Ron Burke’s star trainees, eight-year-old trotting mare Buck I St Pat and seven-year-old pacing gelding Foiled Again, are two top contenders in the Breeders Crown
, which is slated for October 29, at Woodbine Racetrack.
Buck I St Pat, who has won the last two Breeders Crown events for trotting mares, will look to score her third Crown. With 51 victories in 106 starts, the bay has banked $2,347,565 in lifetime earnings for Howard Taylor, Edwin Gold, Abraham Basen and Ronald Fuller.
Foiled Again, who was runner up to stablemate Won The West in the 2010 Breeders Crown for open pacers, has 55 wins in 141 outings and career earnings of $3,085,019 for Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC and JJK Stables LLC.
The Canonsburg, Pennsylvania resident takes great pride in developing aged champions.
“It’s probably one of the things I am most proud about,” said Burke. “There’s been three six-year-olds or older make a million dollars and it’s Maltese [Artist], Foiled [Again] and [Won The] West. It says a lot for us. We had them from the time they were three on and we were able to keep them going at that rate.
“I think a lot of people knock us and say we are hard on the horses, but I think the strong will survive,” he added. “They stay fit and fit horses stay sound, so I think they like it. We do what is always the best for the horse, too.”
True to his word, the conditioner has decided to shut down Won The West for the rest of the year after an old injury flared up. The seven-year-old pacer has found the winner’s circle 36 times in 103 outings and boasts $3,966,156 in career earnings for Country Club Acres Inc, Strollin Stable and William Robinson.
Harness racing's top talent will head to Woodbine next week with eliminations for the lucrative Breeders Crown finals slated for Friday, October 21 and Saturday, October 22.
Invited foreign horses must declare by noon on Saturday, October 15. Supplemental declarations for the three-year-old and open events are due and payable on Monday, October 17, 2011 by 12:00 noon in the racing secretary's office (905-854-7805) at Mohawk. A one-time supplemental payment makes a horse eligible to subsequent years’ Breeders Crown events under the normal schedule of payments.
There are no supplements for the two-year-old races.
The starting fee is included in the supplemental amounts, and all supplemental money, minus the starting fee, may be added to the purse of the individual events.
Horses eligible to the Breeders Crown events must enter by 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, October 18, also at the Mohawk race office. Eliminations for all two-year-olds, if needed, will occur on Friday, October 21. The three-year-old and open eliminations, if needed, will be raced Saturday, October 22, both nights starting at the regular post time of 7:30 p.m.
First-race post time for the Breeders Crown card on Saturday, October 29 will be a special early post of 6:30 p.m. (ET).
The connections of elimination winners may pick their post position for the finals.
(with files from WEG)