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

TORONTO, June 3, 2006 – Mr Feelgood ($31.40, $5.80, $3.60) and driver Mark MacDonald toppled the mighty Jeremes Jet ($2.40, $2.10) in the last of the C$100,000 Burlington Stakes divisions Saturday evening at Woodbine, hauling down the millionaire in a time of 1:53.2 after working out a two-hole trip.

Mr Feelgood, a son of Grinfromeartoear, topped a $70.20 exactor and defeated Jeremes Jet by a half-length, handing the pacer only his second career loss.

With Jody Jamieson at his controls, Doonbeg ($3.60) closed hard from the back of the pack to finish 4¾ lengths in arrears, bottoming the $283.70 triactor.

“I was obviously surprised he [Mr Feelgood] beat Jeremes Jet, but I knew he was a pretty nice colt heading into it,” MacDonald said about Mr Feelgood, who is trained by Jimmy Takter for the Canamerica Capital Corporation, Diversity Stable and Lindy Farms of Connecticut. “He was really good. I used him leaving and then he paced hard right to the wire, so you can’t ask for more over that [sloppy] surface.”

MacDonald and Mr Feelgood left hard from post five and deposited Jeremes Jet on the front-end just after the :26.3 opening quarter-mile. Jeremes Jet settle to the lead on the backstretch and proceeded to notch the middle fractions in :56.1 and 1:26.1, respectively.

When MacDonald pulled on Mr Feelgood in the lane, the bay responded by digging into the mucky track and grinding by Jeremes Jet in the late stages.

With the win, Mr Feelgood, who is also eligible to the Pepsi North America Cup (Woodbine, June 17), notched his second victory in three starts this season.

Total Truth an honest winner in first Burlington division

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The countdown to the C$1.5 million Pepsi North America Cup began in earnest Saturday evening at Woodbine, as many of the continent’s top three-year-old pacers competed in three C$100,000 divisions of the Burlington Stakes.

Although last year’s champion juvenile colt Jeremes Jet was slated to compete in the third division later in the card, the early spotlight shone on Total Truth, who was making his seasonal debut for trainer George Teague Jr.

Driven by Ron Pierce, Total Truth enjoyed a pocket trip over a track made very sloppy by day-long rains, as he was tucked in behind pacesetter Perfect Union for most of the mile. Pierce pulled the son of Jennas Beach Boy out in mid-stretch, though, powered by the leader, then had enough left to hold off the rapidly-closing favourite, Bono Bests and driver David Miller, by one-quarter of a length, in 1:53.1.

“He raced very well, well within himself,” said Pierce. “It’s [the racetrack] about as mucky as a racetrack can get. It’s no fun at all.”

Sent postward the 2-1 second choice, Total Truth paid $6.70 to win and picked up a purse of C$50,000. Last season, the bay colt won four of seven outings in a productive campaign.

The win helped soften the news for Teague regarding his Western Ace, a top ‘Cup’ colt who was the heavy favorite in the second division of the Burlington, but was scratched sick prior to the card.

Pierce, who was also scheduled to drive Western Ace, a winner in 11 of his 14 outings last year in banking over $700,000, reported that the gelded son of Western Ideal had been running a temperature the last few days and that Teague decided to scratch him.

While the Cup eliminations next Saturday will determine the field for Canada’s richest harness race on June 17, the Burlington often provides major clues to the eventual outcome.

Seven previous winners of the Burlington also went on to Cup glory, the last being Red River Hanover in 2002.

Joe To Go captures second Burlington division; Western Ace scratched sick

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Western Ace was the prohibitive favourite for the second division of the Burlington Stakes Saturday evening from Woodbine, but with the son of Western Ideal scratched sick from the event, the winner’s share of the C$100,000 purse was there for the taking.

Cookerosa, in rein to driver George Brennan, was then sent off as the 1-2 post time favorite. Although, after Cookerosa made a break behind the gate, it ended up being a wide open event.

Sitting close to the speed throughout fractions cut in :27.3, :57.4 and 1:26.1, Joe To Go ($30.60, $10.10, $8.20) and driver Luc Ouellette popped out in the lane and went on to post a quarter-length victory over Green Sign ($5.00, $5.10) and pilot Mario Baillargeon in 1:54.3.

Over a sloppy track rated two seconds slow, Joe To Go topped a $172.90 exactor with Green Sign, and headed a $1,223.30 triactor completed by Impeccable, who, with Randy Waples in the bike, finished 1½ lengths in arrears.

“He just had enough to get there, but Mario was gone, so he [Joe To Go] did put in a pretty good effort to get to the wire,” Ouellette said about the Joe Seekman trainee, who the trainer owns along with L And L Devisser LLC, and Suttons Bay Racing. “It [the track] is tiring. It’s a little bit deeper than what it usually is.”

Joe To Go made his 2006 debut a winning one, bagging the C$50,000 purse, in what was his ninth career win.