Harness racing's best veteran pacers are on course for a June 6 collision at Northfield Park in the 13th annual Battle of Lake Erie. The race, an invitational, is limited to eight starters. Battle night, Northfield's most prestigious event, annually accounts for the track's top night of the year in attendance, on-track and total handle.

Among those expected are: Western Dreamer -- winner of the 1997 Pacing Triple Crown and Pacer of the Year. Owned by brothers Matthew, Patrick and Daniel Daly of Hamilton, Ontario, Western Dreamer banked nearly $1.4 million in 1997 including a victory in Northfield's Cleveland Classic on November 1, 1997.

Awaiting Western Dreamer will be Pacific Fella, the top-ranked horse in harness racing's weekly top 10 poll. Pacific Fella, trained by Ed Lohmeyer, Jr., has scored in four consecutive stakes events, including the $100,000 Freehold Cup on April 18, and the $168,000 Graduate Final at the Meadowlands on May 16.

Also returning to Northfield for a third trip to battle is Hi Ho Silverheel's. The California-based millionaire was second in last year's Battle. Other top horses expected for the Battle include: Yankee Cam and L Dees Jonathan, with Rambaran, Pilgrim's Fiery, Silky Intrusion and Armbro Pluto also possible.

Saturday, June 6, also will mark the grand opening of the Northfield Park Microbrewery. The only track in North America with its own working brewery, Northfield's Brew Master Dave Gunn will introduce Crimson Colt Ale, Winners Wheat, Silks Cream Ale and 40-1 Stout to the public on Battle night, along with a seasonal pilsner. Fans will be able to taste all five beers without breaking their bankrolls as Northfield will offer a Grand Opening Sampler Special.

Peter Pan Stables' Noble Ability, sent off a 13-1 longshot on Saturday, May 30, in the $100,000 Nicole Hudock Memorial at Hazel Park, rewarded his backers with a 1:53, one-and-three-quarter length win.

Driven by Richard Simard, Noble Ability sat third by the quarter in :27.4, was first-over through remaining fractions of :57 and 1:24.3 then blew by pacesetter Hi Ho Silverheel's for the win. DM Dilinger was second with Armbro Pluto third. Hi Ho Silverheel's, the heavy favorite, faded to fifth.

Dontgetinmyway was fourth, Here's A Quarter sixth. Red Bow Tie made a break after the start and was seventh. Kettle Bee was eighth. Ultimate Falcon was scratched sick. The win was the third in 11 season's starts for Noble Ability, improving his 1998 earnings to $129,075.

Sophomore trotters took center stage at Woodbine Racecourse over the weekend. On Friday, May 29, fillies went postward in the Colonial Lady while the following night the colts were featured.

Michael Wilson's homebred filly, Warrawee Kes, upset 11 rivals in her first start of the year to win the Colonial Lady. Driven by Ron Waples for trainer Budd Thorne, Warrawee Kes followed Armbro Roseanne's cover until midway through the stretch, then shook loose for a one-and-a-quarter length win in a career best 1:57.3. Armbro Roseanne (HO) was second with favored Miss Whitewater (HO), who battled gamely throughout, third.

"The race went my way but she was very good," said Waples. "She made a couple breaks on me qualifying and Budd made a few changes on her before the last time I qualified her (May 19) and was she good. She trotted home with her ears up and I said to Budd 'is she ever good now.' "

On Saturday, May 30, the photo finish camera couldn't separate Brylin Image and Exactitude (H) as the pair finished in a dead-heat for win in the Colonial Trot for three year-old trotting colts. With John Holmes aboard, Brylin Image seemed to have the race won until the final steps when Exactitude and driver Trevor Ritchie closed furiously to join in the win photo. The colts trotted the mile in 1:57.1 with Armbro Rusher (H) another length back in third.

Brylin Image, last year's Ontario Jockey Club champion juvenile trotter, earned his first win in five tries this season while bumping his career earnings to $164,259 for owner George Peters' Brylin Stables of Freelton, Ontario. Exactitude, owned by Brittany Farms, Allister Stables and Deena Rachel, won just his second race in 13 lifetime starts.

