from WFD Media

London, ON — The final piece to this year’s Molson Pace puzzle has fallen into place with the announcement that $1.7 million winner McWicked will join seven other outstanding rivals in the C$150,000 event next Friday night (May 27) at The Raceway in London.

The 5-year-old son of McArdle, who now hails in the Steve Elliott stable, will come into the race fresh off a pair of winning qualifiers and one pari-mutuel start this season. He finished just five lengths back of Always B Miki and Mel Mara in last weekend’s flashy 1:48.4 mile in the Open Pace at The Meadowlands.

McWicked took his 1:47.3 record at age three in winning the $500,000 Hempt Memorial final at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono. That same season, he posted victories in the Adios, Breeders Crown and Progress Pace final and was voted 3-Year-Old Pacer of the Year in both Canada and the United States. He has 15 wins and 35 on-the-board finishes to his credit in 44 career races.

Rockin In Heaven, who was a recent fourth-place finisher in the Confederation Cup, will be the ‘also eligible’ in the field in the event of a scratch.

The combined earnings of this year’s Molson Pace field is more than C$9 million.

“We are extremely happy with the field we’ve assembled considering we are in the midst of a very busy time in the season for older horses,” said Racing Manager Greg Blanchard. “There are some familiar faces but some new ones in the mix this year. It’s a very talented and well balanced field with plenty of half-mile prowess. It should produce not only a great race but a very enticing wagering proposition.”

The post position draw will take place this Monday (May 23) on The Raceway’s pre-game show which airs at 5:45 p.m. (EDT).

The Molson Pace undercard is a strong one, featuring four City of London Series finals, a pair of Alliance Series finals and Gold divisions for 3-year-old colt pacers in the Ontario Sires Stakes. Total purses for the night will be more than C$500,000.

As always, there will be lots happening on track that night including Scratch and Win program prizes, OSS Be A Winner Contest, Party On The Patio, Molson VIP Infield event and much more. The wagering menu has been bolstered to include a $5,000 guaranteed early Pick-3, $10,000 guaranteed early Pick-4, $15,000 guaranteed late Pick-4 and the addition of a third Super Hi-5 — all low 15 percent takeout wagers.

For full details, visit www.molsonpace.com.

Here is this year’s Molson Pace field in alphabetical order: All Bets Off, Bettor Rock On N, Evenin Of Pleasure, Machtu N, McWicked, P H Supercam, State Treasurer, Sunfire Blue Chip, AE: Rockin In Heaven.