Pebble Beach spectacular in $1,000,000 North America Cup

Pebble Beach (Downbytheseaside) captured the $1,000,000 Pepsi North America Cup with a dominant harness racing performance on Saturday (Jun. 18) at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

The undercard featured the $100,000 Mohawk Gold Cup, the $251,000 Goodtimes, the $401,000 Fan Hanover, the $211,000 Armbro Flight, and the $315,000 Roses Are Red. Below is race-by race coverage of every stakes event.

$1,000,000 Pepsi North America Cup XXXIX – three-year-old pacing colts and geldings

Pebble Beach streaked away in the stretch after a taxing trek to the front to triumph in the $1,000,000 Pepsi North America Cup.

Todd McCarthy sent the colt forward with Beach Glass (Yannick Gingras) into the first turn and followed that rival two-wide past the quarter in :27. Beach Glass soon took over the lead from Frozen Hanover (Louis-Philippe Roy), leaving Pebble Beach to grind away first-over until securing command after the half-mile marker in :55.

Pebble Beach neutralized pressure from I Did It Myway (Andrew McCarthy) going to three-quarters in 1:22.3 and muscled away from Beach Glass down the lane to prevail in the North America Cup in 1:50. Beach Glass was four lengths behind at the line but clear of third-place finisher Frozen Hanover.

PEBBLE BEACH REPLAY

​”It’s so surreal,” said McCarthy while being interviewed on track. “I’m speechless. I can’t thank Noel enough for what he’s done for me since I’ve come over here too. He was a large part in helping me come over and to win this race with him has just been unbelievable. I was lucky enough to pick up this horse early on and he’s just been an absolute pleasure.”

It was McCarthy’s first entry in the cup two years after relocating from Australia to North America.

Noel Daley trains Pebble Beach, who more than doubled his earnings to $931,750 with the win in Canada’s richest harness racing. The colt is now 10-for-15 lifetime. The group of Patricia Stable of Massapequa, Joe Sbrocco of Brecksville, Country Club Acres of Findlay, and Laexpressfoderadeovolente of Chesterfield owns the gelding. He brought $85,000 at the Lexington Select Sale.

Daley, also making his first training start in the North America Cup, praised the colt’s effort.

​”It wasn’t where I thought we were going to be, but they were going easy fractions,” he said in an interview after the race. “I left it to Todd to make his decision there and he did the right thing. As you see, he still has his earplugs in, so he wasn’t too worried about it. He showed now he’s got a bit of versatility – he can do it in front or behind.”

$315,000 Roses Are Red – pacing fillies and mares

Test Of Faith (Art Major) delivered as the odds-on favourite in the $315,000 Roses Are Red for her first Grand Circuit final victory of the year.

Dave Miller guided the mare back to sixth position as the field of 10 got away to a :26.3 first quarter mile. He was the first to tip wide on the backstretch but caught the cover of Lit De Rose (Roy) as they passed the midway point in :55.

Test Of Faith was still fifth passing three-quarters in 1:22.4 as her cover stalled, but she drifted into the centre of the track and motored past the four horses in front of her to take the win in 1:50.1. Fire Start Hanover (Dexter Dunn) was a length back in second. Gias Surreal (Bob McClure) held third after leading much of the race.

TEST OF FAITH REPLAY

Test Of Faith now boasts a record of 25-for-30 and has amassed $1,768,314 in earnings. She gave trainer Brett Pelling his second victory of the day. Melvin Segal, Kentuckiana Racing Stable, and Eddie Gran share ownership of the four-year-old.

“I’d have to say she’s probably the best mare I’ve ever sat behind,” Miller said after the win “I always liked Glowing Report, Shebestingin was always one of my favourites, and obviously this mare.”

$211,000 Armbro Flight – trotting fillies and mares

Atlanta (Chapter Seven) added another major stakes victory to her legendary career with a clinical victory in the $211,000 Armbro Flight final.

The seven-year-old mare came away with the pocket after leaving in the centre of Hp Mama B (Sylvain Filion) and Herculisa (James MacDonald). Under orders from Yannick Gingras, she maintained position through :26.4, :56, and 1:23.2 panels until she fanned out and flew by Herculisa en route to a 1:52.2 victory.

When Dovescry (Miller) was the fastest of a closing group and finished second by a length. Bella Bellini (Dunn) took show.

​“She’s incredible, as she gets older, you appreciate her even more. She’s so game and does her job week in and week out. She deserves the big ones. ​ Ron Burke does a tremendous job bringing horses back year after year after year. I can’t praise him enough,” Gingras said in a post-race interview.

