Field of characters to battle in Cup
June 15, 2018,by Mark McKelvie, WEG Communications
Milton, ON — Every trainer’s path to the Pepsi North America Cup is an interesting journey. Long hours, tough decisions, fast horses, slow horses and disappointing races is part of the business. But having a dream is what keeps many barns ticking. For most the dream is finding the horse that’ll take them to the highest level.
A field of 10 3-year-old pacers will line-up this Saturday at Woodbine Mohawk Park seeking to fulfill that dream for their connections in the C$1 million Pepsi North America Cup. Each horse in Saturday’s million-dollar classic has different traits and a story behind them.
Tony Alagna has been to the top of the North America Cup mountain. The Manalapan, N.J., conditioner won the 2013 edition with Captaintreacherous and nearly captured his second title with runner-up Racing Hill in 2016. Alagna’s barn will send out a pair of starters, Stay Hungry and American History, in Saturday’s main event.
Stay Hungry (post two, Doug McNair) was the pick of many during the winter months to win this year’s Cup. The son of Somebeachsomewhere had a fantastic 2-year-old season that saw him win the $600,000 Breeders Crown and he was named the O’Brien Award winner as Canada’s top 2-year-old pacing colt.
Alagna’s standout makes a ton of noise on the track, but is a calm, cool and collected character when the bright lights are off.
“(Stay Hungry) is a very laid-back horse, he’s very easy to get along with,” Alagna said. “He’s very quiet, just a real pleasure to be around. No quirky habits. Walks out of the paddock hooked to the jog cart or walks out of the barn in the morning and stops every morning and just looks around.”
Stay Hungry could have an opportunity to stop and look at thousands of fans if all goes well in Saturday’s North America Cup. The chill-individual is coming in off a victory in his elimination.
American History (post five, Yannick Gingras) is the second representative from the Alagna barn and a perfect example that just like in any sport, every team has different characters.
“He is always on go and he’s just the opposite of Stay Hungry,” said Alagna about American History. “Where Stay Hungry is very relaxed, (American History) goes to the track and is ready to work. He’s (got a) totally different mindset and mentality than the other horse but nothing out of the ordinary, he likes to work.”
A son of American Ideal, American History has shown big speed and holds a mark of 1:49.1, tied for the fastest in the field.
Brian Brown realized his million-dollar classic dream last year when he won the Cup with Fear The Dragon. The Ohio-based trainer is back looking for a repeat with a talented son of Well Said named Done Well (post seven, Tim Tetrick), who suffered his first loss in six career starts last week, losing by a head to Stay Hungry.
Done Well is a tough individual that battled back from injury last year, but grit doesn’t make a horse exempt from having fears.
“He used to be really scared of tractors,” Brown shared about his rising star. “He’s gotten over that mainly, still looks at them but he’s pretty good that way.”
Luckily for Done Well, there will be no tractors on the track when the field lines up at approximately 10:40 p.m. Saturday.
Like Done Well, Hitman Hill (post 10, Brett Miller) knows a thing about winning streaks. The Chris Oakes trainee started his career by winning six consecutive starts and dominating the New York Sires Stakes last season. Hitman Hill won his second lifetime start in 1:50.4, showing incredible speed and superstar potential. However, the American Ideal colt became a little too charged up during his run of victories and big speed as a rookie.
“I drove him last year and raced him three starts where I thought he was the best colt in the country,” driver Brett Miller said. “But he got really hot where we couldn’t control him and it kind of ruined the rest of his year.”
Settling down Hitman Hill became the focus for the Oakes team. The American Ideal gelding has been raced much differently in three starts this season with Miller admitting he’s been hesitant to send him to the front.
“So far he’s been very calm and I can do anything I want with him. Last year his game was he was best on the front, but I’m afraid to put him there again.”
Hitman Hill unleashed a :26.2 final quarter to rally from eighth and finish third in his Cup elimination. Miller is hopeful the relaxed nature continues for the Oakes trainee.
“I just hope we can keep him calm because in my opinion, he can go with any horse in here.”
The field of ten for the C$1 million Pepsi North America Cup is comprised of eight colts and two geldings. All ten are writing different stories, but only one will have a fairytale ending to their current chapter this Saturday.
The C$1 million Pepsi North America Cup is carded as race 12 on Saturday’s program from Woodbine Mohawk Park. Post time for the stakes-filled card is 6:30 p.m.
To download a free program for Saturday’s card, click here.
