WEG Photo

Cabrini Hanover was a winner in her elimination on Friday.

With driver Mike Lachance at her lines, Cabrini Hanover got away fourth in the second division as La Dolce Hall (Chris Christoforou) went to the quarter-pole in :27 seconds flat. Lachance and Cabrini Hanover made their move in the second panel, as the duo gunned for the lead and were parked in second as the half came to life in :55.3. Clearing shortly thereafter, Cabrini Hanover put in a brief step in the turn before Lachance quickly grabbed her up and got her back on business. After the three-quarter time came to life in 1:24, Beryl Seelster (Randy Waples) engaged Cabrini Hanover while first-over and led by a nose at the head of the stretch. Lachance then put Cabrini Hanover into another gear and pulled away by a length as the wire was met in 1:53.1.

“I drove her a little different tonight,” Lachance said of the Jimmy Takter pupil. “I didn’t bust her out of the gate. I retook at the quarter. She’s the type of filly with a long gait. She’s long-gaited and it takes her a little time to get in gear. She just made a little step in the last turn and I grabbed her. In the stretch I had to get her back going again. But she [could probably] go about a mile and a quarter on the same speed.”

A judges’ inquiry followed the outcome, but no violations were found.

Matching her life’s mark, set in last week’s Robert Stewart Stakes, Cabrini Hanover marched to her third win in as many tries.

Owned by St. Thomas, Ontario’s Bob Anderson and King City, Ontario’s David Willmot, Cabrini Hanover, a daughter of Western Ideal—Cathedra, returned across the board prices of $2.70, $2.30 and $2.10 for the win.

Beryl Seelster ($12.10, $8.20) completed a $35.00 exactor. Show Time ($9.60) and driver Jack Moiseyev finished two lengths back in third and bottomed out a $458.40 triactor.

Latte Lady finished fourth. La Dolce Hall – who made a break while in the pocket behind Cabrini Hanover in the final turn – rebounded to finish fifth, therefore ensuring her a spot in next week’s final.

WEG Photo

Luc Ouellette pilots Arts Risk to the victory.

In the opening division, Arts Risk, in rein to Luc Ouellette, bettered the top two finishers of the Sweetheart final, as she boldly raced first-over and stopped the clock in 1:53.2.

The winning margin was just a quarter-length over Fox Valley Shaker, who carved the middle fractions. Up Front Norma, who raced large from the ten-hole, was third, one length in arrears.

The fractions were :27, :55.4 and 1:24.3 before Arts Risk fired home in the :28.4 final panel.

Ouellette sent Arts Risk to the outer tier from fifth before the half-mile was reached and eventually wore down Fox Valley Shaker (George Brennan) who had utilized a quarter-pole move. After wanting the lead early and getting parked to the first call, Up Front Norma (Mike Lachance) still had late pace and closed hard along the rail.

“This was my second time behind her and she came to play tonight,” Ouellette said of Arts Risk, who returned $6.80, $3.30 and $3.00 across the board. “She had to come first-up and when she came she wanted to go right onto the lead. I took a hold of her and rolled on the outside and she got the job done.

“Like I said, when I pulled my filly on the outside she wanted to go right up to the leader and race her. I took a hold of her around the last turn and settled her down. Otherwise I think that she could of went a little bit more.”

Fox Valley Shaker ($3.00, $2.60) and Up Front Norma ($4.60) – who finished first and second in the Sweetheart respectively – played into the $19.70 exactor and a $92.10 triactor.

Conditioned by Bob McIntosh for Kentucky’s Brittany Farms and Illinois’ Brian Monieson Revtrust, Arts Risk now carries a record of 4-0-1 in five starts.

Lucks Mistress and Righteous Rene finished fourth and fifth.

After the eliminations, the draw for next Saturday’s C$702,100 final took place.

With elimination winners now granted the ability to select their own post positions for high-end stakes on the WEG circuit, the connections of Cabrini Hanover selected their post first and picked the two-hole. The connections of Arts Risk then subsequently selected post position three.

