DELAWARE SIRED AND OWNED POWERFUL MIST WINS $50,000 PEPSI NORTH AMERICAN CUP ELIM
Campbellville, Ont. --- Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund champion driven by former Dover Downs leading driver Tim Tetrick scored an impressive 1:50.3 victory in the first of three $50,000 three-year-old pacing eliminations for next Saturday’s $1.5-million Pepsi North American Cup Final at Mohawk Raceway on Saturday, June 11.
Owned by Legacy of Racing of Delaware, Niel Gargiulo of Milford, Del. and Louie Pagliaro of Forida, and trained by Wayne Givens, of Seaford, the sophomore son of Powerful Toy, who stands at Winbak Farm of Delaware, won the toughest of the elims as Tim Tetrick piloted the victory.
The victory by Powerful Mist was his fourth win from seven races this year and his 13th career triumph. Thus far in 2011, Powerful Mist has earned $186,000 and $398,537 lifetime.
The 1-9 prohibitive race favorite, highly touted Big Jim finished third while another Delaware-owned contender Custard The Dragon, driven by Montrell Teague, was an early contender but finished out-of-the-money.
Through the stretch Tetrick drove Powerful Mist, off at 5-1 odds, past Big Jim inside the final sixteenth en route to notching the victory by a1-1/2 lengths. Rockabillie got back out as well and came on to get second, ahead of Big Jim. Bestofbest Hanover wound up fourth.
"Last week was an effort that was good enough to win,” commented Tetrick Tetrick after the win. "He's just a nice little horse. [Powerful Mist] makes my job easy; he's so nice to drive, and he's quick and handy. I kind of half started him up to leave and then changed my mind and he came right off and did what I wanted to do. The first quarter was mild - 26, but a mild 26. I was back there a ways. The horse overcame a bad trip. He was three-wide early up in the turn and he did the rest.
"He did it all. He was very good. He paced all the way through the wire. He's just an every day worker. This horse has really never showed a bad race. He's always showed up. Whatever they go I think he'll go because you can put him in a good spot, and he does everything right."