Here is the Pepsi North America Cup field in post position order:
PP-Horse-Driver-Trainer-Morning Line
1-St Lads Neptune-Jody Jamieson-Stephanie Jamieson-8/1
2-Stay Hungry-Doug McNair-Tony Alagna-5/2
3-Wes Delight-Corey Callahan-Mark Harder-9/2
4-Lather Up-Montrell Teague-Clyde Francis-2/1
5-American History-Yannick Gingras-Tony Alagna-10/1
6-Lost In Time-Scott Zeron-Jimmy Takter-8/1
7-Done Well-Tim Tetrick-Brian Brown-4/1
8-Nutcracker Sweet-David Miller-Jimmy Takter-15/1
9-Hayden Hanover-Andy Miller-Julie Miller-20/1
10-Hitman Hill-Brett Miller-Chris Oakes-20/1
- Wolfgang aims to cook up Goodtimes win (Tuesday, June 12, 2018)
Wolfgang will try to continue his rise among Hambletonian Stakes contenders when he faces nine rivals in Saturday’s C$266,000 Goodtimes Stakes at Woodbine Mohawk Park. The Goodtimes is one of the stakes stops on the road to August’s $1.2 million Hambletonian, which is the sport’s premier race for 3-year-old trotters.
- Post positions drawn for Pepsi North America Cup (Tuesday, June 12, 2018)
The C$1 million Pepsi North America Cup final takes place Saturday (June 16) at Woodbine Mohawk Park. This past Saturday’s three elimination winners (Lather Up, Stay Hungry and Wes Delight) earned the right to select their post positions for the final. The post position draw took place Tuesday afternoon.
- Big Grand Circuit Saturday at Woodbine Mohawk Park (Wednesday, June 13, 2018)
The Grand Circuit spotlight will be on Woodbine Mohawk Park this weekend as the Ontario oval hosts five lucrative stakes finals on Saturday night (June 16) led by the C$1 million Pepsi North America Cup for 3-year-old colt pacers.
- Wes Delight part of ‘deep group’ in Pepsi North America Cup (Wednesday, June 13, 2018)
Trainer Mark Harder says Saturday’s Pepsi North America Cup might lack a prohibitive favorite, but it does not suffer from a lack of talent. “Just because there’s not a standout doesn’t mean there’s not a lot of good horses,” said Harder, who will send out Wes Delight in the C$1 million event for 3-year-old male pacers at Woodbine Mohawk Park. “There is probably a bunch of them that can win it. No one is running away from anybody, I don’t think. It’s a deep group.”
- Hannelore Hanover looks for record Armbro Flight win (Thursday, June 14, 2018)
The 2016 Armbro Flight Stakes can be looked upon as Hannelore Hanover’s coming-out party, and in the two years that followed she went from an intriguing newcomer among older female trotters to the sport’s reigning queen. Last year, Hannelore Hanover captured Horse of the Year honors in both the U.S. and Canada. On Saturday, she goes for an unprecedented third consecutive win in the Armbo Flight when she faces nine rivals in the C$250,000 race for older female trotters at Woodbine Mohawk Park. The 6-year-old mare, unbeaten in three starts this season, is the 2-5 morning-line favorite.
- Shower Play spurts into Fan Hanover (Thursday, June 14, 2018)
A force to reckon on the Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots circuit last season, Rene Dion trainee Shower Play makes her Grand Circuit debut Saturday (June 16) in the C$415,000 Fan Hanover on the Pepsi North America Cup undercard at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
- Johansson’s stakes ladies ready to go (Friday, June 15, 2018)
Trainer Nancy Johansson is happy with Fan Hanover favorite Kissin In The Sand and Roses Are Red contender L A Delight as those female pacers prepare for their races Saturday at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Kissin In The Sand enters the Fan Hanover, for 3-year-old filly pacers, off a 1-1/4 length win over I’m Trigger Happy and Shower Play in her elimination last week. She is the 5-2 morning-line favorite in the field of 10. L A Delight heads to the Roses Are Red, for pacing mares, off a second-place finish to Blazin Britches in her elimination. She is 8-1 in the final.
- NA Cup has familiar feel for ‘Hayden’ (Friday, June 15, 2018)
It’s like déjà vu all over again for the connections of Hayden Hanover as they prepare to watch their colt in Saturday’s C$1 million Pepsi North America Cup at Woodbine Mohawk Park. The Julie Miller-trained Hayden Hanover finished third last week in his North America Cup elimination, which was won by Stay Hungry, and will start Saturday’s final from post No. 9. His elimination finish and draw for the final were nearly identical to his trip to Mohawk in September for the Metro Pace, when Hayden Hanover finished third in an elimination won by Stay Hungry and started the final from post No. 10.