by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications
Freehold, NJ — Trainer Ron Burke will try to win the William Wellwood Memorial for the third consecutive year, and while this season’s contender What The Hill might not enter Saturday’s race with the same buildup as 2015 champion Southwind Frank, the colt has shown he possesses one extremely coveted talent — the desire to get to the finish line first.
“He just seems to be a winner,” Burke said about What The Hill, who heads to the C$350,000 Wellwood final for 2-year-old male trotters at Mohawk Racetrack off a 1:55.3 victory in his elimination last weekend.
“I’d like for him to show me a little more pure speed, but right now it just seems like all he wants to do is win. As long as he keeps doing that I’ll be happy. He’s first or second every week. I like the colt.”
Later on Saturday’s card, Southwind Frank will try to join Father Patrick as the only horses to win the Wellwood and Canadian Trotting Classic since the Wellwood (which was raced as the Campbellville Stakes prior to 2005) went from divisions to a single-race final in 2001.
Mohawk also on Saturday hosts the Maple Leaf Trot for older trotters, Peaceful Way Stakes for 2-year-old female trotters, Elegantimage Stakes for 3-year-old female trotters, and two eliminations for the Milton Stakes for older female pacers. Post time is 7:30 for the night’s first race.
What The Hill, who defeated Signal Hill by a neck in his Wellwood elimination, has won three of seven starts and finished second on three occasions, good for a division-leading $233,718 in purses. His other victories were in the Peter Haughton Memorial and New Jersey Sire Stakes championship.
David Miller will drive What The Hill in the Wellwood final, starting from post three.
Purchased for $65,000 at last fall’s Lexington Selected Sale, What The Hill is a son of stallion Muscle Hill, who won the 2009 Canadian Trotting Classic on his way to Horse of the Year honors. What The Hill’s dam, K T Cha Cha, is a full sister to Majestic Son, who won the 2006 Canadian Trotting Classic and was Canada’s Horse of the Year. The family also includes O’Brien Award-winning mare Ramerizi and stakes-winner Misterizi.
What The Hill is owned by the Burke Racing Stable, Our Horse Cents Stables, J&T Silva Stables, and Deo Volente Farms.
“It seems like every year we have at least one very good Muscle Hill since the first crop,” said Burke, who has trained Muscle Hill’s top-earning offspring Southwind Frank ($1.70 million) and Mission Brief ($1.59 million). Other trotters sired by Muscle Hill include Hambletonian winners Marion Marauder and Trixton as well as Hambletonian Oaks winner All The Time, Maple Leaf Trot contender Resolve, and undefeated Peaceful Way favorite Ariana G.
“When (Muscle Hill) came out I thought he would dominate, and he’s even more than dominated,” Burke said.
Southwind Frank, last year’s Dan Patch Award winner for best 2-year-old male trotter, goes into the Canadian Trotting Classic off a second-place elimination finish to Bar Hopping. It was Southwind Frank’s first start since winning the Colonial on Aug. 20 at Pocono. He will start the C$687,000 CTC final from post one with Yannick Gingras at the lines.
“I wasn’t as upset as everybody else was with the race,” Burke said. “Maybe he wasn’t as tight, so I think he’ll rebound great. Thankfully he got a great draw; we didn’t pay the price for not winning our elimination. I think it puts him in a great spot to race him aggressively. I believe he’ll be good. I think he’ll be ready.”
Southwind Frank has won six of 10 races this year and finished second in his remaining four starts. For his career, he has won 17 of 22 races. He is owned by the Southwind Frank Partners.
Marion Marauder, who won the first of the two Canadian Trotting Classic eliminations, enters the final with a three-race win streak. He has won eight of his last nine starts, including the Hambletonian and Yonkers Trot, with his only setback being a second-place finish in the Colonial. Trained by Paula Wellwood and Mike Keeling, the colt has earned a division-best $1.14 million for owners Marion Jean Wellwood and Devin Keeling.
Bar Hopping will try to give trainer Jimmy Takter his third consecutive victory in the Canadian Trotting Classic.
Following is the field for the Wellwood Memorial. Seven And Seven and What The Hill were elimination winners.
C$350,000 William Wellwood Memorial
2-year-old male trotters
Race 5 – Post time 8:50 p.m. (EDT)
PP–Horse–Driver–Trainer
1. Real Lucky Day–Yves Filion–Richard Moreau
2. Seven And Seven–John Campbell–Thomas Durand
3. What The Hill–David Miller–Ron Burke
4. King On The Hill–Tim Tetrick–Jimmy Takter
5. Victor Gio IT–Yannick Gingras–Jimmy Takter
6. Mountain Of Love–TBA–Tony Alagna
7. International Moni–Scott Zeron–Frank Antonacci
8. Signal Hill–Randy Waples–Tony Alagna
9. Jake–Sylvain Filion–Luc Blais
10. Soho Hanover–Doug McNair–Gregg McNair
Follow is the field for the Canadian Trotting Classic. Bar Hopping and Marion Marauder were elimination winners.
