Aetos Kronos Sets Track, Canadian Record in Maple Leaf Trot Elimination

August 22, 2025

MILTON, August 22, 2025 - The 9-year-old Bold Eagle stallion Aetos Kronos S kept the gears turning while gutting through a parked first half and stopped the clock with plenty of steam to set a track and Canadian record to win his $50,000 Maple Leaf Trot elimination on Friday night (Aug. 22) in the first sub-1:50 mile on Canadian soil.

Off the 4-5 favorite, driver Dexter Dunn floated forward with Aetos Kronos S and landed in a wide spot with no seats at the pylons approaching a :27 first quarter. Dunn then ventured forward after tempo-setter Hillexotic and crossed to the front just before clocking a :55 half. Despite traveling the extra ground early, Aetos Kronos S motored through the turn to three-quarters in 1:22.4 with Hillexotic as the only close pursuer spinning for home.

Hillexotic angled outside in the lane for a late challenge and galvanized Aetos Kronos S in a sprint to the finish. Aetos Kronos S snugly staved off Hillexotic to register a length win in a 1:49.4 mile, which eclipsed the previous track and Canadian all-age trotting mark of 1:50.2 set by Alrajah One IT in 2023 and matched earlier this year by Emoticon Legacy in winning the Goodtimes and by the gelding Fashion Frenzie in an overnight event in June. Gaines Hanover, Southwind Coors and the mare Call Me Goo took the remaining spots into the final.

“When he went [1:]50 on Hambo Day he did it pretty easy, but for him to do it himself like that is really impressive,” Dexter Dunn said after the race. “He’s a 9-year-old now so he’s pretty relaxed out there in the mile. As soon as you ask him to do it, he’ll do it for you though. We took our time going around the first turn and once he got the front he felt terrific.

“He’s a real racehorse; he wants to fight other horses off,” Dunn also said. “We weren’t really overextending him tonight, but we had to make sure we fought Jody [Jamieson and Hillexotic] off. He felt to me like he wasn’t going to go past him.”

Marcus Melander trains Aetos Kronos S for owners Jeff and Michael Snyder. The European import collected his 25^th victory from 71 starts and has now amassed $1,631,409 in earnings. He paid $3.70 to win.

Lexus Kody dealt a 16-1 stunner against divisional head honcho Periculum to take the second Maple Leaf Trot elimination in a 1:51 mile.

Driver Yannick Gingras settled with Lexus Kody into fourth while Logan Park built momentum from the outermost post in the octet to grab the lead into a :27.2 first quarter. Logan Park cruised up the backside to a :56 half, where Gingras decided to pull and march first up towards the top with 1-5 chalk Periculum following the move second over. Lexus Kody loomed to equal terms with Logan Park wavering to three-quarters in 1:24 before spurting past the weary pacesetter and seizing the lead. Periculum tipped to the center of the track to muster his usual rally, however Lexus Kody remained resolute to the challenge through the stretch. Lexus Kody withstood Periculum’s persistent charge to win by a half length while Up Your Deo finished third, another three lengths back, and Private Access overtook Chapercraz for fourth.

“I had the confidence in my horse. He’s got big lungs and felt really good turning for home; it was just a matter of keeping him on his business. But he felt so good tonight. He was nice and relaxed in the post parade. I couldn’t be happier with him.”

Ron Burke trains Lexus Kody, a 7-year-old gelding by Archangel, for owners Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC and Phillip Collura. The gelding won his 31^st race from 83 starts and has now earned $925,218 in his career. He paid $34.20 to win.

Woodbine Mohawk Park conducted the draw for the Maple Leaf Trot final following the last of the two eliminations. The elimination winners earned priority and a protected draw between posts 2 through 6. Below is the field for the Maple Leaf Trot final, which goes to post next Saturday (Aug. 29):

Maple Leaf Trot Final

PP-Name-Driver-Trainer

1-Private Access-Louis Roy-Luc Blais

2-Call Me Goo-Ake Svanstedt-Ake Svanstedt

3-Aetos Kronos S-Dexter Dunn-Marcus Melander

4-Periculum-Scott Zeron-Marcus Melander

5-Lexus Kody-Yannick Gingras-Ron Burke

6-Southwind Coors-Yannick Gingras-Ron Burke

7-Gaines Hanover-Bob McClure-Justin Turcotte

8-Chapercraz-James MacDonald-Ron Burke

9-Hillexotic-Jody Jamieson-Todd Luther

10-Up Your Deo-Ake Svanstedt-Ake Svanstedt

On the Friday undercard, Global Heritage pulled a slight 7-1 upset when holding 1-9 chalk Lasting Dream at bay with a pillar-to-post 1:52 win in the first of two divisions of the $155,500 Casual Breeze. Driver Dexter Dunn worked to take the lead from Lasting Dream into a :27.2 first quarter and managed to snag a breather to a :57 half before hitting the accelerator in a :55 back half with just enough in reserve to hold off Lasting Dream’s pocket pounce by three-quarter lengths. Stormont Beautiful finished third, another seven lengths behind, and Medley Seelster took fourth.

“She felt good on the front,” Dunn said after the race. “Obviously Louis’s horse has been racing out of her skin lately, so I thought whether we’re following or she’s behind us she’ll be hard to beat. Domenico had this filly ready to trot tonight. We got a pretty good second quarter and started getting moving around the last turn [and] she kicked hard; credit to her.”

Global Heritage, a 3-year-old filly by International Moni trained by Domenico Cecere, won her fifth race from 13 starts and has now earned $124,051 for owner-breeder Lindy Farms of Connecticut. She paid $17.40 to win.

While the favorite was foiled in division one, Tim Tetrick delivered 1-5 chalk R Dutchess to a 1:52 victory in the $77,250 second division. Tetrick moved methodically with the John Butenschoen trainee from the pylon post and made a brush for the lead after a :27.3 first quarter to clear before a :55.3 half. R Dutchess stayed on the muscle to three-quarters in 1:23.4 and then stayed brave to the finish under increasing pressure from Zette Athena to win by a neck. Sprite Seelster finished third and Foxy Amee took fourth.

“We’ve been tickled to death with her,” John Butenschoen said after the race. “She’s come back real strong, a lot better mannered. We scheduled her to start later and have her ready for the Hambo Oaks. She came first up, but that wasn’t her problem; she was done at the head of the stretch. [She] had a little mucous, we ran SAA tests on her the next morning and it was quite elevated. We started her on some antibiotics. She raced great [in the Delmonica Hanover], she got shipped to Canada and came back six days later to win in [1:]52 here again tonight and fought down the stretch. We’re very pleased.”

A 3-year-old daughter of Father Patrick, R Dutchess has now won six races from 19 starts and banked $435,764 for lessee M And L of Delaware and Armitage Farm. She paid $2.50 to win.

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Ray Cotolo - for Woodbine Communications