Woodbine Mohawk Park: It's My Show delivers in thrilling Pepsi North America Cup

It's My Show out-lasted stablemate Fulton and then a charging Confederate in the lane to win the C$1 million Pepsi North America Cup final for 3-year-old colt and gelding pacers on Saturday night at Woodbine Mohawk Park. The Linda Toscano-trained, Scott Zeron-driven gelding scored in a life's-best 1:47 4/5.

Save America (Yannick Gingras) had a fast start from post nine and got to the opening quarter in 25 4/5, but It's My Show and Zeron popped the pocket to take over the top spot beyond that marker. It's My Show would go on to click off the half-mile marker in 54 seconds, and fellow Toscano trainee Fulton (Dexter Dunn) would roll the dice first-over from fourth approaching that marker. That move gave cover to Moment Is Here (Dan Dube), but he gapped it almost immediately, impacting the chances of favored Confederate (Tim Tetrick), who was third-over.

It was a pitched battle between Toscano's troopers around the final bend and to the 1:20 4/5 three-quarters, but It's My Show was able to keep command and turned for home first, though he was under urging early. While It's My Show responded and staved off Fulton, catching the eye on the far outside through the drive was Confederate, who had fresh legs and a big kick. He chipped away at It's My Show's margin to the wire, but It's My Show was able to fend him off by a head at the line. Fulton gave Toscano a 1-3 finish, and Voukefalas (Jordan Stratton), who got pinned on the inside, found room in the stretch and got up for fourth. Save America completed the top five.

"I knew exactly where everybody was sitting, too. Fulton was giving me a hell of a run in the last turn, and I figured Timmy had to be right behind with how great Confederate is," remarked Zeron. "I knew it was going to come right down to the finish.

"My horse can leave faster than anything I've really ever driven, and then at the same time I can calm him down if I ask him to. I was confident that I could start him up as hard as I did. I was able to seat a bunch of horses, and then I knew Yannick would be leaving with a better angle from out there. Honestly, to get away second was best-case scenario for me. To be able to re-move and control it from there was great."

Toscano, who won the Meadowlands Pace with It's My Show's brother Best In Show back in 2019, got to celebrate her first victory in the Pepsi North America Cup.

"He's an amazing horse," she beamed. "He disappointed me so much last year that at the end of the year, I said to Richard [owner/breeder Richard Young] 'why don't we just castrate him? I can't be this wrong about the horse.' He's come back and he's been nothing less than perfect. When you can win these kind of races, this is what you do it for."

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Richard and Joanne Young bred and own It's My Show, a son of Sweet Lou who is out of their champion mare Put On A Show [1:47 3/5, $2,406,628]. He has compiled a record of 6-2-1 from 14 career starts, pushed his earnings to C$649,965 and paid $8.50 to win as the 3-1 third choice.

"As a 2-year-old Linda liked him a lot and then he kind of disappointed. We decided to geld him and then he comes back as a 3-year-old and Linda likes him a lot again, but we're worried about will the same thing happen as the first time," Richard Young offered about It's My Show's progression from a winless 2-year-old to the top of the division in 2023. "When he raced in his qualifier, he was a different horse, so knowing how much we liked him in the first place and now he's the different horse we thought he was going to be, we knew we had a really good racehorse.

"I'm a Canadian and I've been in the business for 30 some odd years. His brother won the Meadowlands Pace four years ago and he was in the North America Cup and he finished sixth, I think. I hadn't had a horse between them, so coming back and winning this one, it's almost like back-to-back. It's really cool."

While his brother won the Meadowlands Pace, It's My Show is not currently eligible to the event, though he could supplement to it. When asked about that possibility, Toscano said they have discussed it and "we'll let the horse tell us." Young added that he is considering it but wasn't ready to make that commitment.

--additional reporting by Derick Giwner--