McKelvie’s Road to the Pepsi North America Cup

MILTON, ON – With the heart of the Grand Circuit season quickly approaching, the three-year-old pacing colts and geldings appear poised to provide great entertainment for harness racing fans in Ontario and across North America.

Woodbine’s Mark McKelvie has released his latest rankings of the top Pepsi North America Cup eligible horses following an eventful weekend in harness racing. The $500,000 Messenger and the first OSS Gold event of the season were the main events on the ‘Road the NA Cup’.

American Courage is the new number one on McKelvie’s list following his victory in Friday’s Messenger, the first leg of Pacing’s Triple Crown. The Travis Alexander trainee is a perfect four for four this season and has just one loss in 12 career starts.

As handy as they come on a half-mile oval, American Courage will be put to the biggest test of his career in the upcoming Meadowlands Pace, as he looks to solidify his top-ranking position.

Back at home, Bulldog Hanover was the talk of the town following an ultra-impressive 1:49.1 victory in Saturday’s OSS Gold at Woodbine Mohawk Park. The Jack Darling trainee overcame post-ten and an entire mile on the outside to claim a career-best score. ‘Bulldog’ now has five wins in eight career starts. Darling noted post-race that his stable star will remain in Ontario through the summer and not head to the United States until following the OSS Super Final.

This weekend’s Meadowlands Pace eliminations will feature seven of McKelvie’s top-ten ranked ‘Cup’ contenders. American Courage, Perfect Sting, Abuckabett Hanover, Southwind

Gendry, Lawless Shadow, One Eight Hundred and Rockyroad Hanover are seven of the 14 horses entered in this Saturday’s Meadowlands Pace eliminations.

This week’s full rankings can be viewed below.

‘The Road to the NA Cup’ will have all eyes focused on The Meadowlands for the next two Saturday evenings. The Pepsi North America Cup has traditionally taken a spot on the racing calendar prior to the Meadowlands Pace. A ‘Cup-Pace Double’ is arguably one of the most prestigious combinations in racing and was accomplished last season by Tall Dark Stranger.

The $1 million Pepsi North America Cup takes place on Saturday, September 11 at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Eliminations are scheduled for the week prior on Saturday, September 4.
Road to the NA Cup – July 6, 2021

Record: Starts-1st-2nd-3rd (Earnings)

1 – American Courage (Last Week: #3)
Owner: Fiddlers Creek Stables L
Trainer: Travis Alexander
Driver: Matt Kakaley

2021: 4-4-0-0 ($288,375)
Life: 12-11-0-0 ($468,633)
Time: 1:49.4 (Pocono)
Last Week: 1^st in Messenger Final at Yonkers (07/02/21)  

2 – Perfect Sting (Last Week: #2)
Owner: Brittany Farms, Val D’or Farms
Trainer: Joe Holloway

Driver: David Miller

2021: 3-2-1-0 ($95,677)
Life: 13-12-1-0 ($629,977)
Time: 1:48.1 (Meadowlands)
Last Week: Did Not Race  

3 – Bulldog Hanover (Last Week: #7)
Owner: Jack Darling Stables, Brad Grant
Trainer: Jack Darling
Driver: Jody Jamieson

2021: 2-1-0-0 ($81,160)

Life: 8-5-1-0 ($330,010)
Time: 1:49.1 (Woodbine Mohawk Park)
Last Week: 1^st in OSS Gold at Woodbine Mohawk Park (07/03/21)  

4 – Abuckabett Hanover (Last Week: #1)
Owner: Crawford Farms Racing, Alagna Racing, Jablonsky Held Stable, Barbera Wienick Stable
Trainer: Tony Alagna
Driver: Andrew McCarthy

2021: 5-4-0-0 ($92,686)
Life: 16-7-1-2 ($286,915)
Time: 1:49.1 (Meadowlands)
Last Week: 8^th in Messenger Final at Yonkers (07/02/21)  

