With the scheduled date of the 2022 Pepsi North America Cup less than two months away, Trot Insider has profiled the race's top contenders as horses ready to compete for one of Canadian harness racing's biggest prizes.
Monte Miki completes the countdown, coming in at #1 in TROT Magazine's 2022 Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book assessed odds of 4-1.
The Dan Patch Award-winning two-year-old pacing colt completed a near-flawless debut season with more than $750,000 banked for owner/breeder Velocity Standardbreds of Lebanon, Ohio. Going six-for-seven, Monte Miki’s highlights included a 15-1 upset victory in the Metro Pace along with a 1:50.4 career-best effort at The Meadowlands in the Breeders Crown elimination and a final feather in his cap winning the championship the following week in 1:53.2 over a sloppy track.
Trot Insider caught up with trainer Mark Evers for an update on the Always B Miki-Montenegro colt, who is hoping to join a select group of esteemed pacers — Presidential Ball, 1992-1992; Gothic Dream, 1996-1997; Rocknroll Hanover, 2004-2005; Somebeachsomewhere, 2007-2008; Sportswriter, 2009-2010; Captaintreacherous, 2012-2013; Tall Dark Stranger, 2019-2020 — in a sweep of the Metro and the North America Cup.
“You'd never dream a horse would go out and do that,” said Evers of Monte Miki’s award-winning rookie campaign. “And to win the Metro, which is a race we've always wanted to win and be in and then finally get there and then actually win it, that was just hard to believe. Then when he comes back and goes to the Breeders Crown and does it again, he kind of proved himself, because a lot of people acted like the Metro was a fluke or something. But I don't know how it can be a fluke when he came from almost last and circled the field. So, a lot of people still doubted him after that, but I thought he looked like a gorilla myself.”
“I think he was well educated,” added Evers. “He had just enough starts, and obviously he couldn't have done any better. Hopefully he does good this season. Like I said, I can't be disappointed if he doesn't because of what he's already done. Everybody's thinking he will do well, so let's see. I hate to be too confident because I've had horses before and, you know with horses, one day it’s chicken and the next day it's feathers.”
Where did he winter and when did you start back with him?
“I started back with him about eight to 10 weeks after the Breeders Crown. I turned him out for eight to 10 weeks; I just put him out of the paddock every day. We have our own training centre here just north of Lebanon, Ohio. I think there's 117 acres here – it's either in track, pasture or paddocks. He went out every morning and came in every evening for that period for his layover. Then I started back with him. We've had some ice and stuff a lot this winter, so we just kind of took our time.
"I plan on qualifying him a couple of times in May and maybe catch a three-year-old open, probably at Hoosier, if I can before he goes to Canada for the Somebeachsomewhere and North America Cup.”
Have you noticed any changes from last year to this year?
“Well, he's bigger and meaner. I mean, he's not really a mean horse, but he thinks he can play and he's a big, strong animal. I'd say his rump’s about twice the size it was and his shoulders, and he probably grew a couple of inches. Hopples are a little longer. He’s a beast.”
What does his tentative schedule look like after the North America Cup?
“Of course the Meadowlands Pace is one of the big ones we'd be shooting for. Hopefully he can compete with those horses. And then you go back up there for the Breeders Crown. We've put him in about everything, and we'll just kind of pick our spots as we go.”
At what point last year did you think this horse was North America Cup material?
“I really wasn't thinking into his three-year-old year. I was more concerned with, you know, he got sick on me a couple times. There were a couple of stakes races like the PA Sire Stakes and the Fox in Indianapolis. I haven't been able to win that Fox race. I've been second and third in it two or three times and I have always wanted to win it. And I didn't get to go because he got sick and I felt like he could have won that race. Then I wanted to go to PA because I thought they had short fields and I thought if he just wins one leg, he makes it to the final. Well, he wasn't over being sick. So, then we finally got him over it and he won in 1:52 at Scioto and I knew he was ready to go to Canada. So, we were just glad to finally get him in a stakes race instead of these overnights we were racing in, to go for some money. But no, at that time, I never thought about his three-year-old season at all. Just trying to get through the two-year-old season.”
What's his biggest asset or strength?
“I'm going to say he does not want a horse to get by him. When we train, he trains with this other colt that’s not as good as him but he's not a bad colt, Velocity Chaps. And when those two train together, when they turn for home, it’s a battle. You’ve got to hang on to them because they both don't want the other one to beat him. I think that's kind of instilled in him that, ‘Hey, when we turn for home, we're racing.’ These two colts have kind of made a game of it when they train together that when they turn for home they want to race each other. And I think that's kind of carried over to his racing. Like in the Breeders Crown, the announcer thought the other horse was to him down stretch. But Scott [Zeron] will tell you 'no, he never did get his head past Monte' because that's just the way he likes to go, he’ll just dig in.”
Is Velocity Chaps also eligible to the North America Cup?
“Yeah, I put him in some of the same races that Monte’s in. We’re going to give ‘Chaps’ a chance in those races also. I don't think he's quite the horse that Monte is, but I think he's better than some of the horses that were in the Metro last year. I think if I would have had them both in there, 'Chaps' could’ve got a good cheque.
“I'm going to have to have [Velocity Chaps] ready a little sooner because he has a Sire Stakes coming up here in Ohio. And I think I would get him in that because they go on points. So, just making an appearance to get points towards that final money.”
As someone who hasn't won this race before, how does it feel to have a horse that appears to have a legit shot at the North America Cup?
“Just for example, Arts Chip, when he raced in there, there were four divisions and he was third by one length. I couldn't get out; I was boxed in and was third by one. And instead of going by the fastest time, they just drew horses and he drew out...he didn't get to go in the final. So, I have had one in there that would have been competitive. But yeah, just being in it is quite a big deal, I think, because if you're in there and your horse is competitive, I think that's an accomplishment itself. Those are the best horses in the country.”
Previous Profiles:
#2 - Pebble Beach (6-1)
#3 - Stonebridge Helios (7-1)
#4 - Beach Glass - (8-1)
#5 - Early Action (9-1)
#6 - Gulf Shores (10-1)
#7 - Hammering Hank (12-1)
#8 - Betterhavemymoney (18-1)
#9 - Bob Loblaw (20-1)
#10 - Magical Arthur (22-1)