By Ray Cotolo
In harness racing, there are now only five million-dollar races in North America – two of them Canadian: the still-fresh Mohawk Million, started in 2020, and the Metro Pace, which was first contested in 1988. And this Saturday (Sept. 14), 17 pacing 2-year-olds will be slimmed to 10 finalists over two eliminations for this year’s Metro Pace.
The first elimination is Race 5 on Saturday at Woodbine Mohawk Park, surrounded on all sides by other stakes eliminations ahead of next week’s stake-stravaganza. It features a strong morning-line favorite 7-5 shot Captain Optimistic, entering this race of a crisp 1:50.1 mile with a :26 final quarter to win the $150,000 New Jersey Classic final for 2-year-old pacing colts. The Nancy Takter-trained colt is sired by a Metro Pace champion in Captaintreacherous, who won in 2012 – the last time the Metro went for $1,000,000. He’s one of many well-bred entrants into the Metro, being out of the stakes-placed mare Cinamony.
Other high-expectation pedigrees in this field include 15-1 morning line Strangerinthenight, who is sired by 2020 Horse of the Year Tall Dark Stranger and out of a Tony Alagna graduate and stakes winner in Tall Drink Hanover, as well as Prince Hal Hanover, the foal of 2018 Breeders Crown winner Percy Bluechip (herself a pupil of Prince Hal Hanover’s trainer Dr. Ian Moore before moving into the barn of Ron Burke through her sophomore season).
Beyond pedigree, some others approach the first Metro Pace elimination with strong efforts on the track. Papis Rocket, landing the pylon post and getting driver James MacDonald at the reins, notched the first regal feather to his cap with an opportunistic 1:51.1 victory off a fast pace to win the Pennsylvania Sires Stakes Final at The Meadows over a week ago.
D A Love Boat is another coming in from a hard-charging effort. At 15-1 on the morning line, the colt trained by Bulldog Hanover conditioner Jack Darling flew from last to just miss upsetting in an $81,642 Champlain division last Saturday. He retains the driving services of journeyman Tyler Jones, the son of stakes-winning trainer R. Dustin Jones.
Elimination two of the Metro Pace goes as Race 10 and features even more high-society bloodlines. Swingtown, the 9-5 morning line favorite starting from the pylon post, will put his unbeaten record on the line as Chris Page, a leading Ohio driver, crosses the border to take another stab at Grand Circuit company. The colt by Downbytheseaside is out of the near-millionaire mare Swinging Beauty, a former trainee of local conditioner Gregg McNair.
Right alongside Swingtown on the gate is Tony Alagna trainee Fallout, who comes from a family familiar to Alagna. For one, Fallout is sired by Alagna’s kingmaker Captaintreacherous and is out of the dam who foaled another Alagna graduate in Captain Kirk, who eventually moved to the barn of Todd Luther and took a mark of 1:47.4 in a stake at The Meadowlands before retiring to injury. Tim Tetrick will drive the developing 3-1 shot on the morning line who has kept a fairly low profile inside of the Kentucky Sire Stakes program through his campaign.
Alagna has yet another protégé of his successes in Banderas, a son of Tall Dark Stranger listed at 10-1 on the morning line. This colt exiting a 1:51.4 win in a Kentucky Golden Rod preliminary is out of Breeders Crown winner Reflect With Me, who was part of a career breakthrough for Australian transplant Andrew McCarthy as he won not only his first Breeders Crown trophy, but four total in the 2019 edition (all of this before he won his first Hambletonian in 2020 with 2019 Breeders Crown winner and filly Ramona Hill for Tony Alagna). Canada’s perennial leading driver James MacDonald picks up the assignment on the colt looking to build off the third rung of the Bluegrass State’s stakes program.
And then there is the major local hope, Boxer Seelster. A gelding from a pair of former Scott McEneny trainees in champion racehorse and stallion Bettors Delight and out of stakes-placed mare Big Thong, Boxer Seelster became a sensation following his second-over pounce to a 1:52 win at odds of 9-1 in the $230,000 Nassagaweya on Aug. 24. Driver Trevor Henry then tested his charge with a front-stepping try in an $140,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Gold division, but worked too hard and was caught by a slick steer from Jody Jamieson and the ground-saving Fifth And Five. But this guy comes into the Metro elimination as a 5-1 morning line shot following a strong tightener in an $82,643 Champlain division in which he delivered as the 6-5 favorite with a :26.2 final quarter and a back half in :54.3.
The final of the Metro Pace will be part to a huge stakes card next Saturday (Sept. 21) at Woodbine Mohawk Park, which will also include the finals of the Canadian Trotting Classic, Elegantimage and the fifth renewal of the Mohawk Million.
Tried yesterday w/ no answer, maybe I will have better luck here;
Can someone tell me in the next few hours why itsalovething was scratched from the simcoe.
If my name is on your do not reply to list,let me know. Not looking to waist anyone’s time.