A Rocknroll Dance has a desire to race. Despite an arduous early campaign which saw him compete for nine consecutive weeks and produce a string of sub-1:50 miles which is currently running at 10, the son of Rocknroll Hanover continues to fight on with tenacity and a certain love of the sport. Coming off a brutal trip in the Cane Pace at Tioga Downs on Monday (September 3), trainer Jim Mulinix is wheeling his prized student back on just four days rest to compete in the $252,521 Simcoe Stakes at Mohawk Racetrack on Saturday. “I kind of struggled making the decision,” said Mulinix on entering for Saturday. “They gave us a bye the week before (the Cane) and I didn’t want him to have just one race in five weeks. He’s healthy and we will have to go at least two trips to win the Jug, so I wanted him to be tight enough.” A Rocknroll Dance finished worse than second for the first time since June when he was beaten by 2 ½ lengths in the Cane after getting parked for nearly half of the mile through fractions of :25 1/5, :53 and 1:20 3/5. “I was a little disappointed,” said Mulinix. “Coming around the last turn I thought we were still in good shape, but I guess the first part of the mile took its toll.” Setback aside, A Rocknroll Dance certainly thrives on racing and is not always easy on his 60-year-old conditioner. “If you don’t race this horse and get him enough work, he is hard on himself and on me,” said Mulinix. “I’m not a young kid, but I can still hold my own. This guy really tests me. He is bouncing, playing and trying to strike at you. We have to give him an hour in the grass before jogging him just to take the edge off.” While A Rocknroll Dance rarely gets away far from the early leaders, that positioning is in doubt on Saturday. Regular driver Yannick Gingras will have to deal with post 12 and the starting slot in the second tier. With no opportunity to leave, A Rocknroll Dance could be in line for an easier mile than some of his recent efforts. “That is fine with me,” said Mulinix about racing from off the pace. “I’m always suggesting to not put him on the lead, but I leave that up to Yannick.” While the purse is sweet on Saturday, Mulinix looks at the Simcoe as a stepping stone more than the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. “[Simcoe] is just a race. It would be nice to win but I don’t want to brutalize him to win,” said Mulinix, who freely admits that the Little Brown Jug on September 20 is his goal. “Being from Ohio, [the Jug] is part of the dream,” said Mulinix. “Everybody in Ohio wants to win it. You don’t know how many times I have won that race in my mind. I hope we can make it reality.” In A Rocknroll Dance’s way on Saturday is the richest 3-year-old pacer of 2012, Michaels Power. Despite an all Canadian campaign, the son of Camluck has earned $1,009,931 this year. Michaels Power has won 7 of his last 8 starts and figures to be firing away from post 8 for driver Scott Zeron. Dapper Dude (post 9) is fresh off a three-plus length win in the PA Sire Stakes final at Pocono Downs. The third place finisher in the $1.5 million North America Cup in June will look to move up the divisional rankings with a Simcoe upset. The Simcoe is scheduled as race 5 on Mohawk’s 13-race card. Post time is 7:10 PM.