Woodbine Mohawk Park: Sophomores eye NA Cup with Somebeachsomewhere prep

Trainer Noel Daley ships Pebble Beach to Woodbine Mohawk Park for a division of the Somebeachsomewhere for sophomores, knowing quite well where he stands.

"I think we're the horse to beat," said Daley, not just in reference to this Saturday's contest but more likely to the next two weeks when the North America Cup trials and C$1 million final will be contested.

"I was very happy with the way he raced in his first start," said Daley to no one's surprise given the second-place finish clocked in a mind-boggling 1:48 1/5 fresh off the bench. "I was just happy that he raced from behind."

A colt from the first crop of Downbytheseaside, Pebble Beach landed post seven in the first of two divisions of the sophomore stake in preparation for the North America Cup.

"I'd prefer if we could keep racing him from off-the-pace," said Daley. "I don't think he'll have a tough time if he has to go to the front; I just don't want to make that a habit."

Daley's reluctance to see Pebble Beach in front has a lot to do with his time spent at Lexington's Red Mile last year.

"I think those two 1:48 [and change] miles took something out of him," said Daley, referring to one effort where Pebble Beach cut all of the fractions and then was nailed in 1:48 3/5 on the wire by Caviart Camden in a world record performance, along with Pebble Beach's 1:48 4/5 score a few weeks later.

Todd McCarthy drives Pebble Beach in race two of 11 on Saturday's Woodbine Mohawk card.

Dr. Ian Moore enters the Somebeachsomewhere with a colt of less experience than Pebble Beach named Greatest Ending. From the final crop of Somebeachsomewhere, Greatest Ending made just five starts as a 2-year-old with one win but has come back to capture his first two races as a sophomore.

"He's really matured," said Moore of Greatest Ending, who captured the first leg of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes at The Meadows on May 7.

"He had a couple of surgeries last year and had six chips taken out," Moore said of the lightly-raced colt.

In one of last year's starts he finished a solid second behind Beach Glass, a colt he'll face once again Saturday night in the second Somebeachsomewhere division (race six). Beach Glass drew post two and will be making his season's debut following a 1:52 1/5 qualifier on May 27. Greatest Ending starts from post three in a field that also includes SBOA winner Stonebridge Helios (post five).

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Moore had a top-ranked sophomore in 2021 in Lawless Shadow and the Meadowlands Pace and Hempt winner had his season cut short due to injury. Now on the comeback trail, Lawless Shadow makes his 4-year-old debut in one of two divisions of the Graduate Series.

"You've got to start somewhere," said Moore of the decision to race the son of Shadow Play on Saturday night. "He's had lots of training miles."

Saturday's C$62,500 Graduate division (race four) will be a good first test as Lawless Shadow has not raced since last August with just one qualifier (May 27) where he finished second in a 1:50 4/5 mile. Mark MacDonald drives Lawless Shadow from post seven.

Bulldog Hanover looks to bounce back in the same Graduate division with post four. Also, a son of Shadow Play, Bulldog Hanover got the worst of it in the Juravinski Memorial on May 22 at Flamboro Downs but is expected to race better with a return to the big track.

The eighth race second Graduate division finds the impressive Linedrive Hanover (post three) as the horse to beat following a breathtaking 1:49 track record performance in the Juravinski. A winner in 11 of his 12 starts this year, Linedrive Hanover faces seven rivals, including a pair shipping up from the Meadowlands with star potential. Bettors Donttell (post seven) and Carbine (post eight) have both paced sub-1:48 miles this year in East Rutherford and now hope that kind of speed translates well on Canadian soil. Bettors Donttell was a 1:47 3/5 winner in his last effort at the Meadowlands, while Carbine was an impressive 1:47 4/5 winner over the mile track on May 28.

Saturday's stakes-filled program also includes a C$58,500 Free For All event, with Daley sending Ignatius A north with his sophomore companion.

"He's a very nice horse," said Daley of the 8-year-old that has won four of seven since arriving in North America. "It was a bit of a tough run last Sunday [Commodore Barry], but he still only got beaten less than two lengths."

Daley will keep Ignatius A in Ontario for the next few weeks.

"They have a $100,000 invitational on North America Cup night [June 18]," said Daley.

Ignatius A drew the rail in the ninth race that has some powerful performers from 2021/2022, including North America Cup champ Desperate Man (post five), MGM Borgata Pacing Series champion Funatthebeach N (post seven), and last year's Potomac Pace winner Enavant (post three), the older brother to Moore's sophomore Greatest Ending.

Woodbine Mohawk's Saturday night program begins at 7:00 P.M.