CAMPBELLVILLE, Ont. — When Evenin Of Pleasure begins in the $50,000 Dream Maker Pacing Series final on Monday evening at Mohawk, the rookie will look to continue his winning ways for his connections.
Trained by Richard Moreau and driven by Sylvain Filion, the son of Dragon Again posted an impressive 1:53.4 victory in the second leg of the series with a final quarter of :26.4.
“The one thing that really impressed me was how he tried to run away on me down the stretch,” Filion said with a chuckle. “He was just full of himself and you could tell that mile didn’t hurt him.”
Quebec conditioner Claude Cadieux developed the youngster for owner Gestion Jean Yves Blais, before handing the training duties over to Puslinch-based Moreau.
A $15,000 purchase at last year’s Harrisburg Yearling Sale, Filion admires the bay colt’s manners and natural talent.
“There isn’t really anything special about him, physically,” Filion said. “He’s an average sized horse with a great gait and is a professional on the track. He’s got raw speed and can carry it a long, long way.”
History has shown that the winner of the Dream Maker have gone on to make headlines in rich stakes events.
In recent years, Big Jim, who captured the 2010 edition, went on to earn $1,544,580 in his career, which includes victories in the Breeders Crown and Governors Cup. Last year’s winner, Thinking Out Loud ($880,250), captured this year’s edition of the Pepsi North America Cup at Mohawk.
“He’s certainly on the right track to becoming a terrific horse,” Filion said. “He’s got a big shot to win the final and we drew a favourable post (post two). At this stage, we never know how good they’re actually going to turn out because it’s so early. I was extremely impressed with how quickly he learned the ropes after his first start. In his second start, you could tell how well he adapted, which shows his class.”
With just a pair of starts under his belt and $16,440 in earnings, Evenin Of Pleasure can only hope to follow in the same footsteps as other top graduates when he goes to post on Monday evening at the Campbellville oval.
Also on the 12-race programme, three-year-old pacers will duke it out in the $50,000 Summertime Pacing Series final.
As two series come to an end on Monday, another one will also kick off. Two-year-old trotters will contest two $20,000 opening-round divisions of the Bridger Series.
The $30,000 second leg is scheduled for Aug. 9, with the $50,000 final slated for Aug. 20.
First race post time is 7:10 p.m. ET.