Elitlopp for Peaceful Way?

April 27, 2007

Peaceful Way, the Queen of Canadian racing, qualified in 1:55 at Mohawk Racetrack Friday morning in her first test of the season, and by all accounts she passed with flying colors. With regular driver Trevor Ritchie in tow, the 6-year-old daughter of Angus Hall overpowered her competition with a strong eight-length win.

Considering the steady rain that had hit the area overnight and into the morning, co-owner/trainer Dave Tingley was quite satisfied with the effort.

"She was really good," reports Tingley. "The track was a bit firm because of all the rain, but it was in good shape overall and she handled it well. She beat last year�s Breeders Crown winner (Susies Magic) pretty handily and she�s a quality mare. So, I was quite happy with how it went."

The first start for Peaceful Way will come next weekend at the Meadowlands in the second leg of the Classic Series. Tingley hopes her next start will come in Sweden in the famed Elitlopp.

"I�m just waiting to here back from officials there," he says. "If they confirm the invite, we are going. I�ve had chances to go before and haven�t been able to do it for one reason or another. It would be a big thrill. There isn�t much she hasn�t done in North America so it�s worth a shot. She is undefeated on a five-eighths mile track and her recovery time is so quick that I don�t think two heats in the same day will be a problem for her."

Peaceful Way ended last season on a disappointing note, making a break in the final Classic Series leg at the Meadowlands. Aside from that, she enjoyed another brilliant campaign in which she banked more than $775,000 with her biggest win coming in the Maple Leaf Trot where she soundly thumped the boys by almost four lengths in 1:53.3.

Peaceful Way enters her fifth season of racing as the richest Canadian-bred trotter of all-time and the fourth richest female trotter in harness racing history. She has made 33 career trips to the winner�s circle in 46 starts for Tingley, who co-owns the mare with the Goin My Way Stable, Marvin Katz, Al Libfeld, Sam Goldband and Angie Stiller.

According to Tingley, Peaceful Way may be poised for one of her best seasons ever. "She is in tremendous shape right now and I think she came back better than last year," admits Tingley. "It is going to be an outstanding crop of older trotting mares this year, but she is Peaceful Way. If she stays as healthy and sound as she is, I think she will be the one to beat again."

As far as overall goals for the season, Tingley has a specific one in mind.

"I�d love to see her get to $4 million in earnings," he says. "I like her schedule better this year because she will have more races here at home. She�s a great shipper but she hates staying anywhere away from home, so she will just ship in and out for races out of town. We hope for another big year and we�ll let her tell us what she wants to do. When she tells us she doesn�t want to do it anymore, that will be it for her." (Woodbine press release)

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