"That's the best he's been since he won the Canadian Breeders (championship) last fall," said Holmes of Brylin Image, young brother to millionaire Glorys Comet. "Allergies have been bothering him and he got sick awhile ago. I knew he'd find himself eventually, I just didn't think he'd bounce back this soon. He's going to be a good one."

* (HO) denotes Hambletonian Oaks eligible, *(H) denotes Hambletonian eligible

The stakes season begins in earnest for sophomore pacing colts with Saturday's, June 6, $300,000 (CDN.) Burlington Stakes at Woodbine, followed by the $1 million (CDN.) North America Cup on June 20 and the $1 million Meadowlands Pace on July 11. Seventy-six colts remain eligible to the Burlington, which will be split into divisions, while fifty-six colts are eligible to the North America Cup with eliminations on June 13. Sixty-one colts are eligible to the Meadowlands Pace with eliminations set for July 4.

Sealed N Delivered, the Dan Patch Award winner as the sport's top freshman colt pacer of 1997, and 1997 Woodrow Wilson winner Real Artist top the list of Pace eligibles along with SBOA/New Jersey Classic winner Shady Character. Sealed N Delivered is also eligible to the North America Cup where he could meet Resurgent Dragon, Mattuity, Peace of Art and Rustler Hanover, among others.

Last year's Metro victor and Canadian champion Rustler Hanover, one of the three richest juvenile pacers of his class, tops the list of Burlington eligibles. Rustler Hanover is two-for-two on the season with a record of 1:52 taken at Woodbine on May 30. Post positions for the Burlington will be drawn Tuesday, June 2.

Moni Maker (BC)*, the five-year-old daughter of Speedy Crown, and driver Wally Hennessey set a world record of 1:53.3 over the lightning-fast five-eighths-mile track at Sweden's Solvalla Racecourse to win the Elitlopp on Sunday.

The Canadian-duo of Georgia Limited (BC) with driver Mike Lachance finished second while Giant Touchdown was third. Moni Maker won her elimination heat in 1:54 over Frisky Frazer and Giant Touchdown with the Danish-bred Rival Damkaer also qualifying for the final. The second elimination was taken by Huxtable Hornline, a Swedish-bred son of Sherwood. He was driven by "Magic Jos" Verbeeck in his 1:54 effort and downed Defi d'Aunou of France and Running Sea. Georgia Limited was fourth.

In the final, Wally Hennessey took no prisoners, putting Moni Maker on the lead and staving off any challenges as Georgia Limited finished second to give the two North American-owned horses a 1-2 sweep. Giant Touchdown, racing for Norwegian interests, finished third. (* denotes Breeders Crown eligible.)

The two feature races at Western Fair Raceway in London, Ontario on Friday, May 29, will remembered for a long time. In the $100,000 Ontario Sire Stakes Final there was a dead heat between Superstar Killean and Northern Dynasty.

Then the $25,000 Molson Export Invite produced a triple dead heat for second. But the winner, Oohs N Aahs, was disqualified for interference and all three of the second place horses: Any Excuse, Emery Flight and What A Beach were declared winners.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK (and possible understatement of the year): "I don't see any need to qualify him again." Jim Morrill, Jr., after driving Hambo hopeful Buzzin Brian to a 21 1/2 length victory in 1:54.3 in a qualifying race at The Meadowlands on May 29. The colt's time in the non-betting, non-purse event was faster than five of the last seven Hambletonian-winning times. Buzzin Brian is expected to start in Pennsylvania Sires Stakes and the Historic Cup (June 26 at The Meadowlands) prior to the Hambo.

VERNON REGROUPS: Despite a variety of financial and licensing complications, Vernon Downs has recently resolved problems in those areas and is optimistic for a rebuilding year. Justice M. Cheney, who became the track's president and CEO in late 1997, sees reorganization and diversification as key to Vernon's future health.

