Breaking down all the action across Saturday’s Metro Pace and Mohawk Million card

by Brett Sturman

In addition to the two separate million-dollar events, three other stakes will combine to offer a total of $3.5 million in purse across the five big-money races. With stars in action such as Apex, Shalom Hanover, and a host of others, here’s how I see things playing out.

RACE 6, $400,000 GRADE 1 ELEGANTIMAGE FINAL 3-YEAR-OLD FILLY TROT

Most of the major stakes tonight seem genuinely wide open and such is the case as the action begins here in race 6 with the Elegantimage.

At a presumably square price coming in, BUSY MISS LISSY S lands post 10 but does get a driver change back to Dunn which will aid her cause. This one didn’t have the easiest trip last week in her elimination when moving early and then racing most of the remainder of the mile without cover and held well. Dunn drove her two back at Pocono in that pretty unbelievable comeback when breaking after leaving into a :26.2 opening quarter; beat eventual Hambletonian Oaks winner Nezuko Kamado S prior in their elimination.

LEADING LADY is always a contender and will rightfully attract attention once again while starting from the rail but needs to find that winning knack. Has now been second in four straight (three of those at odds-on), and has been second overall in eight of 13 on the year. Is she due?

The resume of KNGTSTLKRS GAMES didn’t look super enthusiastic prior to last week but give her credit for stepping up off that nw3 win to come right back and win her elimination last week at odds of 57-1. She came on well from third-over to score that upset but a far shorter price looms now. NUANCE was another that showed a strong closing finish last week when she caught favored Leading Lady. She’s been excellent in every start since the start of August; dangerous connections here with Melander and James MacDonald.

STORYBOOK LOVE was a Simcoe winner here three back and will look to replicate her Breeders Crown magic from last year. CHER HILL was a dominant OSS Gold winner two back and then did well last week when finishing second in her elimination. In that race she moved to the lead, took pressure from Busy Miss Lissy S and did well to stave off that rival even though she was caught late by the upset winner.

NYSS star SHARP SEVEN was beaten only three lengths last week after being far back early and deserves a call out in a wide-open race.

Selections: Busy Miss Lissy S, Nuance, Leading Lady

RACE 7 — $510,000 GRADE 1 SHE’S A GREAT LADY FINAL 2-YEAR-OLD FILLES PACE

For as open as the preceding race was, this one might be even more of a head-scratcher. It seems realistically that most of these are no better than a length or two of anyone else and the outcome of tonight could be entirely dependent on trips.

Three of these fillies nearly triple dead heated three weeks ago in a Gold leg when WAVES OF FORTUNE, TWIN B MAYREAU, and MONEY CARLO were all separated by just a nose. Starting with tepid morning-line favorite Waves Of Fortune, that won has now won four in a row after beginning her career with two losses to Money Carlo. The Beaton trainee makes her first start since that narrow Ontario-sired win and prior to that was an Eternal Camnation winner; has won three of her last four when coming off the pace.

You could argue that in that Sept. 5 race which was also the last time we saw Twin B Mayreau, that she might have been the one with an excuse. After showing speed to sit the pocket that night, she was caught in behind a tiring TWIN B COPACABANA and while she eventually found room to the inside, that loss of momentum cost her when losing by the slimmest of margins. Fellow Twin B, “Copacabana” notched well-earned wins two and three back over Money Carlo and JERSEY BULLDOG but wasn’t at her very best when under heavy pressure at the top of the stretch last week; could easily bounce back as barnmate to Waves Of Fortune.

As for Money Carlo, she came back next out to be second at odds of 3-5 to the tripped out QUED UP; who has the misfortune of landing post 10 following the dreamy two-hole trip against Money Carlo. Qued Up took a lot of action in that race relative to the respect she had been given in prior comparable races, and that was a fast win time of 1:49.4 for the quickly developing filly.

From that same 1:49.4 Champlain I really liked the try from ACEANDATEN who had to come first-over and race uncovered all the way from sixth in that race. She was still grinding and reaching late despite the tough trip; possible with a trip from the second-tier for McNair.

Jersey Bulldog caught probably the softer of the Champlain splits but that aside, she’s been right there against this same group all season. She was a couldn’t-lose 1-9 in that race and will offer a far different price now. TREACHEROUS NOVA seems maybe forgotten now while making her first start since the end of August but that Eternal Camnation try wasn’t bad; longshot chance from the rail.

Selections: Twin B Mayreau, Aceandaten, Waves Of Fortune

RACE 8 — $1,000,000 GRADE 1 METRO PACE 2-YEAR-OLD OPEN PACE

Going from two wide-open races to maybe a not-so wide-open race brings us to this year’s edition of the Metro Pace.

