by Jeff Renton, media/communications, the Woodbine Entertainment Group
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Campbellville, ON — Al Dente Hanover has done a good job picking up the pieces this campaign, and his connections must be crossing their fingers hoping that he can pick up some, if not all, in Saturday’s C$1,155,500 Canadian Trotting Classic Final (CTC) at Mohawk.
The Donerail gelding raced a bold second in a Simcoe division two weeks ago and last week scored a 7-1 upset in the first of two C$30,000 eliminations.
“So far this year he has done about what we expected,” said Al Dente’s conditioner, 55-year-old Joe Caraluzzi. “It’s a rough crop this year and there are a lot of good three-year-old trotters. But we figured he is a nice colt and he would be able to get his money here and there and that is about exactly what he is doing.”
A bay son of the Crowning Point mare Almost An Angel, Al Dente Hanover missed the board in his three starts as a two-year-old. This year the gelding has put together a 3-3-3 resume and $156,129 in earnings from 13 starts.
Capitalizing on Eilean Donon’s break in their CTC elimination, Luc Ouellette fired Al Dente Hanover to the point from third in the second frame. On top the rest of the way, Al Dente Hanover sprinted home for a 1:56 mark-lowering score.
“There are about five colts who I think are better than him, a lot better then him, but he usually picks up the pieces and he gets his money. That is the kind of year that he we expected to have (with him) and that is what is happening for us,” explained Caraluzzi, a native of New York City who is stabled at Gateway Farm in Freehold, New Jersey.
In his elimination victory, Al Dente Hanover defeated In Conchnito, who had beaten him by two lengths in their Simcoe clash.
“In the Simcoe he was good. The only shot he had was second. The other horse ran off on him and all he could really get was second out of it, but he finished pretty strong,” commented Caraluzzi.
“He is just a nice little horse to be around. He gets a little excitable on the track a little bit, but most of the time he is just a nice horse. He’s not very big, he’s just a little horse, good mannered though.”
A $27,000 purchase at Harrisburg for owners Kennith Klein and the Old Block Stables of New York, Al Dente Hanover will start from the two hole on Saturday, sandwiched between divisional stars Cantab Hall (post one) and Windsong’s Legacy (post three).
“What we hope for is to get a trip. He wants to be a horse, he wants to go by horses, which is big. He is not a sour type of horse, he wants to race too. For us, that is our edge I think, that he wants to try. He gives it his all when he goes on the track,” said Caraluzzi.
The complete field for the CTC, race seven (9:46 p.m.), is as follows:
PP – Horse – Driver – Trainer – Line
1 – Cantab Hall – M. Lachance – R. Gurfein – 7-5
2 – Al Dente Hanover – L. Ouellette – J. Caraluzzi – 10-1
3 – Windsongs Legacy – T. Smedshammer – T. Smedshammer – 1-1
4 – In Conchnito – S. Condren – B. McIntosh – 10-1
5 – Search Mission – R. Zeron – B. Burgess – 30-1
6 – Hurri Kane Billy G – T. Ritchie – D. Tackoor – 30-1
7 – Durgin Hanover – J. Campbell – R. Bolon – 30-1
8 – Enflammatory – B. Sears – T. Smedshammer – 15-1
9 – Beardmore – J. Moiseyev – L. Anderson – 30-1
10 – Justice Hall – W. O’Donnell – C. Thomas – 30-1
AE1 – B Cor Kenny – M. Saftic – D. Daley – 30-1
NOTE: The field be will performing from the Retention Barn.
Milton Stake eliminations set for Saturday
Eliminations for the 43rd edition of the Milton Stakes are set to go postward this Saturday evening at Mohawk.
The mare pacers will contest a pair of C$50,000 elimination divisions -– races two (8:01 p.m.) and four (8:43 p.m.) -– with the top five finishers from each split gaining entrance to the C$372,250 final, which is slated for Saturday, October 2.
