We are currently just six weeks away from crowning the 99th Hambletonian champion. On the morning of June 15, the realistic list of Hambletonian contenders included the near-perfect Karl in a class by himself, followed by a group of millionaire T C I and Daiquiri Hanover, who missed by a half-length to the former in his 2024 debut, maybe the unbeaten-in-2023 Security Protected, and the speedy Dame Good Time, among a few others. Following a powerful 1:51 3/5 victory in the Goodtimes at Woodbine Mohawk Park by Highland Kismet, it was crystal clear that Karl and friends have company at the top of the heap. A lightly-raced son of Father Patrick that never had a charted line as a 2-year-old, Highland Kismet has seemingly climbed at impossible mountain, going from a non-winners-of-one victory in on May 2 in his career debut to stakes winner and major Hambletonian contender as the sun set on June 15. Keeping in mind that a 1:51 3/5 win at Woodbine Mohawk Park is somewhat equivalent to a sub 1:51 mile at the Meadowlands, and that Karl is the fastest 3-year-old trotter of the year at 1:51 over that surface, Highland Kismet is certainly in the Hambletonian conversation, but where did that mile come from? "We kind of thought he had it in him, but it is pretty early in his career to get it exposed. Once I saw the half in 55 (seconds) I figured we'd get to see what he is made of tonight," said Mark Etsell, who trains the gelding for Highland Thoroughbred Farm. Perhaps even more impressive than the final time was the manner in which Highland Kismet won the Goodtimes. He overcame adversity on the first turn when forced to float out wide, settled down nicely in fourth before uncorking a burst of speed to make the top at the half in 55 3/5, and shrugged off a serious pocket-pulling challenge from Private Access at three-quarters before drawing clear like a composed aged warrior. With the Goodtimes performance under his belt, Highland Kismet is firmly earmarked for a trip to the Meadowlands in July and hopefully on the first Saturday in August for the Hambletonian. "We have a mental vision," said Etsell when asked about the upcoming schedule for his gelding. "I don't know if he'll get a start [at Mohawk] or not but the next stake will be the [Stanley] Dancer on July 13 at the Meadowlands." The Hambletonian eliminations follow two weeks later, and Etsell admitted that being in New Jersey for the trotting classic has been on his mind long before he ever set eyes upon Highland Kismet. "We are always Hambo dreamin'. I have a whiteboard at home and we put on it about four years ago 'a Hambo winner' and it is still there. Maybe it should've said a Hambo participant," said Etsell. "Being in the trotting business that would be a feather in my cap just to have a horse good enough to get there. That's a ways off yet. We'll see what tomorrow brings." ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter The 68-year-old Etsell, who is just shy of 900 training wins according to Standardbred Canada's TrackIT, has been around the sport for five decades and knows that one race hardly makes a champion. He admits the speed is there but also has the experience to realize that others are more seasoned. "They have so much more experience than us, and they've already been those big miles. Our horse is only five starts in, so he's green as grass, but he gives a really nice effort. All we can do is play it day by day." Much can change over the next six weeks. Many of the 104 eligible colts and geldings will drop time as they prepare for the Hambletonian, and of course a filly could elect to take a shot versus the boys, though that seems unlikely this year. The possibility also exists that competition could be scared away if a colt like Karl goes out and trots a sub-1:50 mile as he prepares for his date with Hambletonian destiny. The bottom line is that the Hambletonian is a difficult race to win. Everyone is aiming for it if they have a horse of quality. When it was mentioned to driver Yannick Gingras that his charge Karl would have competition now, he uttered, "I knew it wasn't going to be easy and that there would be others." Gingras would know about how hard it is to win this race as he has been chasing a win for the last 10 years. Will that streak come to an end on August 3 or will Highland Kismet be a horse of destiny? By definition, Kismet is when unknown forces cause something to happen as if they were meant to be. Maybe Highland Kismet is meant to be a Hambletonian winner . . . or maybe it is Gingras' turn . . . or maybe not. The answer is just six weeks away. NA Cup Night News and notes The vibe was great on North America Cup night at Woodbine Mohawk Park. An admission fee was removed this year and the crowd was as good as I've seen on that card in a long time. The card started at 6:30 PM and I didn't notice a thinning of people until about 11 PM after the NA Cup was contested in race 11. Sources tell me that on-track handle was also up. In a world where most harness tracks make 3% on an off-track bet and closer to 20% on an on-track wager, even a $20,000 bump in live handle is worth well over $100,000 in simulcast play. While it has become the norm to see the top U.S. drivers/trainers win the majority of stakes races, whether stateside or in Canada, North America Cup night was a nice change of pace. Four of the six stakes winners were trained/driven by Canadian regulars and the top three horses in the NA Cup were all from north of the border. James MacDonald, two-time defending O'Brien Award winner for best driver in Canada, won two of the six stakes on the NA Cup card, one day after winning a pair of Graduate races at the Meadowlands. That led to the thought: Could a Canadian driver win the Dan Patch award as the top driver from the United States Harness Writers Association? "I guess it is possible, you just have to win the right races at the right time. Hopefully that will be me this year or another Canadian down the road," said MacDonald. "I wouldn't rule it out. There are great drivers from all around the world. Dexter [Dunn], Andy and Todd [McCarthy] come from New Zealand and Australia, and there have always been great Canadian drivers, like my brother Mark [MacDonald], Jody [Jamieson], and the list goes on and on." Of course winning a Dan Patch would require more trips to the U.S. to drive on the Grand Circuit. While James MacDonald isn't looking to relocate, he wouldn't mind more stakes work. "I would love to go down and drive lots, but I'm pretty happy with my home in Canada. My son is here and my family is here. So never a permanent move, but more of me on the Grand Circuit wouldn't be so bad," said MacDonald. Saturday was also a huge night for the Canadian-based trainer Anthony Beaton. Not only did his horses finish first (Nijinsky) and fifth (Legendary Hanover) in the North America Cup but he also won the Mohawk Gold Cup with Linedrive Hanover. The win by Nijinsky was truly a moment of redemption for the soft-spoken Beaton, who was sent to the sidelines from October 2023 until February 2024 on allegations of animal cruelty "This is amazing," said Beaton after the NA Cup win. "Excuse my language but it was a crock of shit we had to go through. They should probably do things more proper than that. It is what it is and we got through it. We have a great supporting cast and we're standing here now. "I told Casie [Coleman], ‘if you don't mess these horses up we'll be in the North America Cup winner's circle'"