Woodbine Racetrack 2008 Harness Racing Stakes schedule

TORONTO, January 22 - Woodbine Entertainment Racetrack in Canada today announced its lucrative 2008 Standardbred stakes schedule, which includes the 25th renewal of the $1.5 million Pepsi North America Cup at Mohawk.

The stakes calendar, worth more than $20 million in stakes finals this year, is the richest on the continent.

The Pepsi North America Cup, WEG's signature harness race, will be held for just the second time at Mohawk on Saturday, June 14. The card will offer more than $3 million in stakes action. Also featured are the $720,000 Fan Hanover Stakes, the $532,000 Elegantimage Stakes and the $335,000 Goodtimes Stakes.

WEG has two other seven-figure events slated for 2008. The $1 million Metro Pace is set for Saturday, August 30 and the $1 million Canadian Trotting Classic on Saturday, September 13. Both races are at Mohawk.

The organization is also proud to host $1.5 million Breeders Crown for older trotters and pacers as part of the Metro Pace card, which includes the $780,000 Shes A Great Lady Pace.

"Once again we're pleased to offer what we believe is the finest stakes program in harness racing," said Bruce Murray, WEG's Vice-President of Standardbred Racing. "We sincerely appreciate the support that owners and trainers have shown in supporting these terrific events."

In addition to the 'Big Three' stakes, Mohawk will play host to several other major events including the $750,000 Canadian Pacing Derby (Saturday, August 16) and the $700,000 Maple Leaf Trot (Saturday, September 20).

The $535,000 William Wellwood Memorial and the $575,000 Peaceful Way Stakes, formerly known as the Oakville, re-named in honour of the great champion, will take place on Sunday, September 14 at Mohawk.

Both the $2.5 million Fall Four card (Saturday, October 25) and the $2.4 million OSS Super Finals (Saturday, November 15), will once again be contested at Woodbine.

Click here to view the entire 2008 stakes schedule .

Horses are beautiful animals

Horses are beautiful animals, and I must thank my late uncle Don for taking me to Fort Erie and other tracks as a kid. Also, my parents took me to New Brunswick and PEI every summer, where my mom and dad are from respectively, and my father used to take me horseback riding too.

Uncle Don was more into the flats, but I loved horseracing in general from my very first exposure to it; even the math of the betting appealed to me as a kid and as a teen. A trip to the track and some outdoors time and it can make for some idyllic memories. As one wag once commented, "A bad day at the track is still better than a good day anywhere else ..."

I remember being able to pick one two-dollar bet per race card. That was more money back then than now, so when I take my kids to the North America Cup, I let them each pick three two-dollar bets, and we have a grand time. It's usually just me and my dad and a friend of his, plus either or both of Rebecca and Aaron, but the horses are the fastest in the world, the very cream of the 3-year-old pacing crop. The card is filled out with about 7 or 8 other stakes races, so if you've never been, I suggest you consider attending the 2008 Pepsi North America Cup.


Be good,

Joe


Suggested websites and blogs:

A Green Realtor Blog

BeesTreesFrogsElephants.com Nature Blog

Guide to Best Alternative Energy Websites

Top Ten Contenders for Pepsi North America Cup 3-yr Old Pace

1: Somebeachsomewhere
2: Santanna Blue Chip
3: Lis Deo
4: Dali
5: Roberts Rage
6: Deuce Seelster
7: Moon Beam
8: Sand Shooter
9: Duneside Perch
10: Keystone Horatio

(Source of top 10 list: WoodbineEntertainment.com)


The First 2 favorites in detail:

Somebeachsomewhere (foaled 25 May 2005) is a champion standardbred racing horse. He was sired by Mach Three, out of Wheres The Beach, a Beach Towel mare. The colt was purchased as a yearling for $40 000, and is currently owned by Schooner Stables of Truro, Nova Scotia. Brent MacGrath has estimated that the colt has a market value between $4 million and $6 million.

2 Year Old Campaign

He began his racing career in the Battle of Waterloo at Grand River Raceway, where he went off as a second favorite in the eliminations, and won by a comfortable margin of three lengths. In the $300 000 final of the event, bettors took notice of him and won the race as a 4-5 post time favorite.

After proving the colt's ability on the small track, he moved onto the Metro Pace Eliminations at Mohawk Racetrack. Somebeachsomewhere was drawn into the same elimination as Dali, the fastest two-year-old colt of the year, up to that point. Somebeachsomewhere was able to hold off race favorite, Dali, and won the race by 3 1/2 lengths in 1:52.1. The next week was the $1 million final of the event, which Somebeachsomewhere won as the race favorite, in a world record 1:49.3.

