Woodbine Mohawk Park: Gimpanzee jumps the border for a chance at Maple Leaf trophy

Marcus Melander and his team were on the fence about sending Gimpanzee to Ontario for Saturday's C$560,000 Maple Leaf Trot. With restrictions not allowing Melander to accompany the 4-year-old son of Chapter Seven, there was a chance Gimpanzee would remain in the U.S.

"We weren't feeling good about sending him to Canada," said Melander. "We were able to work out a good plan and he'll be up there for just one race."

The plan allows for Gimpanzee to essentially stay in New Jersey with Melander and ship on Friday to Batavia where Ontario-based trainer Gregg McNair will accompany the horse to Woodbine Mohawk Park.

Gimpanzee has won five of his six starts this year and returns to the track where he sprung an upset in last year’s Breeders Crown for sophomore trotters. Melander knows the horse will get over the track well but did have some concerns. "Post nine isn't the best place to start from," Melander said. "But he's shown enough speed early that I think he can handle it."

Regular driver Brian Sears also remains land-locked and thus Doug McNair will get behind Gimpanzee for the first time on Saturday. "I'm not worried about the driver," said Melander. "Doug and Brian have already spoken about him. Last year Dave Miller drove him a few times and he was fine."

While Gimpanzee will remain in good hands, the post and the competition will once again demand that he be at his absolute best to win the Maple Leaf. For Melander, the last few weeks have been spent training Gimpanzee and he’s quite confident he enters the Maple Leaf at the top of his game. The trainer was quite aware from the first start in 2020 that how the horse raced against older foes, after he had dominated 4-year-olds, was key to a successful campaign. "I was extremely happy with the way he raced in the Cashman against aged horses," said Melander. "His last start in the Crawford he went a very strong mile racing parked more than the last half."

In the Crawford, Gimpanzee would taste defeat for the first time this year, but only by a quarter-length behind the classy Guardian Angel As, who smoked the Tioga Downs surface in a 1:50 4/5 mile and is the defending champion in this race. The two meet up again on Saturday, along with eight others in what could be the strongest Maple Leaf field we’ve seen in some time.

Guardian Angel As drew post three and picks up a new driver in Jody Jamieson for trainer Anette Lorentzon. The 6-year-old by Archangel has captured two of his five starts this year.

Atlanta and Manchego are the lone mares in the field and both enter the Maple Leaf on rare losing streaks. Atlanta (post 4) finished fourth in the Cashman and then followed that up with a break in stride in last week’s Armbro Flight at Woodbine Mohawk Park. The former Hambletonian winner has defeated the boys this year in the Arthur Cutler Memorial at The Meadowlands on July 4.

Manchego had looked nearly invincible early in the 2020 stakes season but has finished third in her last two starts racing strictly against older mares. The 5-year-old starts from post 10 in the second tier with Louis Philippe Roy replacing regular pilot Dexter Dunn.

Melander was much happier with the post draw for his 3-year-old Capricornus in the C$211,500 Goodtimes Final, carded as race three on Woodbine Mohawk Park’s outstanding Saturday night stakes program. "I think the post is perfect for him," said Melander. "He needs to race from off the pace and make one move."

Capricornus is winless this year in seven tries but Melander believes his earnings could have been higher if a few things had gone differently. "He raced well in the Hambletonian elimination," said Melander of the third-place finish. "Then we took the shoes off for the final and he made a break. I think he could have been fourth or fifth in that race."

Still Melander looks at Capricornus in the also-ran category against a solid field in the Goodtimes. "I think Ready For Moni and Play Trix On Me are very good right now," said Melander of the one-two finishers in one of last week's Goodtimes elimination races.

The Goodtimes also finds Melander’s pair (Hollywood Story, post 6) racing against an old stablemate in Hayek (post 2).

"Hayek was a good horse training down," said Melander. "He was eligible in Ontario and they made us a nice offer." Trainer Benoit Baillargeon took over the conditioning and Hayek enters the Goodtimes with four wins in seven tries this year. "He was a speedy horse but could get kind of grabby," said Melander of Hayek. "They've done an excellent job with him."

Melander said that his speedy 2-year-old Dancinginthedark M hit a knee that caused him to break stride in a Kentucky Sire Stakes recently at The Red Mile. "He's fine. It's something that could have happened to an older horse and he would have kept trotting," said Melander. "We've got him back in on Sunday at The Red Mile."

Melander also mentioned that Damien, the $1,000,000 son of Muscle Hill purchased last year in Kentucky, is scheduled to qualify next weekend at The Meadowlands. "He's a big horse and he doesn't have really quick speed yet," said Melander. "I think we'll see him develop that as a 3-year-old." Currently the plan is to race Damien just a few times in 2020.