A total of 13 mares have been separated into the two elimination dashes. although they may not be full fields, both splits look to be highly competitive with the likes of Bunny Lake, Carolina Sunshine, Eternal Camnation, Loyal Opposition, Burning Point and Always Cam in there just to name a few of the polished mares.
It would be quite the understatement to say that Bunny Lake is sharp heading into the second of the eliminations.
Riding a string of two consecutive victories clocked in 1:49 (the first time a pacing mare has done that in history), Bunny Lake has been installed as the 7-5 morning line choice and will leave from the rail with Luc Ouellette at her lines.
Bunny Lake, the six-year-old dynamite daughter of Precious Bunny, put in a show that none will forget during the C$376,500 finale of the Roses Are Red at Woodbine on September 4. With Ouellette in the bike, the bay was never headed in the mile, even after scorching to the half in a torturous :523. In bagging the winner’s share of the rich purse, the dynamo conditioned by John Stark, Jr. surpassed the $3 million dollar (in Canadian funds) plateau in career earnings.
Looking for an unprecedented four-peat in the Milton, the legendary Eternal Camnation has drawn in beside Bunny Lake in the second split.
Eric Ledford has been partnered with Eternal Camnation for the dash and the duo have been pegged at 3-1 in the early odds.
Trained by Jeff Miller, “Cammie” has raced well since returning to the WEG circuit on August 20, yet has only found herself in the winner’s circle once from four tries. Still, it would hard to find anyone that would say that the seven-year-old daughter of Cam Fella hasn’t raced large. During Bunny Lake’s gargantuan mile in the Roses Are Red, Eternal Camnation raced from post 10 and tossed in a 1:50 mile no less.
Last week in the C$45,000 Open she was on the engine in the middle fractions, but fell short to a determined Burning Point, who has also come back into form.
Coincidentally, Burning Point will start beside Eternal Camnation in the three hole and is also 3-1 in the morning line.
Accomplished reinsman Jack Moiseyev will be behind Burning Point for the first time ever on Saturday.
Burning Point took her Roses Are Red elimination in 1:50 on August 27 at Woodbine and paced a 1:492 mile and finished fourth in the final. Bearing down on Eternal Camnation last week in the lane after leaving early, the Linda Wallis trainee displayed late punch to seal the victory in 1:522 on a night where the mercury dipped quite a bit.
Breeders Crown winner Always Cam (post five, Mike Saftic, 7-1) will fill out the field along with Remember When (post four, Steve Condren, 8-1), Greenwich Vill (post six, Phil Hudon, 30-1) and Jet Lag N (post seven, John Campbell, 8-1).
A field of six will contest the first split, which includes world record holder Carolina Sunshine, the consistent Loyal Opposition and Lookettepoedunk, who was parked for the duration of her trip in the wicked Roses Are Red Final.
The complete fields are as follows:
Elimination One
PP – Horse – Driver – Trainer – Line
1 – Carolina Sunshine – B. Sears – D. McCall – 2-1
2 – Lookettepoedunk – Ra. Waples – Br. Robinson – 7-1
3 – Cinder Best – E. Ledford – S. Ledford – 3-1
4 – Please Me Please – J. Moiseyev – B. McIntosh – 9-2
5 – Loyal Opposition – G. Brennan – E. Miller – 3-1
6 – Jasper Avenue – P. MacDonell – N. Varty – 5-1
Elimination Two
PP – Horse – Driver – Trainer – Line
1 – Bunny Lake – L. Ouellette – J. Stark, Jr. – 7-5
2 – Eternal Camnation – E. Ledford – J. Miller – 3-1
3 – Burning Point – J. Moiseyev – L. Wallis – 3-1
4 – Remember When – S. Condren – B. McIntosh – 8-1
5 – Always Cam – M. Saftic – W. Zendt – 7-1
6 – Greenwich Villa – Ph. Hudon – W. McNeil – 30-1
7 – Jet Lag N – J. Campbell – R. Banca – 8-1
NOTE: All horses will be performing out of the Retention Barn.