"I'm working with an energetic, positive thinking staff that is striving to steer Vernon Downs in a new direction, one that we feel will eventually lead it back to profitability," he says. Under Cheney's direction, the track has a new management team and racing schedule (125 dates vs 77 in 1997), new post times, new bets, new restaurateur and more advertising and promotion. Cheney plans to use more of the 340 acre facility, including horse-related events and big-name concerts, like the Dave Matthews Band (August 2) and Pfish (August 12).

MORGAN TO THE RESCUE: Tony Morgan, leading race-winning driver in the US in 1995, '96 and '97 might have a future in rodeo. In the final steps of a race at Hoosier Park on May 27, he reached out and grabbed the bridle of Distant Game, who was pacing through the race out of control. Driver Tim Curtin's right line snapped at the quarter mile mark as he pulled the horse to the outside for better position. With nothing to hold on to but the horse's tail, Curtin stayed put while Distant Game, "maintained a pretty straight course, but he was knocking over every pylon we passed."

As Morgan, driving Rocket Pan, approached the wire (finishing fourth), he reached to the inside with his left hand to grab Distant Game, and brought both horses to a stop just past the wire. "I was concerned about...not clipping his legs," said Morgan. "Once I was able to grab him, he was easy to stop. When I was a lot younger I had a line break during a race," he said. "I crawled up on the horse's back and stopped him myself...I probably couldn't do that now."

QUICK BRUSHES: 108 places, but who's counting? Roger Huston, announcer at Ladbroke at The Meadows and the Little Brown Jug, will call the races at Vermo Racetrack in Helsinki, Finland on June 17 as part of the track's salute to America. It will mark the 108th place (not all of them racetracks) where Huston has called a race....1997 Woodrow Wilson winner Real Artist is on track for a return to the races with a 1:53.4 qualifying mile on May 29 at The Meadowlands. "He's filled out and has a longer stride this year," says trainer Jim Campbell. "He'll qualify one more time, maybe the week after next. Our main goal is the Meadowlands Pace (July 11). He'll prep for that in the Historic (June 27 at The Meadowlands)."...Balmoral Park, in the south suburbs of Chicago, saw more than 30,000 fans visit the track over Memorial Day weekend for the Great Midwest Fair, conducted on their grounds. In addition to large and enthusiastic crowds at live harness racing, other draws included The Oak Ridge Boys, midway rides, fireworks, petting zoo, hayrides and wrestling shows.... All dressed up with no place to go was Warrawee Kes, winner of the Colonial Lady (see below) at the 1996 Canadian Classic Sale. The daughter of King Conch did not attract a single bid and with not one person willing to take a chance on her, she returned home with her breeder Dr. Michael Wilson. "She was big and gangly looking," says co-owner and trainer Budd Thorne, of Rockwood, Ontario. "A couple of weeks before the sale, she ran through a fence and had a big mark on her leg.... After she didn't get a bid at the sale, Dr. Wilson called and asked me if I'd take her and we'd go into partnership....I'd watched her in the field a couple of times and she was just a natural." The best filly never sold by Wilson has now earned $170,624 (CDN).

M=Meadowlands Pace eligible L=Little Brown Jug eligible H= Hambletonian eligible HO = Hambletonian Oaks eligible

Also: Moni Maker (48) Little Steven (31-1*) Western Dreamer (31) Galleria (28) Noble Ability (24) Bad Bert (21) Western Azure (15) Crisp Sahbra (14) Sealed N Delivered (13) Gee Gee Digger (11) Shady Character (10) Mattuity (8) Yankee Cam (8) Dream Away (8) B Cor Pete (7) L Dees Jonathan (6) Just Doodlin (6) Rustler Hanover (4) Clover Hanover (4) Wilson Wyoming (4) Trade Balance (3) Dragon Again (1) Dontgetinmyway (1) Fire Everybody (- 1*)Denotes 1st Place Vote