Milton, ON – Nix Nacken overpowered his stablemate, Hambletonian champion Apex, in the closing strides of a 1:51.1 mile to snatch victory in the C$590,000 Grade 1 Canadian Trotting Classic final, for trotting sophomores, on Saturday night (Sept. 26) at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Magic Punk pushed up the rim to take the lead from Strobe Lite to a :27 first quarter while Apex settled into fourth out of post 3. Apex bided his time entering the backstretch before committing to loop for the lead, and once he grabbed command past a :55.3 half Nix Nacken tipped off the pylons from sixth and charged uncovered towards the front. Nix Nacken reached Apex’s neck to three-quarters in 1:23.3 but struggled to pass that rival as he held his ground for home. Apex held sway until Nix Nacken overhauled him in the final sixteenth to slide home a half-length winner. Strobe Lite swung off a pylon trip to take third and Magic Punk gave pursuit in fourth.
“He’s avoided the front the majority of his year, and unfortunately, he’s been first up a lot, so he’s really, really good at it at this point,” said driver Scott Zeron, who won his first Canadian Trotting Classic. “But that was a really Herculean effort he put forth. About 50 feet before the wire. I was like, ‘I think I’m going to get him’ because before that, it was a tough battle in the turn to even make up the ground I did, coming first up from sixth back there. So it was just an amazing effort by my horse.”
Marcus Melander, winning for the second time in the Canadian Trotting Classic after taking the 2019 edition with Green Manalishi S, trains Nix Nacken for owner Courant Inc. The Muscle Hill-Nixie Volo gelding, scoring his first graded stakes win of the year, collected his fourth win from 14 starts this season and his seventh victory from 25 starts in his career, earning C$905,896.
“He’s always been a nice horse, but he got his manners,” Marcus Melander said, “and that’s why he’s a gelding, obviously. And you know, when he wakes up on the right side, he definitely has the speed and strength to go with these ones. So yeah, it’s a nice, nice horse.
“It’s mixed feelings,” Melander also said, training both Nix Nacken and runner-up Apex. “You know what I mean? Like Apex is 3-5 out there. He’s obviously been the better horse, and is probably the better horse. But he got beat fair and square today. Hopefully, he can bounce back next week in the Kentucky Futurity.”
Nix Nacken, who is also bound for the Kentucky Futurity at The Red Mile next Saturday (Oct. 3), paid $26.20 to win.
To watch the race replay, click here.