Pepsi North America Cup - 44 remain eligible

CAMPBELLVILLE, May 23 – Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG) today announced that 44 harness racing three-year-old pacers will be eligible to enter this year's Pepsi North America Cup.

The final sustaining payment for Canada's richest harness race was due May 15 and the connections of 44 three-year-old pacing colts and geldings selected to make the final payment.

The $1 million Pepsi North America Cup will take place on Saturday, June 17 at Mohawk Racetrack. The eliminations will take place a week prior on Saturday, June 10.

A total of 53 three-year-olds were eligible heading into the May 15 payment. Originally, 60 horses were nominated in February to this year's Pepsi North America Cup.

The list of 44 eligible three-year-olds is headlined by Downbytheseaside and Huntsville.

The top two pacing colts heading into the season have both made noise early on in their three-year-old campaigns.

Brian Brown's Downbytheseaside is two for two to start the season with comfortable victories in a Pennsylvania Sires Stakes (PASS) division and the elimination of the Art Rooney.

Huntsville, who won last year's Dan Patch Award for his division, has also made two starts this season. The Ray Schnittker trainee won his three-year-old debut by a stunning ten lengths in a PASS division on May 6, before finishing second to Brown trainee and Cup eligible Fear The Dragon on May 21.

The list of eligible three-year-olds also includes Metro Pace winner Beyond Delight, Champlain division winner Ideal Wheel, New York Sires Stakes standout Miso Fast and Battle of Waterloo winner Sports Column.

This year's Pepsi North America Cup will be the 34th edition and it promises to be the biggest. Admission to the Pepsi North America Cup, including concert featuring country star Kira Isabella, is $10 and tickets can be purchased here.

Below is the full list of eligible three-year-olds to this year's Pepsi North America Cup.

AIR STRIKE – Always A Virgin

AMERICAN SPORTSMAN – Somebeachsomewhere

ARSENAL SEELSTER – Artistic Fella

BEACH HOUSE – Somebeachsomewhere

BECKHAMS Z TAM – Always A Virgin

BETTOR'S WESTERN – Bettor's Delight

BEYOND DELIGHT – Bettor's Delight

BLOOD LINE – Somebeachsomewhere

CALVIN K – Classic Card Shark

CLASSIC PRO – Shadow Play

DARLING'S DRAGON – Dragon Again

DIAL THE BOSSMAN – Artistic Fella

DOWNBYTHESEASIDE – Somebeachsomewhere

DRAGNET ALERT – Dragon Again

EDDARD HANOVER – Dragon Again

FEAR THE DRAGON – Dragon Again

FILIBUSTER HANOVER – Somebeachsomewhere

HENRY THE DRAGON – Custard The Dragon

HUNTSVILLE – Somebeachsomewhere

HURRICANEBEACH – Somebeachsomewhere

IDEAL WHEEL – American Ideal

LAWRENCETOWN BEACH – Somebeachsomewhere

MAC ATTACK – Somebeachsomewhere

MAC'S JACKPOT – Somebeachsomewhere

MAJOR MOE – Art Major

MC MACH – Mach Three

MISO FAST – Roll With Joe

NORMANDY BEACH – Somebeachsomewhere

OCEAN COLONY – Somebeachsomewhere

ODDS ON DELRAY – Somebeachsomewhere

OZONE BLUE CHIP – Bettor's Delight

PERFECTLY CLOSE – Ponder

PHOTOBOMBR HANOVER – Somebeachsomewhere

R J P – Somebeachsomewhere

RICHARD HILL – Mach Three

SANTAFE'S COACH – Bettor's Delight

SOME ATTITUDE – Somebeachsomewhere

SPORTS COLUMN – Sportswriter

STEALTH BOMBER – Rocknroll Hanover

STREAKAVANA – Big Jim

THREE MORE SMILES – Mach Three

TWIN B COWBOY – Roll With Joe 

WESTERN HILL – Western Ideal

WHO SAID NOT TO – Well Said

Number of eligible horses: 44

Mark McKelvie