Woodbine Mohawk Park: Finalists set for Canadian Trotting Classic, Elegantimage

As part of Saturday night's elimination race extravaganza at Woodbine Mohawk Park were trials for the Canadian Trotting Classic for 3-year-old colts and geldings and the Elegantimage Stakes for their filly counterparts.

Decisive chalks cashed in the two C$40,000 Canadian Trotting Classic eliminations, with 2-5 choice Highland Kismet and 1-5 choice Sir Pinocchio winning their respective eliminations.

Highland Kismet cleared control out of post eight and trotted strongly through to a 1:51 1/5 win in the first Canadian Trotting Classic elimination. Leaving from post eight, driver Bob McClure steadily sent Highland Kismet forward and grabbed the lead from Security Protected past a 27 3/5 first quarter. He rolled up the backstretch and registered a 55 4/5 half while coasting.

"I'm embarrassed to admit - I thought I got the front and shut down a 30-second quarter," McClure said after the race. "I really did. He's so big and strong [that] he doesn’t feel like he's going that fast."

Highland Kismet clicked past three-quarters in 1:24 and held his ground through the lane as Security Protected tried a late challenge to the inside but finished second-best, beaten a length. Amazing Catch finished third, another four lengths behind, with Gruesome Twosome and Private Access earning the remaining spots into the final.

"Even as good as he is, you don't know how much you have left and I didn't even ask him," McClure said. "He just took off. Kicked home, trotted through the wire and didn't want to pull up."

Mark Etsell trains Highland Kismet, a homebred Father Patrick gelding for Highland Thoroughbred Farm. He won his seventh race from 11 starts, has now earned C$603,085 and paid $2.90 to win.

Sir Pinocchio led nearly every step of the second Canadian Trotting Classic elimination to stop the clock in 1:52 2/5.

Driver Jason Bartlett planted Sir Pinocchio onto the point moving to a 28 second first quarter and received plenty of respect on the front with no challengers looming to a 57 3/5 half. Though off that dawdle, Flying Kronos S pulled first- over from third to try and challenge, but Sir Pinocchio promptly responded and opened ground to three-quarters in 1:25 1/5. He built a wide lead into the stretch that dwindled as Paquet powered from a second-over trip into contention late. Sir Pinocchio reengaged as Paquet drew closer to the finish and kept a one length advantage over the line. Flying Kronos S held third from Caballero in fourth, and Myretirementdream finished fifth.

"When he gets out there by himself, he gets looking around and not really paying attention," Jason Bartlett said after the race. "I knew we were pretty good off the last turn. When we drew off, I know what he does – he gets running out, waiting for horses. We've always known he's a really good horse. He has a lot of speed and we're always forced to put him on the front, but he's way better off a helmet."

Ed Hart trains Sir Pinocchio, a homebred Met's Hall gelding for owner Carolyn Atherton. He won his ninth race from 14 starts this season and added to his bankroll now worth C$791,060. He paid $2.70 to win.

Posts will be drawn for the Canadian Trotting Classic final on Monday evening's Woodbine Mohawk Park simulcast show at around 6:15 p.m. (EDT).

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Trainer Luc Blais, driver Louis-Philippe Roy and Serge Godin's Determination swept the pair of C$35,000 Elegantimage eliminations with Drawn Impression and Emoji Hanover.

Determination's homebred Drawn Impression survived a 26 3/5 stretch sprint against pocket-sitter R Melina to win the first elimination in 1:52 2/5. Roy floated to the lead with Drawn Impression after a 28 1/5 first quarter and kept the tempo steady through middle splits of 57 1/5 and 1:25 4/5. She drifted from the pylons spinning for home, giving room to R Melina to mount a challenge off the slow fractions. Drawn Impression refused to relinquish the lead under increasing pressure from R Melina and kept a head in front to the finish while French Champagne, Cold Snaps and Sambuca Hanover secured the remaining berths.

Louis Roy said of the stretch drive, "She's geared so that she doesn't run in on the turn. So most of the horses here, when they get out of the turn, they start drifting out a little bit. We were just trotting the last three-sixteenths; they were really, really trotting. It was just a sprint."

A daughter of Muscle Hill out of Emoticon Hanover, Drawn Impression has now won seven times from 13 starts and earned C$525,344. She paid $3.40 to win.

Emoji Hanover pounced past tired leaders and coasted to a 1:52 3/5 victory in the second elimination. Watching from fourth as R Liza fought for the top to a 27 2/5 first quarter, Roy stuck to his position through a 56 4/5 half but sprung into action midway through the final turn as Winning Alliance lost ground ahead of her. Once in gear, Emoji Hanover cruised through three-quarters in 1:24 4/5 and slid to the lead in mid-stretch under no encouragement. She pulled away to a 1 3/4 length win over Tactical Strike with R Liza holding third from Winning Alliance in fourth.

Cool Ma Belle, the 3-5 favorite, earned the last spot into the final despite breaking into the stretch, finishing fifth.

"I was pretty confident in mine to be fast enough to cover the ground we were gapping," Roy said. "The main part was being careful leaving the gate, and after that the filly did the job by herself."

Winning her fifth race from 14 starts, Emoji Hanover has now earned C$212,998. The daughter of Greenshoe out of Emmylou Who paid $8.60 to win.

The post positions for next Saturday's C$347,000 Elegantimage final were drawn on Saturday.

1 - Cold Snaps
2 - Tactical Strike
3 - Sambuca Hanover
4 - Drawn Impression
5 - Winning Alliance
6 - Emoji Hanover
7 - Cool Ma Belle
8 - French Champagne
9 - R Melina
10 - R Liza
AE - Tandem Hanover

--press release (Woodbine Mohawk Park)--