by Jeff Renton, media/communications, the Woodbine Entertainment Group

Campbellville, ON — A group of anticipated two-year-old pacers hit the track Tuesday morning (July 20) at Mohawk’s qualifiers. Allamerican Thrust and McCabe Hall came home first in their dashes, while Gold Dust Beach, Northern Jade and Yankee Catalina each toured the Campbellville seven-eighths.

Jeff Renton Photo

McCabe Hall and driver Mario Baillargeon coming off the track after their Tuesday qualifier.

In his life’s debut on July 12 at Woodbine, McCabe Hall made a break off the gate, yet recouped to grab second with an astonishing :26 second final quarter-mile. This Tuesday morning, the Ben Wallace pupil was out from fifth in the final turn to catch the leaders and draw off on the rest of the field for a four and a half length score in 1:58². Driven by Mario Baillargeon, McCabe Hall’s final quarter-mile time was :29 seconds flat.

“Well, it’s probably my fault that he ran (in his debut),” Wallace said to Woodbine Entertainment’s Greg Blanchard after the qually. “I had never covered him up at all. He had been kind of an open colt all winter and his manners were never an issue. He drove over a little in his first start, which is expected I guess when the two-year-olds go into the big city (racing at Woodbine). But he did recover and came a big piece on the end and he was good doing it.

“Mario said when he cleared down inside the seven-eighths pole (this Tuesday morning) he said he just kind of started to wander on him. He (Baillargeon) spoke to him and said he gathered him back up again and said he was okay. That is to be expected though. He came first-up and then Roger’s (driver Mayotte aboard Fullphilurfantasy) colt made a nasty break on the turn, so it kind of left him first-up there. I think you have to give him a little room on that. My driver said he was alright, and they are supposed to know everything, so we’re alright.”

Wallace, who owns the horse along with Milton, Ontario’s Bradley Grant, is hoping the colt has the speed to make it through the upcoming Dream Maker Series and to where he is pointed: the Metro Pace.

“Well, I think he has the speed,” continued Wallace. “Whether he has the staying power and the attitude that is yet to be seen, but it is nice to know they have speed because you can’t play this game anymore without it and he certainly does have that. Hopefully that’s where we’re heading (the Metro Pace) and that’s where we are setting him up for.”

Out of the same mare (Three Mile Smile) as 2003 Meadowlands Pace winner Allamerican Theory, Allamerican Thrust wired the field of the morning’s sixth dash. The Scott McEneny-trained son of Camluck put in fractions of :31², 1:01⁴ and 1:31² before coming home with a :31 second final panel to seal the half length victory in 2:02². Luc Ouellette orchestrated the first charted line for the bay colt who is owned by Hornby, Ontario’s John Grant.

Allamerican Thrust was a $95,000 yearling buy at the Harrisburg sale.

Finishing right behind Allamerican Thrust in the sixth qualifier was Gold Dust Beach, in rein to Chris Christoforou. A homebred of Charalambos Christoforou, Gold Dust Beach, who is a Jenna’s Beach Boy colt out of the Abercrombie mare Good As Gold, closed from eight lengths out in the final panel to just fall a half length short.

Freshman fillies filled the field for the eighth sprint, and while Perched (Astreos–Chirp To Me) stopped the clock first in 1:59⁴, Northern Jade and Yankee Catalina were also on track.

A full sister to Northern Sky (who has 24 career tallies, $720,943 in earnings, and on July 2 at Woodbine returned $91.40 to win in the Fillies And Mares Open Pace), Northern Jade, a homebred of Jack Darling and Dan Smith, finished fourth, two and three-quarter lengths back. It was the Northern Luck–Décor filly’s first-ever charted line, and with Trevor Ritchie in the sulky, the bay made up three and three-quarter lengths in her final quarter-mile, which was timed in :28⁴.

Right behind Northern Jade in fifth was Yankee Catalina, a $100,000 purchase last year at the Kentucky Standardbred Auction.

“Right now she’s learning. She is sort of a slow learner,” said Dustin Jones, while he was with the Artiscape filly in the paddock. “She is very great gaited and has a lot of speed, but she’ll go a little too much and then she’ll let off and then go. She has trained like that all winter. I think it is going to take her a few races to get it all together.

“We’ve tried her with an open bridle but she was no good. She had to have a closed bridle on so she would be paying more attention.”

Owned by Westmount, Quebec’s NDG Inc., Yankee Catalina is out of the past Breeders Crown champion Yankee Cashmere.

“She was good (this Tuesday morning),” said Jones. “When I got her out I thought she should have maybe been second behind Mario (driver Baillargeon aboard Perched), but she sort of hung a little in the stretch. She’s just missing a little bit of finishing like that.

“She’s been training well. We are going to start her next Thursday in the Whenuwishuponastar Series. We have her in that and we are going to see how she goes. She’s paid into the She’s A Great Lady, the Breeders Crown, the Champlain and basically all of the Grand Circuit races.”

Grin Tin Tin (1:56), Cocktail Shaker (1:59¹), Grand Hall (1:58³), Southwind Laurel (1:55³), Miss Penny Royal (2:01³), Roux Hanover (2:01¹) and Go Power (2:05¹) each won the rest of the morning’s other seven dashes.

McIntosh sends five to Friday’s CBC elims

The three-year-old fillies will definitely be the attraction this Friday evening at Woodbine, as the eliminations for the Canadian Breeders Championship (CBC) will make up four of the dashes on the 12 race docket.

There are a pair of elims for both the trotters and pacers, and on the pacing side of things this year there is no better man to talk to than Bob McIntosh.

