sept. 17.

The Wellwood eliminations are carded as races two and three, while the Elegantimage splits are carded as races eight and nine on Friday’s 11-race program. Post time is 7:30 p.m.

Here are the full fields for Friday’s eliminations.

Race 8: Elegantimage – Elimination #1
PP-Horse-Driver-Trainer
1. Worldclass Hanover – Rick Zeron – Rick Zeron
2. Celebrity Eventsy – John Campbell – Staffan Lind
3. Southwind Pearl – David Miller – Jonas Czernyson
4. Dewdle All Day – Yannick Gingras – Dustin Jones
5. Jangone – Chris Christoforou – Per Henriksen
6. Caprice Hill – Randy Waples – Tony Alagna
7. Emoticon Hanover – Sylvain Filion – Luc Blais
8. Wanaka – Trevor Henry – Shannon Henry

Race 9: Elegantimage – Elimination #2
PP-Horse-Driver-Trainer
1. Pennies From Above – Mike Saftic – Dustin Jones
2. Tymal Tempest – Jonathan Drury – Carmen Auciello
3. Dream Child – David Miller – Linda Toscano
4. Royal Charm – Paul MacDonell – Mark Steacy
5. Side Bet Hanover – Corey Callahan – Jonas Czernyson
6. Flowers N Songs – Yannick Gingras – Paul Reid
7. Pink Pistol – Chris Christoforou – Randy Van Meer
8. Double Exposure – Jody Jamieson – Tony Alagna

Race 2: William Wellwood Memorial – Elimination #1
PP-Horse-Driver-Trainer
1. Lucys Man – Anthony MacDonald – Tan Micallef
2. Jake – Sylvain Filion – Luc Blais
3. International Moni – Scott Zeron – Frank Antonacci
4. Rubio – Yannick Gingras – Jimmy Takter
5. What The Hill – David Miller – Ron Burke
6. Real Lucky Day – Yves Filion – Richard Moreau
7. Signal Hill – Brett Miller – Tony Alagna

Race 3: William Wellwood Memorial – Elimination #2
PP-Horse-Driver-Trainer
1. King On The Hill – Brett Miller – Jimmy Takter
2. Seven And Seven – Tom Durand – Tom Durand
3. Southwind Cobra – David Miller – Ron Burke
4. Mountain Of Love – Randy Waples – Tony Alagna
5. Victor Gio IT – Yannick Gingras – Jimmy Takter
6. Soho Hanover – Doug McNair – Gregg McNair
7. Bill’s Man – Corey Callahan – John Butenschoen