As the longtime blacksmith and part-time paddock judge at Woodbine Mohawk Park, Tan Micallef wouldn't seem to have enough time in the day to train and race horses of his own. Yet Micallef has dabbled in horse ownership and training over the years, buying an occasional horse and enjoying the overall experience the sport provides. While his daily focus may be on other duties, Micallef has put forth the wisdom, time and energy that has planned and developed a horse that could be one of 2024's future stars. No Control, a 4-year-old gelded son of Control The Moment, stamped himself as a player in the division with a victory in last Sunday's (May 12) Charles Juravinski Memorial Cup eliminations at Flamboro Downs. He drew post four for this Sunday's C$263,000 final and should be one of the favorites in the star-studded field. "I was looking for a Control The Moment," said Micallef in describing his search that would inevitably land No Control in late 2021. "Brad Maxwell had one that I liked and bid on the year before. He went for $25,000 and that's a little deep for me." When No Control came into the ring at the Harrisburg Sale there wasn't the same interest, and Micallef was able to purchase the colt for a more sensible $9,000 price tag for a partnership that included Keira Liberte, Ian and James Clarke. No Control was pretty much unstaked as a 2-year-old, but that wasn't for lack of ability. "I don't like to race horses hard at 2," said Micallef in explaining why a horse that showed potential training down was left off the stakes calendar. While other top 2-year-olds were turned out for the season, No Control was making his career debut in December of 2022 and quickly caught the attention of some astute racing observers. A winning qualifier at the beginning of the month set the stage, with No Control using his first pari-mutuel start to familiarize himself with the experience. A strong closing third set up a maiden-breaking victory just three days short of Christmas in a 1:53 clocking. The effort caught the attention of the on-air personalities. "Randy (Waples) said after that race that we've got a "Cup" horse on our hands," Micallef said, recalling the night. A blowout 1:53 3/5 win the following week would close out the year for No Control and give Micallef and his partners a lot to think about going forward. Unlike his first year on the track, Micallef made No Control eligible to the rich Ontario Sires Stakes program and ventured even further on the Grand Circuit. "We put him in the North America Cup," Micallef said. That decision also prompted the group to nominate to the Somebeachsomewhere Stakes, the final prep for the $1 million Cup. As solid as No Control looked finishing his 2-year-old season, he looked even better returning the next spring to compete and dominate over the Woodbine Mohawk Park surface in April 2023. Micallef gave No Control four weeks following a spring series victory to reboot for return and final prep for June's stakes action. No Control took a career-best 1:50 3/5 on May 19, a great tune-up mile for the coming Somebeachsomewhere, but the plans for a major celebration in June did not materialize. "He threw in a clunker in the Somebeachsomewhere," said Micallef of the effort that saw No Control, facing Grand Circuit company for the first time, set the pace and then fade to eighth place. It was the first and only off-the-board finish No Control would have. "We raced him three more times after the Somebeachsomewhere," said Micallef. "He raced good, including a race where he was second a nose behind Stockade Seelster, but something was bothering him." ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter That something proved to be a chip in a rear ankle, and Micallef shut No Control down after but eight starts as a sophomore and once again waited for his horse to return. Once again in 2024 No Control has used the springtime to gain his confidence, wrapping up the new Ontario Sires Stakes Graduate Series with a victory at Woodbine Mohawk Park on May 4 in a convincing 1:50 2/5 career-best clocking. No Control and driver Sylvain Filion literally stole the race, getting to the front and marching to the half in 56 4/5. The final half sprint of 53 3/5 would see No Control winning the race by more than eight lengths. A year earlier No Control faced the big boys and threw in a clunker, but things would be much different this year, giving Micallef and company the kind of results they anticipated but were not able to accomplish earlier. "He'd never raced on a half-mile track before," Micallef said, pointing to what could have been an issue in the Juravinski Memorial Cup trials. "I did take him to train at Flamboro and we went a mile in 2:02. There's a big difference between 2:02 and 1:50." "Sylvain (Filion) was unavailable and we had to put down Louis (Philippe Roy) to drive him for the first time," said Micallef. "Louis loved him." Despite the lack of half-mile experience and the step up in class, No Control raced like a seasoned professional in the Juravinski trial and not like a 4-year-old with but 15 career starts to his credit. A calvary charge into the first turn didn't shake No Control or Roy as they patiently got away third and allowed the dust to settle through sharp fractions of 26 4/5 and 55 over the half-mile oval, then embarked on a first-over mission that would see him seizing control of the action into the final turn and rolling to an impressive 1:50 4/5 victory. Micallef's experience in the sport leaves him optimistic for the final but far from overconfident given the quality in Sunday's field of nine that includes first elimination winner All Class (1:50 3/5), as well as last year's Milstein winner Seven Colors, who found a path into the final despite breaking at the start in his elimination. "There's a lot of nice horses in this field. I hope we can race well," said Micallef. No Control will start from post four - outside three solid and more seasoned performers. Seven Colors looks to make amends from the pole position with Dexter Dunn expected to accompany him this time after missing the assignment in the elimination. Coach Stefanos followed No Control and couldn't stay with him in the elimination, but that was his first half-mile track start, and he did finish third with a stretch rally. Coach Stefanos landed post two. Huntinthelastdolar had an impossible trip from post eight in his trial and finished strongly for trainer Per Engblom. One of two in the final for leading trainer Engblom, Huntinthelastdolar drew post three. Engblom's other finalist is first division winner All Class (post five), a son of Heston Blue Chip that scored in 1:50 3/5. Rounding out the Juravinski Cup field will be Downrightdelicious (post six), Dupree Hanover (post seven), Ervin Hanover (post eight) and Hungry Man (post nine). No Control was only made eligible to 4-year-old only stakes races such as the Graduate Series and Prix D'Ete this year, with Micallef stressing that he wants a horse for the long run and isn't willing to put No Control at a disadvantage by racing older foes this year. "We've received many offers," said Micallef of possibly selling No Control. He has turned them all down, more interested in savoring the experience of owning and training a potential stakes star.