A stirring edition of the Grade 1 C$1 million Pepsi North America Cup for 3-year-old male pacers lived up to the hype and then some on Saturday night at Woodbine Mohawk Park as Louprint moved to the lead in the backstretch, clocked the fastest three-quarters in race history in 1:19 1/5 and then held off a host of potential challengers in the lane to win in a Canadian, stakes and track record 1:47 1/5.
Swingtown (Yannick Gingras) fired off the gate quickly from post seven, but Madden Oaks (Braxten Boyd) also launched away from the ten-hole and it would be Madden Oaks, a 53-1 shot, who registered the opening quarter in 26 seconds flat. Louprint, coming off an elimination victory, got away in the fourth position for Ronnie Wrenn Jr. while fellow elimination winners Captain Optimistic (Dexter Dunn) and Lite Up The World (James MacDonald) wound up on the outside in sixth and eighth.
In the backstretch Wrenn Jr. made his move with Louprint and cleared Madden Oaks passing the half in 53 1/5. There were no breathers for Louprint once he hit the front, though, as Dandy Ideal (Jason Bartlett) came out to go first-over, giving cover to both Captain Optimistic and Lite Up The World, though they gapped it on the final bend, as did a fourth-over Fast Choice (Scott Zeron).
Louprint kept Dandy Ideal on the outside in a wicked third quarter that went in 26 seconds flat and turned for home first as the closers looked to take advantage of the hot pace. Captain Optimistic got in a better gear in the stretch after being locked on a line on the turn and moved into contention, but Madden Oaks became the biggest danger as he found a seam up the inside from the two-hole.
It was a ding-dong, tooth-and-nail battle between Louprint and Madden Oaks all the way down to the wire, but Louprint would not be denied and kept his head in front to win the 42nd edition of the Cup. Madden Oaks was a gallant second and Fast Choice, after not keeping up with cover, sprinted home in 26 4/5 to get third, just a length behind the top two. Captain Optimistic was fourth and Lite Up The World wound up fifth.
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"What a dream come true to get the job done. I didn't give him a great trip, but he's a terrific horse," Wrenn Jr. remarked. "He raced really well. Last week (in his elimination), he was really good. He won easily, even though it was close. David (Miller, driving Prince Hal Hanover) did surprise me late to be able to back out and have pace like that finishing. I'm just really happy with the horse.
"It wasn't ideal to go that fast in the third quarter, but that's the card I was dealt."
Wrenn Jr. also reflected on the loss of his friend and fellow driver Hunter Myers earlier this year, and pointed to the green ribbon he carries on the sleeve of his driving colors.
"My good buddy passed away a couple months ago. It really affected the whole harness racing industry. He was here with me tonight and we got the job done," Wrenn Jr. said.
A Sweet Lou-Rockin Racer colt, Louprint was bred by Burke Racing Stable LLC., Weaver Bruscemi LLC. and Phil Collura and they share ownership of him with Larry Karr. Louprint made his 12th stop in the winner's circle from 15 outings, has banked C$1,621,440 and paid $5.80 to win as the 1-9 favorite.
"It was funny. He didn't even have the best week. He was coughing a couple of times. I think that smoke (that canceled last Friday's card at Woodbine Mohawk Park) actually last week might have affected him a little bit," Burke added. "Finally, yesterday I felt like 'yeah, everything's back to normal, we're ready to go.' Tonight, he was ready, I knew he was good and he was ready to go. Ronnie was worried that he had raced him too hard, but when you think you have the best colt, you put them on the front at some point and let them come get them. I'm awfully proud of him. He raced hard, but I have all the faith in the world in this colt.
"That's what we knew we needed tonight. We're going to have to throw down and we're going to have to race. There was going to be no earplugs, grabbing them at the wire. It was going to be full out. He's a great horse. He's flawless-gaited. He's actually an improvement, I think, on his sire, which I didn't think I'd ever say. I never lost faith. I thought he was a winner from the top of the lane down. He just digs. He knows how to win. If you look at his career, if he's in the front, he's very hard to get around."
Burke trained 2014 North America Cup champion JK Endofanera, but this win came with a homebred by a sire that he raced, and was also emotional for the sport's leading trainer after his father Mickey Burke Sr. passed away last May.
"We're the owners, we're the breeders, it's completely different," offered Burke while also choking up when mentioning, "It's the first one without my dad."