The complete rundown of the draw is as follows:

Off of a pair of July qualifiers (in 2:00.4 and 1:58.4 respectively), the bay The Panderosa—Allamerican Indigo colt made his debut in a preliminary leg of the Dream Maker Series where he made a break before the head of the stretch and finished sixth. After another qualifier, where he finished second while pacing 1:58.4, Andreoli Hanover won a maiden event on August 9 by a half-length in 1:53.2. In a two-year-old conditioned event on August 20 he was parked at the three-quarter pole and made a break shortly thereafter and finished eighth.

“He was going to win last week, but he caught a boot and it scared him so he ran,” Marfisi said about the August 20 race. “I tried to do some work with him this week and he trained well.”

Andreoli Hanover is owned by New York’s David Scharf, Steven Arnold and Jerry Silva along with Pennsylvania’s Sampson Street Stables.

(Race 3, 8:22 p.m.) – WEISS HANOVER – PP6, George Brennan, 2-1

“He’s a very consistent colt,” Marfisi said of Weiss Hanover, who has hit the board in all four of his starts (3-0-1, $22,647) “That’s a tough division. Beretta Hall is nice and McCabe Hall is nice as well.”

After a victorious qualifying mile on July 9 in 1:58.1, the Western Hanover—Wet Paint colt triumphed in his first two starts. Pacing in 1:54.1 in his first win, he followed it up by rolling to a quarter-length victory in 1:54.2 (with a :26.4 final panel) in a leg of the Dream Maker Series. Rallying after a gate-break in the C$56,600 final, Weiss Hanover fought tooth and nail in tight quarters on the rail and finished just a neck back in third, pacing in 1:53.3. In his last start on August 20, the bay wired his rivals in a two-year-old conditioned event, winning by 2¼-lengths in 1:55 flat.

“Weiss was locked in during the Dream Maker final,” Marfisi said of Weiss Hanover, who is the morning line favourite for his dash. “If he had gotten out he would have won. George [Brennan] said: ‘If he gets out he jogs.’

“He’s a good keeper.”

The same as Andreoli Hanover, Weiss Hanover is owned by New York’s David Scharf, Steven Arnold and Jerry Silva along with Pennsylvania’s Sampson Street Stables.

“Yeah, it’s too bad [drawing post nine],” Marfisi said. “Hopefully Chris [Christoforou] works out a good trip, because if he is second-over he’ll fly.”

Make My Day’s only on the board finish in his four starts this year came in a leg of the Dream Maker Series where he quarter-poled his way to victory, stopping the clock in 1:53 flat for a two-length score. In the final a week later he cut all of the fractions (:28.2, :57.3, 1:25.2) and was just a neck back in fourth, pacing in 1:53.3. Since the final he has qualified once: a three-quarter length score in 1:55.4 on August 20. In his three charted
lines before his preliminary victory in the Dream Maker Series, Make My Day consistently put in final quarter-mile times of :26 seconds and change.

Along with New Jersey’s WCB Racing Stable, Make My Day is owned by Ontario-based connections consisting of Peter Heffering, Dr. Michael Wilson and Banjo Farms.

(Race 9, 10:28 p.m.) – BEACH BOY JOEY – PP7, Luc Ouellette, 8-1

Currently sporting a record of 1-1-0 from three starts, Beach Boy Joey has a mark of 1:56.1 which was taken on August 14 over the Georgian Downs five-eighths. A bay son of Jennas Beach Boy—Prada Girl, Beach Boy Joey is coming in from a victorious qualifier on August 20 at Mohawk where he paced in 1:56.3.

“We’ve been prepping him for this,” said Marfisi. “We wanted to race him Monday night at Woodbine and it [the class] didn’t fill, so I qualified him. He acts like a good colt. I mean he’s going to have to step up about four
seconds. I think he has the attitude to do it, I’m just not sure if the bottom is there, but we’re going to find out.”