Post positions drawn for Pepsi North America Cup
June 12, 2018,from WEG Communications
Milton, ON — Lather Up, Stay Hungry and Wes Delight, all impressive winners in last weekend’s eliminations, headline a field of 10 for the C$1 million Pepsi North America Cup on Saturday (June 16) at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
The 35th edition of Canada’s richest harness race, showcasing the finest 3-year-old pacers on the continent, will go postward at 10:40 p.m. (EDT) and will be broadcast live on TSN2 from 10–11 p.m. The winner of the Pepsi North America Cup earns C$500,000. This year marks the 18th anniversary of Pepsi’s sponsorship of the race.
Michael Burns photo
Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Connor Carrick (center) is joined by Pepsi North America Cup drivers Jody Jamieson (left) and Doug McNair (right).
Post positions were drawn today at Woodbine Mohawk Park, with Toronto Maple Leafs’ defenseman Connor Carrick as the guest drawmaster.
A total of 29 3-year-old pacers competed over three $38,500 eliminations last Saturday to determine the field for this year’s race. The top three finishers from each division, plus a fourth-place finisher drawn by lot, qualified for the C$1 million final.
The group of 29 entered in this year’s eliminations was the highest turnout since 2010.
Elimination winners earned their connections the right to select their post position for the final. Nineteen of the 34 Cup winners won their elimination.
Lather Up (post four), an Ohio-sired son of I’m Gorgeous, was the fastest elimination winner, as he shot up the inside to win his division by nearly three lengths in 1:49.2 for trainer Clyde Francis and driver Montrell Teague. A homebred for owners Gary and Barbara Iles, Lather Up is undefeated in five starts this season and currently holds a record of nine wins and 11 top three finishes from 12 career starts. The bay colt holds a pair of track records in the state of Ohio and enters the Pepsi North America Cup with $152,265 in career earnings.
The combination of Francis and Teague will be looking for redemption in this Saturday’s C$1 million race after they finished second with superstar Wiggle It Jiggleit in the 2015 Cup.
Teague understands the pressure that is on him and Lather Up following their dazzling elimination performance.
“Adds more pressure (winning an elimination). I mean, you always got to figure out the next trip that’s going to be next week,” said Teague. “You got to make sure the horse is healthy, make sure I do my job, make sure he does his job. I had the best horse in 2015 and I got beat, so you never know.”
Stay Hungry (post two), last year’s Breeders Crown champion, came from third-over on the final turn to power by rivals in the lane and win his elimination in 1:50 for trainer Tony Alagna and driver Doug McNair. A son of Somebeachsomewhere, Stay Hungry was one of the Winter Book favorites for this year’s Cup after winning six of nine starts and being named Canada’s top 2-year-old Pacing Colt at the O’Brien Awards. His trainer Alagna won the 2013 Cup with Captaintreacherous, while driver McNair, last year’s Driver of the Year in Canada, will be seeking his first Cup in his third try.
“It feels good (winning an elimination),” said McNair following last Saturday’s victory. “That’s always what you dream of when you’re growing up watching the race, so to be in the race and have one that’s legit and low odds is a great feeling.”
Stay Hungry has won seven of 11 career starts and earned $561,664 for owners Brad Grant, Woodbine’s leading owner, and the late Irwin Samelman.
Wes Delight (post three) split rivals late to prevail victorious in the tightest finish of last Saturday’s eliminations for trainer Mark Harder and driver Corey Callahan. The son Bettor’s Delight stopped the timer in 1:50.2 for his fifth win in six starts this season.
“I was kind of worried I wasn’t going to get any room,” said Callahan following the elimination. “But (American History) went on enough I could sneak out there and this little horse is so gritty, he just loves to win.”
Owned by Rick Phillips, Deena Rachel Frost and Mark Harder, Wes Delight has had a powerful start to his 3-year-old campaign after being competitive in his rookie season, winning three of 11 starts. The Harder trainee has made more starts (17) than any other horse in this year’s Cup. Wes Delight’s career totals sit at eight wins and $226,823 earned going into Saturday’s C$1 million race.
Trainer Brian Brown, who won last year’s Cup with Fear The Dragon, has a chance at a repeat with Done Well (post seven). The son of Well Said finished second to Stay Hungry to suffer his first loss in six career starts.
Jimmy Takter has won nearly all the sport’s biggest races, but the Pepsi North America Cup has yet to come his way in five previous attempts. The Hall of Fame trainer will send out Nutcracker Sweet (post eight), who finished second by a neck to Wes Delight, and Lost In Time (post six), the fourth-place finisher to draw in.
