Milton, ON — Harness racing’s heavyweights will clash this Saturday (Aug. 31) at Woodbine Mohawk Park for the C$600,000 Maple Leaf Trot and C$525,000 Canadian Pacing Derby.

Over C$1.6 million in purses will be up for grabs on a stakes-filled program, including the Simcoe Stakes for 3-year-old pacers and Ontario Sires Stakes Gold for 2-year-old pacing colts and geldings joining the co-main events.

The Maple Leaf Trot for older trotters has been carded as race five, while the Canadian Pacing Derby for older pacers will go as race eight.

McWicked will defend his Canadian Pacing Derby title on Saturday at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

The Canadian Pacing Derby is the oldest stakes race in Canadian harness racing, and this year’s edition will feature a field of nine with $13.4 million in combined career earnings, including the defending champion and the co-fastest Standardbred of all time.

Casie Coleman trainee McWicked is returning to defend his Pacing Derby title. The 8-year-old captured last year’s edition in convincing fashion en route to being named the Horse of the Year in both Canada and the United States.

McWicked continues to add to his incredible legacy, with over $500,000 earned this season to bring his career earnings to $4.3 million for owner Ed James’ S S G Stables. The superstar pacer led all Standardbreds in earnings last season, becoming the oldest horse in 43 years to top the money standings. He is also the oldest horse in harness racing history to receive Horse of the Year honors.

David Miller, who steered McWicked to victory in last year’s race, will sit behind the Coleman trainee for the first time this season. The duo will start from the outside post nine.

Lather Up, the co-fastest Standardbred of all time, will return to the site of his richest victory and attempt to add another lucrative victory to his dream season. The 4-year-old captured last year’s C$1 million Pepsi North America Cup at Mohawk Park and earlier this season matched Always B Miki’s world record of 1:46 at The Meadowlands.

Trained by Clyde Francis, Lather Up is undefeated in six career starts at Mohawk Park. The son of Im Gorgeous is currently riding a four-race win streak, which includes victories in the Dan Patch, Sam McKee Memorial, Haughton Memorial and Graduate Series, to bring his season record to eight wins in 11 starts and career record to 23 wins in 36 starts.

Montrell Teague will team up with the career earner of $1.6 million to start from post five.

The Canadian Pacing Derby field also includes This Is The Plan (post one, Yannick Gingras), Done Well (post two, Andrew McCarthy), Western Fame (post three, Louis-Philippe Roy), Jimmy Freight (post four, Scott Zeron), Courtly Choice (post six, James MacDonald), Filibuster Hanover (post seven, Gingras) and Casimir Richie P (post eight, Sylvain Filion).

The Maple Leaf Trot will feature an all-star field of 10 older trotters, including four mares, competing for a purse of C$600,000. Elimination winners Crystal Fashion and Guardian Angel As carry the momentum into Saturday’s final.

Crystal Fashion, last year’s Canadian Trotting Classic winner, heads a field of 10 in the Maple Leaf Trot. New Image Media photos.

Jim Campbell trainee Crystal Fashion will be looking to pull off the Canadian Trotting Classic and Maple Leaf Trot in back-to-back years. The 4-year-old captured last year’s marquee event for sophomore trotters and returned to Mohawk Park to win his elimination last Saturday by a pair of lengths in 1:52.

Crystal Fashion is currently on a three-race win streak to bring his 4-year-old record to five wins and $445,775 earned in nine starts. His career numbers sit at 18 wins and $1.6 million earned for owner Fashion Farms.

David Miller will guide the Campbell trainee from post two.

Anette Lorentzon trainee Guardian Angel As has been putting together a fantastic 5-year-old season and enters the Maple Leaf Trot final off a game 1:51.4 elimination score.

He has won six of nine starts and earned just shy of $400,000 this season.

Guatdian Angel As has competed in many marquee events over his career. A victory in the Maple Leaf Trot would mark his first classic victory and push him over $1 million in career earnings for owners ACL Stuteri and Kjell Johansson.

Driver Tim Tetrick has the assignment behind Guardian Angel As and the duo will start from post three.

A quartet of accomplished mares will compete in Saturday’s Maple Leaf Trot.

World champion Atlanta fell just short to Guardian Angel As in last Saturday’s elimination and will now have to overcome post 10. The Ron Burke trainee captured the Armbro Flight earlier this year at Mohawk in track record fashion.

Luc Blais trainee Emoticon Hanover will compete in her second Maple Leaf Trot final. The two-time Breeders Crown champion is the second richest horse in the field with over $1.5 million earned. She will start from post nine.

Blais will also send out mare Dream Together, a career earner of $753,682, from post six.

Manchego completes the mare quartet and will start from post seven. The Nancy Johansson-trained 4-year-old has a pair of victories this season and will be looking to add to her career earnings of $1.6 million.

The richest horse in the Maple Leaf Trot field is 6-year-old Marion Marauder at $3.1 million. The Mike Keeling trainee is winless in five starts this season but rallied in his elimination to finish second.

The Maple Leaf Trot field is completed by millionaire Six Pack (post one, Åke Svanstedt), Speeding Spur N (post four, Jody Jamieson) and Dancer Hall (post five, Bob McClure).

Saturday’s program also includes the return of Pepsi North America Cup winner Captain Crunch to Mohawk Park for the C$171,503 Simcoe Stakes.

Captain Crunch will tackle Meadowlands Pace winner Best In Show and five other rivals in the Grand Circuit contest.

Trained by Nancy Johansson, Captain Crunch will be making his first start since winning the Cane Pace on Aug. 3. The son of Captaintreacherous has won five of seven starts this season and earned $651,402 for owners 3 Brothers Stables, Christina Takter, Rojan Stables and Caviart Farms.

The Simcoe Stakes is carded as race nine.

A trio of Ontario Sires Stakes Gold divisions for 2-year-old pacing colts and geldings will also take place on Saturday’s program. The second division will see the undefeated Johansson-trained colt Tall Dark Stranger search for his fourth consecutive victory.

The OSS Gold divisions are carded as races two, three and six.

Post time for Saturday evening’s C$1.6 million card is 7:10 p.m. Visit www.WoodbineMohawkPark.com for full event details.