Dave Menary has earned a solid reputation among trainers in the States that are looking to race north of the border. Last year trainer Ron Burke sent him the juvenile pacing filly Pass Line to compete in Ontario, and the conditioner did an outstanding job of guiding that daughter of All Bets Off to an impressive campaign. Menary finds himself with three entered in this weekend's initial offering of the Canadian Sired Graduate Series that have been shipped north by trainer Jeff Cullipher into his stable. The Canadian Graduate is specifically designed for 4-year-old Canadian-sired horses and as such had a limited number of entries, with a C$25,000 division for pacing mares and a C$25,000 division for trotters going forward on Friday night at Woodbine Mohawk Park and a C$25,000 division for male pacers making its debut on Saturday night. Menary sends out Talk Curdy To Me, a daughter of Betterthancheddar that made her Canadian return last Saturday (April 6) at Woodbine Mohawk Park, finishing second in an overnight event and giving Menary his first opportunity to see what the recent arrival looks like on the track. "We were very happy with the way she raced," said Menary. "She was in with older mares and she made an extended move to get the front. I'm not sure the front is the best place for her." The quick mile was a good tightener and helped her acclimate to the change in surface after a pair of qualifiers at the Meadowlands in late March. Talk Curdy To Me landed post two in Friday's ninth race with James MacDonald in the sulky. She'll meet six rivals that have had more seasoning but may not possess her talent. Powder Play (post one) has won three of her nine starts this year following a sophomore campaign where she earned nearly C$75K. Meg Crone trains the daughter of Sportswriter. Mist Amber (post five) enters the Canadian Graduate following a win over the track on March 22. A winner of C$146K as a sophomore with 14 first or second finishes in 29 starts, Mist Amber is one of three from trainer John Pentland's stable in this contest. Friday night will also feature the C$25,000 Canadian Graduate for trotters, with the first leg (race six) drawing eight horses and half the field making their first start of the 2024 campaign. Notable on the list of first-timers is Ghostly Casper (post four) for trainer Benoit Baillargeon. A winner of four races and C$404K during a solid sophomore campaign, Ghostly Casper captured the C$300,000 Super Final here last October for driver Tyler Borth, who will guide the son of Resolve on Friday. Tuscan Prince (post two) raced just 13 times for trainer Luc Blais as a sophomore but made the most of those appearances. Notably, the gelded son of Kadabra was a strong second behind Ghostly Casper in the Super Final, cutting the pace after a tough journey from post 10. ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter On Saturday night Menary has two of the six horses entered in the C$25,000 Canadian Graduate opening leg (race two), with Wry starting from the pole position and the more seasoned Whatchulookin At starting from post four in the compact field. "We've had him in the barn for a week," said Menary of Wry. "He's a nice little horse." Menary suggested that Wry joined his stablemate for the trip north with a concern that there may not have been enough horses to fill the event. Nevertheless, there's still reason for optimism. "From the inside he's going to get a good trip," said Menary. Wry returns to Woodbine Mohawk Park where he finished second in the Snowshoe Series final in February and meets a new cast of characters with significant talent in this field. Whatchulookin At is a 1:49 3/5 Grand Circuit stakes winner, having taken his mark in last year's Simcoe Stakes over this surface in September in a race he defeated Stockade Seelster. Thus far in 2024, the gelded son of He's Watching had a strong debut, finishing second after cutting the pace in his debut on March 30 at the Meadowlands. "He's an accomplished horse," said Menary of the fleet 4-year-old. The trainer was a bit cautious in his praise since Whatchulookin At has issues hitting his knees in a race, an issue they are working on correcting. No Control (post five) won four of his eight starts as a sophomore while competing at the highest level in Ontario. The altered son of Control The Moment has had two qualifiers to prepare for his 4-year-old debut with the last, a 1:52 3/5 mile on April 1, a solid effort that should have him ready for battle. Write Me A Rose, a C$203K winner last year, won his second start of the year on April 6 at Woodbine Mohawk Park, making multiple moves and pacing clear in 1:50 4/5. The son of Sportswriter drew post three. Menary reported that It's A Love Thing, his one-eyed wonder of a sophomore pacing filly, is getting close to a qualifier and a season's debut in Ontario Sires Stakes action. "We'll take her to train at the track [Mohawk] this week," said Menary, who added she'll probably qualify the following week. "She's great around the farm. We'll see how she does when we get her to the track." Menary is also anticipating the arrival of Pass Line to his stable, with the filly now in training at Ron Burke's New Jersey stable preparing for the coming season. "I hear she's doing well," said Menary of the filly he trained through her Ontario campaign last year that included Ontario Gold and Grand Circuit victories. Weekend racing at Woodbine Mohawk Park starts at 7:10 P.M. (EDT) nightly. Both Friday and Saturday cards feature 11 races and kick off with a $100,000 Guaranteed Pick 5.