From WEG Media

CAMPBELLVILLE, ON – North America’s best 3-year-old trotters were in action Saturday at Mohawk Racetrack, in two C$40,000 eliminations for next Saturday’s C$1 million Canadian Trotting Classic.

The top five finishers in each elim advanced to the classic, a race which has been won, in the last few years alone, by such champions as Yankee Paco, SJ’s Caviar, Kadabra, Mr Muscleman, Windsongs Legacy and Majestic Son. The elim winners also got to select post positions.

Once-beaten Donato Hanover flashed his superiority in machine-like fashion in the first elim, scoring by two 2-1/2 lengths over last week’s Simcoe division winner Arch Madness, with Mythical Lindy third in 1:52.3. Photo Maxx wound up fourth and Rune was fifth. Flirtin Man, also a Simcoe division winner last week, made a break in mid-stretch and did not qualify for the final.

Sent postward the overwhelming 1-5 choice, the son of Andover Hall went a little wide on the first turn while chasing Arch Madness through an opening quarter in 27.2. But he was eventually ushered to the front by driver Ron Pierce before the half, which was reached in 56.3, then prevailed under wraps the rest of the way.

If not for a third place finish in his debut last year, Donato Hanover would be undefeated. He’s perfect this year, counting the famed Hambletonian and World Trotting Derby among his seven wins.

Last year, he was eight for nine, highlighted by a victory in the Breeders Crown, en route to being named the top two-year-old male trotter in the United States.

“He was just being careful,” said trainer Steve Elliott, about Pierce’s handling of his colt into the first turn. “We come off the clay two weeks in a row, then you come to a stone dust track, you’ve got to be

careful, that’s all. But he seemed to handle it fine.”

On his World Trotting Derby win at Duquoin, Illinois on September 1 and the pre-race anticipation of a world record, Elliott explained, “When they got the half in 56 (seconds), you’ve got no shot (for a world record). But we went for $600,000. The main concern was winning the race.”

While he’ll certainly be the heavy favorite in next week’s final, Donato Hanover will be hooking up with an undefeated colt in Montreal-based Val Taurus, who smoked his way to a 1:53.2 win in the second elim, leaving behind odds-on Pampered Princess, last year’s champion 2-year-old filly. Up Front Harry finished third, with Quite Easy fourth and Laddie fifth.

With Trevor Ritchie at the controls for the first time, Val Taurus, the 5-2 second choice, took over from Pampered Princess after the first quarter, and then proved an impressive winner the rest of the way. After repulsing a challenge from last year’s O’Brien Award winner Laddie around the far turn, the son of Taurus Dream drew off in deep stretch to win easily by 2-1/4 lengths, as Pampered Princess was only able to shake loose for a charge in mid-stretch after being locked in on the rail.

With the victory, Val Taurus, owned by Lorraine Auger of St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Quebec and trained by Normand Bardier Jr., is a perfect seven-for-seven this year, while competing at the Hippodrome in Montreal and in 2006 as well, when he won all eight of his starts.

“I love him, he’s great-gaited and sure feels like he can go a long way,” said Ritchie, who steered Yankee Paco in 2000 and Majestic Son in 2006 to Canadian Trotting Classic wins. “I know he wasn’t tired tonight at the wire. You always want them to go through the wire and that’s exactly what he did. There was some more left in the tank, or at least I think there was.

“Obviously you don’t go undefeated this long without having some talent.

I’m not going to make any predictions (about next week). Obviously, Donato’s a great horse and nobody’s been able to get close to him yet. I’m just hoping this colt races well again next week. You never know what can happen in a horse race.”

FIELD DRAWN FOR CANADIAN TROTTING CLASSIC

Post positions were drawn tonight for the September 15 final of the C$1 million Canadian Trotting Classic. The connections of the winners of the two eliminations, Val Taurus and Donato Hanover, were allowed to choose their post positions.

The field is as follows:
1. Photo Maxx – Chris Christoforou
2. Val Taurus – Trevor Ritchie
3. Donato Hanover – Ron Pierce
4. Laddie – Paul MacDonnell
5. Up Front Larry – Ron Pierce
6. Quite Easy – driver TBA
7. Pampered Princess – John Campbell
8. Mythical Lindy – Dave Miller
9. Rune – Marcus Johansson
10. Arch Madness – Trond Smedshammer
AE1 Please Poppy – Mark MacDonald