5 – Southwind Gendry (Last Week: #4)
Owner: Burke Racing Stable, Phillip Collura, Knox Services, JandT Silva Purnel & Libb
Trainer: Ron Burke
Driver: Yannick Gingras

2021: 4-2-2-0 ($126,772)
Life: 17-12-2-1 ($709,841)
Time: 1:49.3Q (Meadowlands)
Last Week: Did Not Race

6 – Lawless Shadow (Last Week: #5)
Owner: Dr. Ian Moore, R G McGroup Ltd, Serge Savard, Frank Cannon
Trainer: Dr. Ian Moore
Driver: Bob McClure

2021: 5-3-1-1 ($50,556)
Life: 14-7-4-2 ($358,180)
Time: 1:50 (Scioto)
Last Week: 3^rd in OSS Gold at Woodbine Mohawk Park (07/03/21)

7 – One Eight Hundred (Last Week: #6)
Owner: Brixton Medical Inc, Nancy Taker
Trainer: Nancy Takter
Driver: Tim Tetrick

2021: 8-6-0-0 ($89,910)

Life: 13-7-1-1 ($106,708)
Time: 1:48 (Meadowlands)
Last Week: Did Not Race

8 – Second Bruiser (Last Week: #8)
Owner: Stefan Piekos, Vernon Cochrane
Trainer: Vernon Cochrane
Driver: James MacDonald

2021: 2-1-1-0 ($49,700)

Life: 7-5-1-0 ($120,525)
Time: 1:50.4 (Woodbine Mohawk Park)
Last Week: 2^nd in OSS Gold at Woodbine Mohawk Park (07/03/21)

9 – Rockyroad Hanover (Last Week: 10)
Owner: Riverview Racing, Brad Grant, Kenneth Jacobs, Plouffe Head And Vj Stabl,
Trainer: Tony Alagna
Driver: Dexter Dunn

2021: 6-3-0-2 ($41,441)
Life: 9-4-0-2 ($47,051)
Time: 1:52.2 (Meadowlands)

Last Week: Did Not Race

10 – P L Ozzy (Last Week: Not Ranked)
Owner: Amanda Fine
Trainer: Amanda Fine
Driver: Louis-Philippe Roy

2021: 9-4-0-1 ($43,694)
Life: 9-4-0-1 ($43,694)
Time: 1:49.3 (Meadowlands)
Last Week: 4^th in OSS Gold at Woodbine Mohawk Park (07/03/21)

Upcoming Races: 

Saturday: Meadowlands Pace – Eliminations (Meadowlands)

Eligible Horses: 

ABUCKABETT HANOVER
ALWAYS A MIKI
AMERICAN COURAGE
AS ALWAYS
BAYFIELD BEACH
BETTIM AGAIN
BETTOR SUN
BULLDOG HANOVER
CANDY TRADER
CAPTAINOFROCKNROLL
CAPTAINS PLACE
CHASE H HANOVER
CONTROL HEAVEN
DEAN B HANOVER
DESPERATE MAN
EXPLOIT
GREAT SOMEWHERE
HIGHLANDBEACHSBEST
ISLAND BEACH BOY
JIMMY CONNOR B
JK GOING WEST
JOELSYY HANOVER
JTS JET
KINKAID SEELSTER
KOMODO BEACH
LAWLESS SHADOW
LINEDRIVE HANOVER
LOUS PEARLMAN
NO BETTER JOY
ONE EIGHT HUNDRED
PERFECT STING
PIRATE HANOVER
P L OZZY
PROLINE
RAU RU
RED RIGHT HAND
ROCKYROAD HANOVER
SARATOGA BLUE CHIP
SECOND BRUISER
SIMON SAYS HANOVER
SOUTHWIND GENDRY
SOUTHWIND PETYR
SUMMA CUM LAUDE
TWIN B EAGLE
WARRAWEE WHYNOT
WHICHWAYTOTHEBEACH