Favourite slain in $615,000 Canadian Pacing Derby

Tattoo Artist (Hes Watching) defeated heavy harness racing favourite Bythemissal in the $615,000 Canadian Pacing Derby on Saturday (Sep. 2) at Woodbine Mohawk Park, avenging his 2022 loss to Bulldog Hanover.

Tattoo Artist pitched camp in sixth for Louis-Philippe Roy while Bythemissal tucked in third briefly before the quarter in :26.4 and marched to the top on the backstretch. He cleared prior to hitting the midway point in :53.3, and Roy pulled the trigger on Tattoo Artist to go-first up as they rolled by five-eighths.

Tattoo Artist advanced into the breeze before flushing out Linedrive Hanover (James MacDonald) as Bythemissal led to three-quarters in 1:21. Bythemissal rebuffed Linedrive Hanover and pocket-sitter Allywag Hanover down the lane, but Tattoo Artist bore down and made it a two-horse war to the line. The pair scrapped to the final strides, and Tattoo Artist produced the winning surge to get up by a head in 1:47.4.

Bythemissal was a game second. Allywag Hanvoer finished third.

Roy gave Tattoo Artist all the credit for the win.

“I knew that there was going to be a lot of action,” said Roy. “I knew that if I wanted to race him close, I would have to use him more. I didn’t see how I could get a good trip leaving hard, but I’ll be honest with you, at the half, I said ‘I (expletive) it up again, because I knew I wasn’t going to get good cover from there.

“Leaving the gate I said ‘well maybe Yannick (Gingras) will have to come later, and I’ll catch his cover, I’ll force him first up. But then I saw him re-move pretty early out of the turn, and my only hope there was the horse (being) so good, and he was so good. The horse and the connections did a great job.”

TATTOO ARTIST REPLAY

Tattoo Artist’s win was his 34th in 88 career starts. The six-year-old Grand Circuit mainstay has now earned $2,831,608. He finished second in the 2022 Canadian Pacing Derby as Bulldog Hanover tied the Canadian record in the midst of his historic season. Dr. Ian Moore trains Tattoo Artist for Let It Ride Stables of Boca Raton, Frank Cannon of Sanford, Diamond Creek Racing of Wellsville, and Bottom Line Racing of Boca Raton.

“Well, this is the second time around for us and it’s just as exciting this time as it was the first time with State Treasurer,” said Dr. Moore. “Any horse in that race could’ve stepped up and won it, and I’m just glad it was us.”

For complete race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink