By Ray Cotolo
The aged division in horse racing naturally becomes a collection of the late bloomers, like those fringe 2- and 3-year-olds who only succeed so much and later show it was a mark of development, not ability. And in a free-for-all pacing division still in search of a ruler in the wake of Bulldog Hanover’s reign, some of these late bloomers have to opportunity to make themselves known.
Saturday (Aug. 31) at Woodbine Mohawk Park will feature, among other stakes events, the $540,000 Canadian Pacing Derby – a race ruled as much by titans of the sport as it has been by surprises from the yesteryear’s fringe. Last year’s edition saw Tattoo Artist show his flare when unburdened by the likes of Bulldog Hanover, who won in the 2022 edition. Allywag Hanover, a third fiddle from the crop crushed by Tall Dark Stranger, stamped his presence in the free-for-all division with a win in 2021. And Dorsoduro Hanover, a Ron Burke trainee who performed well as a second-grade stakes type in his sophomore season, landed a memorable upset in 2020 as Canada’s leading driver James MacDonald scored back-to-back uproarious payoffs following his surprise with Courtly Choice in 2019. That’s just the last five years of this race.
Among the scrappy looking to prove themselves is the morning-line favorite Abuckabett Hanover, who will start from post 6 in rein to Dexter Dunn. Abuckabett Hanover first hit the scene as a 2-year-old over the Woodbine Mohawk Park track, showing force in winning the Nassagaweya, Champlain and a Metro Pace elimination. But the quirky talent hit snag after snag during his sophomore campaign and struggled to find a grip in his 4-year-old year, where he dove headfirst into Bulldog Hanover’s pool. Now a 6-year-old in his second full season with trainer Andrew Harris, the son of Betting Line appears to have refined himself. He’s always had an eye-catching late kick, but he’s only started finding consistent success this year through the flux of the open division. Perhaps, after five long years of hitting the track, things will really pay off for Abuckabett Hanover (who, in spite of his quirks, has still earned $1.7 million).
Tony Alagna has a different developing interest inside of the Canadian Pacing Derby with Taurasi, a 5-year-old son of Racing Hill who only really garnered attention a year ago. Following an eventful campaign in the Kentucky Sire Stakes at Oak Grove, Taurasi toyed a tad with Grand Circuit competition, but showed that the hill remained a bit steep. So Alagna sent the boy north, and he quickly became the dominant horse of the weekly feature at Woodbine Mohawk Park. And when you win in the Mohawk Preferred nine times consecutively, moving to higher territory is the only logical move. Aside from poor draws resulting in poor finishes in Grand Circuit action at The Meadowlands, Taurasi posted a performance oozing potential with a pylon-skimming runner-up finish to Linedrive Hanover in the $100,000 Mohawk Gold Cup back on North America Cup night. This race will be his first stakes try back in Canada, though he again has a tough ask of overcoming the second-tier draw from post 11.
The homebred Voukefalas also is looking to meet his potential against the top dogs of the sport. The Michael Russo-trained son of Lazarus N appeared a wrecking force ahead of last year’s North America Cup, though a tough trip in the final cost him a good finish. And after that race, he never really met that same energy he was leaving on the track in the early season. His limited sophomore campaign amounted to 12 starts, with the plan seemingly being to prime him for a second go as a 4-year-old. Following a slow return to the races in some overnight action, Voukefalas returned to the track with the same torrential speed he flaunted as a 3-year-old to win in the $230,000 Graduate Pace at The Meadowlands on July 6, and then a week later finished second to Abuckabett Hanover in the $428,000 William Haughton Memorial. A Canadian Pacing Derby win for Voukefalas would in a way represent redemption. He seemed poised to collect big prizes as a 3-year-old, but other factors inhibited him from matching that potential. Plus, careful handling by Mike Russo appears to have revitalized this guy to make him competitive against the best pacers in North America. So a victory would reward his patience and pragmatism.
And those are just three horses inside of this rag-tag field of 11 battling for half a million Canadian dollars on Saturday night. Robert Cleary also as an Irish bred, of all breeds, inside of this race with Oakwood Ardan IR. He, like Taurasi, is looking to parlay winter dominance – in his case, from The Meadowlands – into a Grand Circuit victory when he starts from post 1. Last year’s North America Cup champ Its My Show is still looking to rekindle his Grand Circuit magic from last year as his is neighbor on the gate, the now 7-year-old Allywag Hanover. Andrew Harris has two others inside of this race similarly looking for rebounds in El Rey and Seven Colors.
And all of this isn’t mentioning the other competitors in this race like the Cancelliere’s speed freak Ruthless Hanover from post 10, dominant east-coast trainer Per Engblom’s hope Huntinthelastdolar or the gutsy 7-year-old Hemsworth N making a rare foray away from Yonkers Raceway to try in a stakes race that isn’t the MGM Borgata series.
At this point, then, we’ve covered the whole field. A lot is happening inside of the 2024 edition of the Canadian Pacing Derby and, as it has for the last 44 years, it sets up to be one of the more memorable races on the calendar.
