MILTON, Ont., June 7, 2024 – There are six Ontario Sired horses featured across the three elimination races that will determine the field for the 41st Pepsi North America Cup.
Taking place Saturday at Woodbine Mohawk Park and split across three $50,000 races (Races 3, 5 and 7), the top three finishers in each race, plus a single fourth-place finisher who will be drawn by lot, will advance to the $1-million final on June 15.
The six OSS horses competing in Saturday’s eliminations are split between two in Race 5 and four in Race 7. Here’s a little more on each of them:
MIRAGE HANOVER – Race 5, Post 4, 4-1 odds
Coming off a 1:48.4 mile May 25 at the Meadowlands, this Jake Leamon-trained, Hanover Shoe Farms (Hanover, Pa.)-bred, Marvin Rounick (Narbeth, Pa.)-owned colt is coming in as one of the favourites in Race 5.
Driven by Tim Tetrick, who was in the bike seat for that 1:48.4 on May 25, MIRAGE HANOVER (BETTORS DELIGHT) won three OSS Gold events last year, but will be looking for a better result at Mohawk compared to the last time he raced there, finishing fifth in the 2023 OSS Gold Super Finals as a two-year-old in a time of 1:51.4.
FUNTIME BAYAMA – Race 5, Post 6, 7-2 odds
FUNTIME BAYAMA (HES WATCHING) was a six-time OSS Gold winner last year and is entering Saturday’s elimination in fine form.
Owned and bred by Bayama Farms Inc. (Saint-Andre-D’Argenteuil, Que.), and trained by Richard Moreau, this three-year-old gelding has gone sub-1:50 in his last three races, all at Mohawk with Sylvain Filion, who will be at the reins Saturday, driving.
On May 11 and May 25, FUNTIME BAYAMA went around in a time of 1:49.4 and on June 1, he was even faster at 1:49.1.
NIJINSKY – Race 7, Post 3, 9-5 odds
NIJINSKY (BETTORS DELIGHT), picked up his first OSS Gold win on May 25, beating out FUNTIME BAYAMA in a photo finish, coming in at a time of 1:49.4.
He’s shown better speed as a three-year-old and appears to be picking up form in time for Saturday’s elimination race, going 1:49 in a win last week at Mohawk.
NIJINSKY will be driven by Louis-Philippe Roy, is trained by Anthony Beaton, was bred by Jeffrey Snyder (New York, N.Y.) and is owned by West Wins Stable (Wellington, Fla.), John Fielding (Scarborough, Ont.) and Mark Dumain (Pine Bush, N.Y.).
UNRIVALED HANOVER – Race 7, Post 4, 10-1 odds
An OSS Gold winner and a five-time second place finisher in Gold races as a two-year-old, UNRIVALED HANOVER (BETTORS DELIGHT) has proven himself as a reliable placer.
Though he has never gone sub-1:50 is career, there’s something to be said of the level of the level of consistency the Shawn Steacy-trained, Jonathan Drury-driven colt is bringing to the table.
UNRIVALED HANOVER is owned by Landmark 16 Racing Stable (Lansdowne, Ont.), Hudson Standrdbrd Stb Inc. (Hudson, Que.), David Reid (Sydenham, Ont.) and Bertrand Gilhespy Stable (Lake Country, B.C.), and was bred by Hanover Shoe Farms Inc. (Hanover, Pa.).
STORM SHADOW – Race 7, Post 6, 5-1 odds
The winner of the $300,000 OSS Gold Super Final as a two-year-old, STORM SHADOW (BETTORS DELIGHT) is among the field in Race 7.
The Dr. Ian Moore-trainee has been a consistent placer so far in 2024 with one first and two seconds across four starts this year.
STORM SHADOW will be driven by Bob McClure Saturday. He was bred by Tara Hills Stud Ltd. (Port Perry, Ont.), and is owned by R G McGroup Ltd. (Bathurst, N.B.), Serge Savard (St-Bruno, Que.), Mac Nichol (Burlington, Ont.) and Bolton Farms Llc. (Clermont, Fla.).
TOTAL STRANGER – Race 7, Post 9, 7-2 odds
It’s been a little while since TOTAL STRANGER (BETTORS DELIGHT) has raced in Ontario, with the last time we saw him being on Sept. 16 as a two-year-old, that saw him finish seventh in an eight-horse race at Mohawk.
The Nancy Takter-trained colt will make his Ontario return Saturday coming off a couple confidence-boosting wins at Harrahs Philadelphia that saw him go 1:49.1 and 1:49, respectively. Yannick Gingras, who will be driving TOTAL STRANGER Saturday, was behind him for that 1:49.1 and has driven him 15 times before, in total.
TOTAL STRANGER was bred by James Avritt (Lebanon, Ky.), and is owned by Mitchell Friesen (Gladwyne, Pa.), Caviart Farms (Vienna, Va.), Chuck Pompey (Archbald, Pa.).
FEATURE IMAGE: NIJINSKY winning on May 25 (Photo credit: Clive Cohen/New Image Media)
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