C$687,000 Canadian Trotting Classic
3-year-old male trotters
Race 10 – Post time 10:30 p.m. (EDT)
PP–Horse–Driver–Trainer
1. Southwind Frank–Yannick Gingras–Ron Burke
2. Waitlifter K–Brian Sears–Andrew Harris
3. Bar Hopping–Tim Tetrick–Jimmy Takter
4. Marion Marauder–Scott Zeron–Mike Keeling
5. Tony Soprano–John Campbell–Bob McIntosh
6. Dia Monde–Randy Waples–Thomas Durand
7. Winter Harbor–Jody Jamieson–Tony Alagna
8. Brooklyn Hill–Corey Callahan–Jonas Czernyson
9. Bee In Charge–Chris Christoforou–Per Henriksen
10. Warrawee Roo–Sylvain Filion–Luc Blais
- Strong efforts in Elegantimage and Wellwood elims (Friday, September 09, 2016)
Elimination weekend continued Friday (Sept. 9) at Mohawk Racetrack with the qualifiers for the Elegantimage and William Wellwood Memorial. Each event required two eliminations with 14 rookie trotters competing in the Wellwood and 16 3-year-old trotting fillies battling in the Elegantimage.
- Stars shine in Maple Leaf Trot and Canadian Trotting Classic elims (Sunday, September 11, 2016)
The top trotters in harness racing were on display Saturday evening (Sept. 10) at Mohawk Racetrack for the Canadian Trotting Classic and Maple Leaf Trot eliminations.
- Mohawk stakes finals in Grand Circuit spotlight (Wednesday, September 14, 2016)
Grand Circuit action at Mohawk will be held on Saturday with the C$632,000 Maple Leaf Trot for older trotters, the C$687,000 Canadian Trotting Classic for 3-year-old male trotters, the C$436,000 Elegantimage for 3-year-old filly trotters, the C$350,000 William Wellwood Memorial for 2-year-old male trotters, the C$363,000 Peaceful Way final for 2-year-old filly trotters, and two C$35,000 eliminations in the Milton Stake for older pacing mares.
- C$2.6 million Maple Leaf Trot and Canadian Trotting Classic card set (Wednesday, September 14, 2016)
All eyes will be on harness racing’s finest trotters Saturday evening (Sept. 17) at Mohawk Racetrack for Maple Leaf Trot and Canadian Trotting Classic night. An outstanding card featuring the best trotters of all ages has been assembled with more than C$2.6 million in purse money on the line.
- Magic Presto evokes memories of Bee A Magician in pursuit of Peaceful Way title (Thursday, September 15, 2016)
Everyone in this business longs for that horse; the one that is a world champion, a Horse of the Year and charts the course of history so their name is forever distinguished, remembered and revered. Although Magic Presto has only just begun her career, the inspiration behind her purchase was the premonition that lightning may be captured in a bottle, not once, but twice and that she could follow in the hoofprints of another filly that first served notice of her superiority with a victory in the 2012 Peaceful Way — Bee A Magician.
- Sedin twins hooked on harness racing (Friday, September 16, 2016)
Known for putting up big points with the Vancouver Canucks, Daniel and Henrik Sedin are also quite familiar with scoring on the racetrack. On Saturday evening (Sept. 17) at Mohawk Racetrack, the Sedin twins hope to win Canada’s biggest trotting event, the Maple Leaf Trot, with their superstar horse Nahar.
- Ariana G strolls in Peaceful Way (Saturday, September 17, 2016)
Securing the lead after the half-mile, Ariana G advanced towards a 1:54 victory in the C$363,000 Peaceful Way final on Saturday night (Sept.17) at Mohawk Racetrack.
- Resolve victorious in epic Maple Leaf Trot (Saturday, September 17, 2016)
Resolve turned in a game effort to come away with 1:51.4 victory in the C$632,000 Maple Leaf Trot Saturday night (Sept. 17) at Mohawk Racetrack. The 5-year-old stallion was went toe-to-toe with standout mare Hannelore Hanover for the final half-mile and ultimately wore down the powerhouse to score a 1-1/2 victory for Swedish native and trainer/driver Ake Svanstedt.
- Seven And Seven captures Wellwood Memorial (Saturday, September 17, 2016)
Seven And Seven lunged off cover and down the center of the track to take the C$350,000 William Wellwood Memorial final in 1:55.3 Saturday night at Mohawk Racetrack.
- Bar Hopping gives Takter third consecutive Trotting Classic (Saturday, September 17, 2016)
Bar Hopping charged home to win the C$687,000 Canadian Trotting Classic by 3-1/2 lengths Saturday night (Sept. 17) at Mohawk Racetrack. Trained by Jimmy Takter, the colt was able to convert off a perfect second-over steer by Tim Tetrick to win Canada’s biggest race for 3-year-old trotters and provide Takter with his third straight victory in the contest.