Just one year removed from campaigning 2-year-old horse of the year Beau Jangles, trainer Dr. Ian Moore has another star brewing in SHALOM HANOVER and the comparisons to Beau Jangles appear inevitable. Shalom Hanover looked to be in a different stratosphere to his competition last week in his Metro elimination, and his win time of 1:49.4 was over two full seconds faster than the other elimination. He’ll loom the heaviest of favorites to run his unbeaten record up to eight.

Ron Burke’s EASTIE BOY seems to be the most likely of anyone else to pull off an upset. Eastie Boy wasn’t bad whatsoever two back at Pocono when overshadowed a bit in that premier showdown between Shalom Hanover and Starstruck Dreamer. This one sat third that race after leaving from post 7, waited for clearance at the top of the stretch that day and certainly wasn’t giving away any ground to the top two throughout the stretch when missing by only a-length-and-a-half. Will beinteresting to see what he can deliver if given a chance. In looking for a bomb underneath, GLOBAL CHOICE was a solid second last week to Eastie Boy when closing with a final quarter of :25.2. His prior race in the Champlain was an insanely hard-used trip; second start James MacDonald.

Selections: Shalom Hanover, Eastie Boy, Global Choice

RACE 9 — $590,000 GRADE 1 CANADIAN TROTTING CLASSIC 3-YEAR-OLD OPEN TROT

Supported with a 3-5 morning line, Hambletonian champion APEX is clearly the most probable winner in this year’s Canadian Trotting Classic but at least some level of doubt could be made if you’re looking for a reason to play elsewhere.

Following up on that 1:49.2 record in an all-time Hambletonian classic, Apex came back a month later and was way short in his return when finishing fourth at The Meadowlands. He did follow up that race one week later with a win in that New Jersey Classic final to return to his winning ways, but he did get off pretty easy that race with a :57 half mile and there were a bunch of others that weren’t far off from him in the end. All of that said, he does have a big class edge on most of these and if the Apex we all know shows up he’s the likely winner; looks to avenge last year’s Breeders Crown defeat at this location.

MAGIC PUNK raced well in the Beal three back and then had loads of late trot two back in his NJ Classic elimination, but unfortunately broke at the very start of the final and it was too much to overcome. He was a Goodtimes elimination winner earlier in the year here and has potential here if he brings his best. NIX NACKEN put together a couple of nice wins in his Beal consolation and then in his NJ Classic elimination but couldn’t quite reach when having the unenviable task last out of racing first-over to Apex into that slow first half. He did hold well that night for second.

TOUCHEDBYANANGEL and STROBE LIGHT continue their rivalry; well-acquainted foes both step up off recent races in the Simcoe and Ontario Gold action. AI was a Hambletonian finalist and invades off an easy NYSS score at Yonkers.

Selections: Magic Punk, Nix Nacken, Apex,

RACE 10 — $1,000,000 GRADE 1 MOHAWK MILLION 2-YEAR-OLD OPEN TROT

The connections of WRONG SOUNDS RIGHT spoke confidently of their horses ability in the winner’s circle following his NJ Classic win two weeks ago at The Meadowlands, and the 2-year-old Tactical Landing colt will have every chance to back up those beliefs in this year’s edition of the Mohawk Million.

Wrong Sounds Right was awesome in that NJ Classic win when taking a new mark of 1:51.4 and he’s really looked the part this entire 2-year-old season. In that recent win, he avenged his earlier loss to Lifetime Dreamer in that fast mile on Hambletonian Day when he was at a tactical disadvantage; only question might be how he does in first start away from The Big M.

ACCESS HANOVER had a ton of late trot two back after being shuffled back to almost last when just coming up shy in the Wellwood final, and then backed up that try with a Champlain win from the pocket against Detonator Hanover. OCEAN STORM — winner of that Wellwood final two back — also was a next-out winner; his win coming at Tioga in a Reynolds division.

NEVIS PEAK began her career hot at The Meadowlands and then delivered another top effort when second to the still-unbeaten Wall Of Fame, but hasn’t been as strong in either Peaceful Way race at Woodbine Mohawk Park at the end of August. Qualifier from 10 days ago looks strong; one of four fillies in here compared to six colts. Fellow filly ATHENA’S GIRL is two-for-two over the track here and that includes her win two back in the Peaceful Way final. She was third last out at Hoosier in the Jim Doherty when not at her very best on the front; was beaten by both her stablemates in the race where Melander fillies ran 1-2-3.

Selections: Wrong Sounds Right, Ocean Storm, Athena’s Girl