Lost In Time captured last year’s Metro Pace at Woodbine Mohawk Park and was named the Dan Patch Award winner as top 2-year-old pacing colt in the U.S.
A pair of husband-wife, driver-trainer teams will compete in this year’s Pepsi North America Cup.
Jody and Stephanie Jamieson will send out Ontario-sired gelding St Lads Neptune (post one), who finished second to Lather Up in his elimination. Jody is a two-time Cup winning driver, having won in 2007 with Tell All and 2011 with Up The Credit.
Andy and Julie Miller team up to compete with Hayden Hanover (post nine), a third-place finisher in last Saturday’s eliminations. The New Jersey based Millers have had a good run with Hayden Hanover, as the son of Somebeachsomewhere has two wins and 11 top-three finishes in 14 career starts.
Stay Hungry may grab the headlines, but trainer Alagna is another trainer in this year’s race with two entries. American History (post five) finished third, beaten less than a length, in the elimination won by Wes Delight. The son of American Ideal has won four of eight starts and is tied with Lather Up for the fastest career-mark in this year’s field at 1:49.1.
Driver Brett Miller will sit behind Hitman Hill (post 10) in Saturday’s race hoping to change his luck and capture his first Pepsi North America Cup. The 44-year-old driver has finished second in three different editions of the Cup and will be making his seventh appearance in Canada’s richest race. A son of American Ideal, Hitman Hill was nearly perfect in his rookie season, winning six of seven starts. The Chris Oakes trainee is winless in three starts this season.
The North America Cup stakes record is 1:47.4, set by Thinking Out Loud in 2012 and equaled in 2016 by Betting Line. Hall of Famer Bettor’s Delight holds the record for the largest margin of victory, 4-1/2 lengths in 2001.
The list of past Cup winners is a who’s who of Standardbred greats, including Jate Lobell (1987), Precious Bunny (1991), Presidential Ball (1993), Cam’s Card Shark (1994), Gallo Blue Chip (2000), Rocknroll Hanover (2005), Somebeachsomewhere (2008) and Captaintreacherous (2013).
The shortest-priced winners in Cup history are Jate Lobell and Presidential Ball at $2.70, while Goalie Jeff, in 1989, provided the biggest upset, returning $93.60 for a $2 win bet.
The Cup was raced at Greenwood Raceway from 1984-03, followed by Woodbine Racetrack from 1994-2006. The North America Cup was moved to Mohawk in 2007 and this year’s edition marks the first Cup since the renaming to Woodbine Mohawk Park.
The Cup night card will offer three Pick-4 wagers, including an All Stakes Pick-4 with a C$100,000 guaranteed pool, comprising races nine through 12. There will also be a mandatory payout on the Jackpot Hi-5.
The North America Cup undercard features the C$415,000 Fan Hanover for 3-year-old pacing fillies, C$370,000 Roses Are Red for pacing mares, C$250,000 Armbro Flight for trotting mares, C$266,000 Goodtimes for 3-year-old trotters and the C$100,000 Mohawk Gold Cup Invitational for older pacers.
Post time for the first of 15 races on the Pepsi North America Cup card is 6:30 p.m.
Here is the Pepsi North America Cup field in post position order:
PP-Horse-Driver-Trainer
1-St Lads Neptune-Jody Jamieson-Stephanie Jamieson
2-Stay Hungry-Doug McNair-Tony Alagna
3-Wes Delight-Corey Callahan-Mark Harder
4-Lather Up-Montrell Teague-Clyde Francis
5-American History-Yannick Gingras-Tony Alagna
6-Lost In Time-Scott Zeron-Jimmy Takter
7-Done Well-Tim Tetrick-Brian Brown
8-Nutcracker Sweet-Tim Tetrick-Jimmy Takter
9-Hayden Hanover-Andy Miller-Julie Miller
10-Hitman Hill-Brett Miller-Chris Oakes
- Eliminations contested for 35th Pepsi North America Cup (Sunday, June 10, 2018)
The field is set for the 35th edition of the Pepsi North America Cup following Saturday evening’s (June 9) three C$50,000 eliminations at Woodbine Mohawk Park. A group of 29 3-year-old pacers were split into a trio of eliminations with the top-three finishers from each division, plus a fourth-place finisher drawn by lot, advancing to next week’s C$1 million final. The winners were Stay Hungry, Wes Delight and Lather Up.
- 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.
- 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.
- Field of characters to battle in Cup (Friday, June 15, 2018)
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.