McIntosh can sit back and take in the trot divisions, which are scheduled as races one and two, but when the pace elims go the resident of La Salle, Ontario with have his eyes on the five pupils he is sending out.

In the first pace elim (race four, 8:40 p.m.) both Los Angeles and Special Magic will represent McIntosh.

“I think she’s coming around,” McIntosh said of Los Angeles, who has drawn the eight hole in the 11 horse field. “She had a tough year last year; she made a lot of money, but she had a couple of tough trips. It took her a while to get back to form this year, but I think she’s rounding into form. She’s gained some weight and she is looking good. I would look for a decent effort out of her.”

McIntosh then spoke of Special Magic, who won her CBC division last year.

WEG Photo

Special Magic was a winner in last year’s Canadian Breeders Championship Final.

“Last week she had a tough week with her blood,” McIntosh said of the daughter of Camluck, who has drawn the trailing post 11. “I had raced her in Chicago (on July 3 in the American-National Final) and it was a bad track and she hit her knee once; it knocked her blood off. There was a bit of an infection in her blood. Last week her blood was acceptable but I think she’ll be better this week, she wasn’t 100% last week. I would look for her to be better.”

The first split is loaded with talent that also includes Invitro, Taylor Lynne and Lucys Fame.

Moving onto the second division (race six, 9:20 p.m.), the McIntosh pupils have drawn a little better, yet one will still be leaving from the outside.

A Days Worship will leave from the two hole and Armbro Bijou will start from post six, while On This Day will begin from post nine.

“We’re reaching, there’s no doubt about it,” said McIntosh about his chances with A Days Worship, a Camluck–First Days Light daughter. “She was good up in Hanover. I thought I’d give her a shot in here. It’s an outside shot, but she did draw the soft division. She’s not a bad filly, but I don’t know if we are overmatched or not. In the final she would be overmatched. She has good bloodlines and she is coming around a little bit. Who knows? If she catches some luck she has got one big brush. She is kind of a one move filly.”

McIntosh then commented on Armbro Bijou.

“She’s a longshot, but she showed improvement in Hanover,” explained McIntosh of the Camluck–Jollie Dame miss. “There wasn’t really any other place to race her, so I thought I would give her a shot. She drew the easy division, so who knows. The way the divisions fell out stranger things could happen and she could make it to the final. She’s okay.”

The last of McIntosh’s students is On This Day who will begin her trip from post nine.

“She’s a pretty good filly,” McIntosh said of the Camluck–On The Day performer. “She’s not bad but she is going to get better. She just missed out getting to the (O.S.S. Gold) final at Flamboro. She could fit in with the big girls.”

The fields for the four eliminations are as follows:

Trot division number one (Race 1, 7:40 p.m.) — Purse: C$24,165

PP – Horse – Listed Driver – Trainer

1 – Ima Sweetie Too – K. Jones – K. Jones

2 – Windsong Anastasia – C. Christoforou – P. Skjaker

3 – Ifhallscouldtalk – T. Ritchie – R. Laarman

4 – McCall Magic – S. Condren – Dr. J. Hayes

5 – Trophy Hall – T. Ritchie – D. Leblanc

6 – Incredible Iam – Ph. Hudon – K. Davidson

7 – Stacelita – Ph. Hudon – G. Barr

8 – Northern Fuchsia – R. Mayotte – R. Mayotte

Trot division number two (Race 2, 8:00 p.m.) — Purse: C$24,165

PP – Horse – Listed Driver – Trainer

1 – Raising The Bar – T. Durand – T. Durand

2 – Bliss – L. Ouellette – P. Buer

3 – Sno Doubt About It – P. MacDonell – W. Bloomfield

4 – Crimmings – J. Jamieson – M. Keeling

5 – Summerhill Hallie – D. Boughton – R. O’Neill

6 – Icy Pleasure – M. Saftic – C. Norris

7 – Cassatt – C. Christoforou – C. Christoforou

8 – Hetties Charm – TBA – J. Rier

9 – Zorgwijk Emani – K. Wallis – L. Wallis

Pace division number one (Race 4, 8:40 p.m.) — Purse: C$29,792

PP – Horse – Listed Driver – Trainer

1 – Putnam Fantasy – M. Saftic – W. Budd

2 – Converging Spirit – K. Oliver – R. Atkin

3 – Lucys Fame – J. Jamieson – C. Jamieson

4 – Invitro – P. MacDonell – G. Irwin

5 – Tosexyforthedriver – J. Jamieson – B. Macdonald

6 – Bella Fame – M. Saftic – N. Comegna

7 – Double Creme – Ra. Waples – D. Marfisi

8 – Los Angeles – S. Condren – R. McIntosh

9 – Armbro Berlin – K. Oliver – B. Wallace

10 – Taylor Lynne – J. Jamieson – C. Jamieson

11 – Special Magic – S. Condren – R. McIntosh

Pace division number two (Race 6, 9:20 p.m.) — Purse: C$29,792

PP – Horse – Listed Driver – Trainer

1 – Pauls Peanut – Do. Brown – Do. Brown

2 – A Days Worship – S. Condren – R. McIntosh

3 – Warrawee Flare – Ra. Waples – A. Lickers

4 – Twin B Supreme – M. Macdonald – B. Macdonald

5 – Venus Killean – T. Kerwood – J. Kopas

6 – Armbro Bijou – S. Condren – R. McIntosh

7 – Illusionist – M. Macdonald – C. Jamieson

8 – Bastet Hanover – L. Ouellette – L. Toscano

9 – On This Day – S. Condren – R. McIntosh

10 – Rafaella Seelster – M. Saftic – W. Budd

11 – Ja El Shamrock – J. Jamieson – C. Jamieson