by Mark McKelvie, WEG Communications

Milton, ON — The C$890,000 Metro Pace for 2-year-old pacers headlines a C$1.9 million card this Saturday (Sept. 22) at Woodbine Mohawk Park. The C$590,000 She’s A Great Lady for 2-year-old pacing fillies and the C$255,000 Milton Stakes for pacing mares will also take place on Saturday’s stakes card.

This year’s Metro Pace purse of C$890,000 will be the third-highest purse for a horse race in Canada during 2018, trailing only the C$1 million Pepsi North America Cup and C$1 million Queen’s Plate.

New Image Media photo

Driver Andrew McCarthy will sit behind Captain Ahab, the 9-5 morning line choice, searching for the biggest win of his career.

The undefeated Captain Ahab (post four) will be looking to repeat history for his trainer Tony Alagna and sire Captaintreacherous. The $100,000 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale purchase is seven-for-seven and looking to mimic his sire, who won the 2012 Metro Pace in a stakes-record equaling 1:49.2.

Driver Andrew McCarthy will sit behind Captain Ahab, the 9-5 morning line choice, searching for the biggest win of his career. The 32-year-old driver from Down Under has 2,092 wins and $35 million in career earnings.

Captain Ahab captured his elimination last Saturday in 1:50.4 by rushing to the top in the second quarter from fourth and pacing a :55.4 back half (:28 final quarter) to secure the victory.

The Metro Pace has been the target for trainer Alagna with Captain Ahab, who arrived at Mohawk Park in late July for the Dream Maker and will be making his sixth start at the Campbellville oval on Saturday.

Trainer Casie Coleman will be searching for her second Metro title on Saturday with Bettor’s Delight colt Stag Party (post three). A $125,000 Harrisburg yearling purchase, Stag Party came first-up in his elimination and powered to a career-best 1:51 victory. The Ontario sired standout has won five of seven starts heading into the Metro.

Coleman’s first Metro victory came back in 2009 with Sportswriter, who established a new event record of 1:49.2. Driver David Miller, who earlier this week captured his fifth Little Brown Jug, will sit behind Stag Party and is seeking his first Metro title.

Stag Party, a winner of $150,928, is owned by John Fielding, Mac Nichol, McKinlay & Fielding and West Wins Stable.

The C$890,000 Metro Pace has been carded as race nine.

Saturday night could be a big night for the duo of McCarthy and Alagna, who also team up with 3-1 morning line choice Tall Drink Hanover (post four) in the C$590,000 She’s A Great Lady.

A daughter of Captaintreacherous, Tall Drink Hanover paced home in :26.3 to win her elimination in a career-best 1:51.2. The $35,000 Harrisburg yearling buy has won four of seven starts, including a division of the Eternal Camnation and final of the Whenuwishuponastar Series.

Alagna will send a power trio into the She’s A Great Lady, as Tall Drink Hanover joins Treacherous Reign (post one, Yannick Gingras) and Odds On St Lucie (post eight, Brett Miller).

Ideation Hanover is the other elimination winner in Saturday’s final and will start from post two for driver Jody Jamieson and trainer Dave Menary. A daughter of Bettor’s Delight, Ideation Hanover converted off a two-hole trip for a 10-1 upset in 1:51.2. The $50,000 Harrisburg yearling purchase has never missed the board in eight starts, reaching the winner’s circle three times.

The She’s A Great Lady, featuring a field of nine, is carded as race five.

Rookie pacers won’t be the only stars Saturday, as a deep field of 10 pacing mares will duel in the C$255,000 Milton Stakes. Sticking with the trend from the rookie events, McCarthy will drive another morning line favourite in the Milton, sitting behind dominating elimination winner Caviart Ally (post five).

Trained by Noel Daley, Caviart Ally went coast-to-coast in her elimination for a career-best 1:48.3 victory. The daughter of Bettor’s Delight is five-for-13 this season and is inching towards $1 million in career earnings.

The Milton final doesn’t expect to be a walk in the park for Caviart Ally, as the field also includes stars Tequila Monday (post two, Brett Miller), Nike Franco N (post three, Matt Kakaley), L A Delight (post four, Randy Waples), Bettors Up (post six, Doug McNair) and Pure Country (post 10, Gingras).

The Milton Stakes has been carded as race seven.

To download a free program for Saturday’s C$1.9 million card, click here.

Post time for the Metro Pace card is 7:10 p.m.

No training Saturday at Mohawk Park

Woodbine Mohawk Park would like to inform all horsepeople that the track surface and paddock will not be open for training on Saturday morning (Sept. 22).

Only horses in retention for Saturday evening’s stakes races will be permitted to use the track from 7:30-9 a.m.