There is little mystery surrounding International Man (International Moni), which makes working with the harness racing colt a pleasure for trainer Domenico Cecere.
International Man has won two of three races this year, including an elimination of the William Wellwood Memorial for 2-year-old trotters last weekend at Woodbine Mohawk Park. The Lindy Farms-owned homebred will start Saturdayās (Aug. 27) C$665,000 Wellwood final from post six with Yannick Gingras in the sulky.
His sire,Ā International Moni, was bred and raced by the Moni Maker Stable, which includes members of Lindy Farmsā Antonacci family as well as David Reid.Ā International MoniĀ was a multiple winner on the Grand Circuit, including the Goodtimes Stakes at Mohawk in 2017.
āHe reminds me a lot of his father because heās so laid back with a nice gait,ā Cecere said. āI really like him. Itās enjoyable to train a horse like him.Ā International MoniĀ was a pleasure to train too. We loveĀ International Moni, and it looks like we have a nice son of his. Itās very nice to see them go the right way.ā
International Man, out of the mare Birthright, is a half-brother to filly Raised By Lindy, who last year at age 2 won three times on the Grand Circuit and lost by a nose to Joviality S in the Breeders Crown.
āHeās got a lot of pedigree,ā Cecere said. āIām very happy with him.ā
International Man won his debut in 1:55 in a division of the Kindergarten Classic Series at The Meadowlands, then was beaten by a neck in a third-place finish in the second leg of the event. He won his Wellwood elim by a half-length over Southwind Coors in 1:56.
āHe won the first start from off a helmet, and then in his next start he got stuck on front, but I liked that he fought until the end,ā Cecere said. āHeās still a little bit green, but heās improving. We made some changes with his bridle at Mohawk after talking with Yannick and he responded. He had a nice race. I know they went slow (1:00.1) the first half, but Iāll take it. I think weāre in good shape.ā
In addition to International Man, Cecere will send out Winnerās Bet (Walner-Side Bet Hanover) in the Wellwood final. The colt also won an elimination, besting Tuscan Prince by a neck in 1:56.3. He was purchased for $200,000 at the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale and is owned by Lindy Farms and Robert Rudolph.
Winnerās Bet debuted with a third-place finish in a leg of the New Jersey Sire Stakes, then got a three-week respite before finishing second in the New Jersey Sire Stakes Consolation. Two weeks later, he won a second-round division of the Kindergarten in 1:55.
Dexter Dunn will drive Winnerās Bet in the Wellwood final, leaving from post four.
āIn the beginning, he could get a little bit hot, a little bit anxious,ā Cecere said. āWe took our time with him and went easy. Heās a very powerful horse. He always showed he had a lot of speed and class, but he wanted to do so much so quick. Iām very proud of him. Heās really come around.ā
The third of the three Wellwood eliminations was won by Oh Look Magic (Lookslikeachpndale) in 1:55.1, the fastest time of the season for a 2-year-old trotter in Canada. Oh Look Magic, the winner of three of five races this year, will have James McDonald at the lines for trainer John Bax and starts from post five.
Saturdayās card at Mohawk also includes the Peaceful Way Stakes final for 2-year-old female trotters, two divisions of the Nassagaweya Stakes for 2-year-old male pacers, two divisions of the Eternal Camnation for 2-year-old female pacers, and eliminations of the Canadian Pacing Derby for older male pacers. For additional details, clickĀ here.
The William Wellwood Memorial is race 10 on the 12-race card, which begins at 7 p.m. (EDT). The winner of the Wellwood receives the final starting spot in the Mohawk Million, which is Sept. 24.
āItās exciting,ā Cecere said. āBoth of our horses looked nice. It looks like the plans we made for them are going the right way. Hopefully, it continues that way.
āNow, weāll try to finish the job.ā
The full Wellwood field is listed below in post order with driver/trainer:
1 ā French Wine (Bar Hopping) Andy Miller/Julie Miller
ā2 ā Ghostly Casper (Resolve) Sylvain Filion/Ben Baillargeon
ā3 ā Gaines Hanover (Cantab Hall) Louis-Philippe Roy/Richard Moreau
ā4 ā Winners Bet (Walner) Dexter Dunn/Domenico Cecere
ā5 ā Oh Look Magic (Lookslikeachpndale) James MacDonald/John Bax
ā6 ā International Man (International Moni) Yannick Gingras/Domenico Cecere
ā7 ā Tuscan Prince (Kadabra) Bob McClure/Luc Blais
ā8 ā Southwind Coors (Walner) Mike Saftic/John Bax
ā9 ā Snowpiercer (Muscle Mass) Paul MacDonell/John Bax
ā10 ā Dahlquist Hanover (Walner) Trevor Henry/Desiree Jones
For complete race entries, click here.
by Ken Weingartner, for the USTA