by Jeff Renton, media/communications, the Woodbine Entertainment Group

Campbellville, ON — His speed badge may still be a 1:55⁴ qualifying mark, but after his past two efforts at the Meadowlands, Dr No has thrown himself right into the mix of Saturday’s second of four C$100,000 divisions of the Burlington Stakes at Mohawk.

A notorious lead-in to the prestigious Pepsi North America Cup (June 19 at Woodbine), the Burlington divisions have been scheduled as races four (8:21 p.m.), five (8:42 p.m.), ten (10:30 p.m.) and 11 (10:50 p.m.).

Someone who knows a little something about Burlington glory himself is Dr No’s trainer/driver Doug Brown. A four-time winner of the event (Topnotcher, 1989; Jake And Elwood, 1990; Mattduff, 1996; Hare Hare, 1996), Brown does double-duty for Ontario-based owners Brian and Dr. David Legge and Robert Stewart.

A brown No Nukes colt out of the Abercrombie mare No Escape, Dr No didn’t make much noise as a two-year-old, as he racked up a modest 1-2-2 record and $43,817 in earnings from ten starts. Although finishing second twice and third once in four starts this year also may not sound like a breathtaking resume, the miles he put in during his elimination of the New Jersey Classic (May 22 at the Meadowlands) and the final a week later will force people to give him a second look.

Last year, a trip for Dr No down to New Jersey-based conditioner Larry Remmen was what Brown best described as “disastrous,” but this year’s trip south of the border seemed to be just what the “the most aggravating horse to work with” needed.

This time, Dr No made the trip down with Julie, his trusty handler, and came back having paced the largest miles of his career.

Fresh from his mark-lowering qualifier and sent off at 37-1 with Cat Manzi in the bike for the elimination, Dr No sat well off the early tempo before coming home with a back half-mile clocked in :55², including a :26² final panel. Pacing his mile in 1:51², he finished two and a half lengths back of Modern Art, who has proven to be the current juggernaut of the three-year-old pacing division.

In the final a week later, Dr No and that juggernaut would almost be inseparable at the wire.

Again sitting off the pace, and again in rein to Manzi, Dr No found himself double-parked at the quarter-mile pole and would never see the cones for the rest of his trip, racing as a 13-1 shot. Making up ground through the middle portions of the mile, Dr No still came home with a :55³ back half-mile, including a :27² final panel, and just came out on the wrong end of a neck decision in the 1:50² mile.

“He (Remmen) was a little impressed with him (Dr No) after the first week (the elimination),” explained Brown. “He was looking for room late and was full of pace. But he was amazed after the final.”

Pegged at 6-1 in the morning line odds and having drawn post position two for his Burlington division, Dr No is set to face off against none other than Camelot Hall (post five, George Brennan, 7-5), who will be making his season’s debut, and Brandon’s Cowboy (post six, Daniel Dube, 2-1).

“He got back on Sunday morning,” said Brown, of the career earner of $174,877. “He came out (of the Jersey Classic) good. I jogged lightly with him on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I went a mile with him today (Thursday) and we’ll jog tomorrow.”

With a 13 race program offered up on Saturday, the post time for the evening’s opening race has been pushed forward to 7:15 p.m.

The field for the second of the Burlington divisions is as follows:

PP – Horse – Driver – Line

1 – Marchand – R. Pierce – M. Vanderkemp – 20-1
2 – Dr No – Do. Brown – Do. Brown – 6-1
3 – Mantacular – C. Manzi – L. Rathbone – 20-1
4 – Geartogear – S. Condren – S. Forbes – 15-1
5 – Camelot Hall – G. Brennan – D. McCall – 7-5
6 – Brandon’s Cowboy – D. Dube – M. Ford – 2-1
7 – Western Prince – J. Campbell – C. Ryder – 12-1
8 – Georgia Pacific – B. Sears – R. Bendis – 7-1
9 – Armbro Brando – P. MacDonell – B. Pelling – 15-1