To finish off his two-year-old campaign, Somebeachsomewhere raced in a pair of stakes races at Mohawk, the Champlain Stakes, and the Nasagaweya Stakes, which he won by comfortable margins.

Somebeachsomewhere earned $812 592 in his freshman year, with a perfect record of six wins in six starts.

Date	Track	Race	Purse	Finish	Time	Last 1/4	Odds	Driver	Trainer
15 Sep 2007	Mohawk	D-Nasagaweya	$145 300	1/2	1:51.4	28.2	*0.10	Paul MacDonell	Jean Louis Arsenault
8 Sep 2007	Mohawk	D-Champlain	$115 884	1/3Q	1:51.0	26.0	*0.05	Paul MacDonell	Jean Louis Arsenault
1 Sep 2007	Mohawk	D-Metro	$1 000 000	1/2	1:49.3	27.4	*1.75	Paul MacDonell	Jean Louis Arsenault
25 Aug 2007	Mohawk	D-Metro E	$40 000	1/3H	1:52.1	27.4	5.15	Paul MacDonell	Jean Louis Arsenault
6 Aug 2007	Grand River	Battle of Waterloo	$300 000	1/2Q	1:55.0	29.0	*0.85	Paul MacDonell	Jean Louis Arsenault
30 Jul 2007	Grand River	Battle of Waterloo E	$24 000	1/3	1:54.2	28.0	1.60	Paul MacDonell	Jean Louis Arsenault
8 Jul 2007	Truro	QUAL	$0	1/10	2:00.1	28.2	NB	Brent MacGrath	Brent MacGrath
1 Jul 2007	Truro	QUAL	$0	1/5Q	2:02.1	29.0	NB	Brent MacGrath	Brent MacGrath
24 Jun 2007	Truro	QUAL	$0	1/3Q	2:04.3	30.1	NB	Brent MacGrath	Brent MacGrath

Santanna Blue Chip (foaled 27 April 2005) is a champion standardbred racing horse. He was sired by Art Major, out of Mmissus Hanover, a Matts Scooter mare. The colt was purchased at the Harrisburg Yearling Sales for $75 000. He is currently owned by Carl Jamieson, Jeffrey Gillis, George Arthur Stable, and 1140545 Ontario Ltd. As of 24 November 2007, Santanna Blue Chip has earned $927 095 in his career.

The most notable of Santanna's achievements include wins of the 2007 Governor's Cup, and the 2007 Breeder's Crown.

Date	Track	Race	Purse	Finish	Time	Last 1/4	Odds	Driver	Trainer
24 Nov 2007	Meadowlands	Breeder's Crown	$650 000	1/NS	1:51.3	27.1	1.90	Jody Jamieson	Carl Jamieson
27 Oct 2007	Woodbine	D-Gov Cup F	$731 700	1/2Q	1:53.1	29.1	4.15	Jody Jamieson	Carl Jamieson
20 Oct 2007	Woodbine	D-Gov Cup E	$23 000	1/NK	1:51.4	27.0	3.35	Jody Jamieson	Carl Jamieson
15 Sep 2007	Mohawk	D-Nasagaweya	$145 300	3/6H	1:53.0	28.4	8.20	Jody Jamieson	Carl Jamieson
08 Sep 2007	Mohawk	D-Champlain	$115 884	2/3Q	1:51.3	26.0	8.75	Jody Jamieson	Carl Jamieson
01 Sep 2007	Mohawk	D-Metro F	$1 000 000	3/3	1:50.1	28.1	15.80	Jody Jamieson	Carl Jamieson
25 Aug 2007	Mohawk	D-Metro E	$40 000	2/1	1:52.3	28.2	10.10	Jody Jamieson	Carl Jamieson
06 Aug 2007	Mohawk	Dream Maker	$56 200	1/1Q	1:53.4	27.2	*0.35	Jody Jamieson	Carl Jamieson
23 Jul 2007	Mohawk	Dream Maker	$15 000	2/T	1:54.2	26.2	*0.50	Jody Jamieson	Carl Jamieson
08 Jul 2007	Flamboro Downs	Flmd Breeder	$50 955	2/1H	1:56.1	29.0	*0.20	Paul MacDonell	Carl Jamieson
29 Jun 2007	London	2Yr-C-Cond	$7 500	1/2	1:59.1	28.1	4.60	Jody Jamieson	Carl Jamieson
15 Jun 2007	Mohawk	2 YR-QUAL	$0	4/9	1:59.2	28.1	NB	Jody Jamieson	Carl Jamieson