ATLANTA REPLAY

Atlanta increased her already huge bankroll to $3,448,163 with the win, her 33rd lifetime in 67 starts. The mare won the Armbro Flight previously in 2019 and has appeared in every edition since. Ron Burke conditions the Hambletonian-winning mare for Crawford Farms Racing of Syracuse, Brad Grant of Milton, and Howard Taylor of Philadelphia.

$401,000 Fan Hanover – three-year-old pacing fillies

Treacherous Dragon (Captaintreacherous) wrote another chapter in her undefeated season as she won her fifth straight in the $401,000 Fan Hanover final.

The filly occupied the five hole for Tim Tetrick through opening splits of :26.4 and :55 before following Prohibition Legal (MacDonald) to the outside on the backstretch and advancing second-over.

Prohibition Legal struck the front at three-quarters in 1:22, but Treacherous Dragon proved unstoppable as she pushed clear of that foe and held off Wickedly Innocent (Todd McCarthy) to seal the score in 1:50.1. Wickedly Innocent was a head short in second to give trainer Brett Pelling a 1-2 finish. Prohibition Legal continued to battle gamely for third.

​“They’re both really strong fillies, they’re very efficient,” said Pelling post-race. “(Treacherous Dragon) is very calm and stoic, nothing fazes her too much”s

TREACHEROUS DRAGON REPLAY

Treacherous Dragon, a Brett Pelling trainee, is now five-for-five this year and has won nine of her 15 starts. She has earned $576,920 for Hot Lead Farm of Allentown. Brett Pelling trains the filly, a $260,000 Lexington Select Sale purchase.

$251,000 Goodtimes – three-year-old trotting colts and geldings

Fast As The Wind (Cantab Hall) rolled by a pair of opponents in the stretch to capture the $251,000 Goodtimes final.

Dunn placed the colt in the four-hole and held position through :27.2 and :55.1 first half fractions provided by Looks Like Moni (Andrew McCarthy). The latter began galloping on the final turn, leaving the lead to Southwind Domino (Roy), who then found himself battling with the first-over Pretender (Gingras) to three-quarters in 1:23.1.

Fast As The Wind, who had followed the cover of Pretender in the third quarter, then cruised by both duelling leaders in the last eighth of a mile to score in 1:52.2 by a length-and-three-quarters. Twin B Archie (MacDonald) closed for place over Pretender.

​“He was running in a touch coming off that last turn and I had to nurse him there,” said Dunn in his post-race interview. “Once Andy’s one made a break, it got us a little closer to the front there, and he laid down like he has been this year. He’s definitely going in the right direction. He’s doing everything right and hasn’t put in a foot wrong so far. He’s finishing his races off really strongly.”

FAST AS THE WIND REPLAY

Tony Alagna trains Fast As The Wind for Leblanc and Kribbs of Austin, Joe Sbrocco of Brecksville, and Joseph Barbera of Deer Park. The colt has earned $713,227 and won seven times in 19 lifetime tries. The victory was a new career mark.

$100,000 Mohawk Gold Cup – invitational

Three years after winning it for the first time, local star Jimmy Frieght (Sportswriter) slugged out a first-over trip and held his nose ahead of Linedrive Hanover to win the $100,000 Mohawk Gold Cup in a lifetime-best 1:48.

The seven-year-old stallion got away fifth for Roy as a group of four quick leavers went by on his outside. Wheels On Fire (Doug McNair) cut a :26.1 opening quarter before Linedrive Hanover (MacDonald) and Allywag Hanover (Todd McCarthy) each took over in succession.

Jimmy Freight followed that pair to the outside and came uncovered once Allywag Hanover cleared to the front at the half in :53.2. Jimmy Freight edged out a one-length lead on the rim as the field advanced to three-quarters in 1:20.1 and put away Allywag Hanover in mid-stretch. Linedrive Hanover slid out from behind those two and chased the leader, but the valiant Jimmy Freight made it home with his nose in front for the victory.

Allywag Hanover finished third. The winner returned $4.50.

JIMMY FREIGHT REPLAY

Jimmy Freight, who returned to racing this season at the end of last year after a two-year breeding hiatus, has now won 32 of 72 career starts for earnings of $1,806,125. Richard Moreau trains the stallion, who is currently standing stud and racing, for Adriano Sorella of Milton. The horse has won seven of his past eight; a narrow defeat in the Battle of Lake Erie last out broke a six-race winning streak.

“It’s been pretty special,” said Sorella on Jimmy Freight’s comeback in a post-race interview. “He was a little slow at the beginning, but he was special and he’s coming back pretty big, and he’s coming back strong, so I’m excited about it.

For complete race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink