Did you watch the Breeders Crowns elims on Friday and Saturday evenings? I hope so. Because I’m gonna ask you to pick the winners of the eight finals coming up this weekend. And, yes, there will be a prize, albeit a minor one. You get bragging rights if you win and that’s really priceless.
Sure, minus Beach and Dewey, the elims lacked the true headliners, but they’ll be there for the final. And Horse of the Year honors might well be on the line.
I must say that I was tremendously impressed with Muscle Hill. After all the favorites that went to the front came up short in the stretch, you might think Brian Sears would keep him covered until the end, but instead he confidently put the Muscles Yankee colt on the front end and his confidence was justified.
Ditto for David Miller with Shadow Play the next night. He sprinted away from his pursuers in the stretch and that mile was a great tightener for his match with Beach in the final. There can be no question that Beach is a great colt and one of the markers of a great colt is how he handles other horses that also have extraordinary ability. Beach has had to face Art Official and Shadow Play this year and both would be of championship caliber in another year.
I think Beach will win the sophomore pace because he’s simply too much horse even for one as fast and game as Shadow Play. If anyone had any doubts, just watch a rerun of that Messenger at Yonkers. What an effort!
There has been some concern about Dewey, but I hope he will start. If he starts, you can rest assured he’ll be 100 percent ready because Ray Schnittker wouldn’t start him otherwise. Ray’s wife is a vet and this colt will have all the best in the coming days. If he starts, he’s ready. And I think he’ll start.
I also am a fan of Major In Art. There was a swarm of freshman pacers at the wire in his elimination on Friday, but he managed to get there first and that’s the mark of a good colt.
Jody Jamieson drove Captain Sir with extreme confidence in his elim and it was thrilling to watch him storm down the stretch and get up to win by a nose at odds of 38-1. Any colt that can pace from last to first in the final quarter at the Big M is not to be ignored.
Because I’m asking you to pick the Breeders Crown final winners, I’ll do the same. I’m not deviating much from the chalk. That’s my nature. I suspect most of my picks will go off as the favorites or near-favorites in the finals. So here are my picks offered on Sunday before the finals:
Trotting events:
2-year-old males: Muscle Hill
2-year-old female: Honorable Daughter
3-year-old males: Deweycheatumnhowe
3-year-old females: Lantern Kronos
Pacing events:
2-year-old males: Major In Art
2-year-old females: Warrawee Kay
3-year-old males: Somebeachsomewhere
3-year-old females: Native Bride
Nothing particularly original about those picks, so feel free to make your own picks and prove me wrong.
The rules are simple. One entry per person and each entry must contain your name and city of residence. If an entry doesn’t have that info, it’s not eligible. The winner will be contacted via e-mail so that I have a mailing address for the book.
The prize? It’s not much, but I will send you a leather-bound copy of the history of the Hambletonian that I wrote in 2000. If you wish, I’ll even inscribe it for you, but that might hurt its resale value when you put it in a yard sale in a year or two.
In case we have any ties, I’m going to ask each contestant to pick the winning time of the sophomore male pace. My guess? 1:49.3.
Show me that you can pick winners better than I can. (Believe me, that’s a fairly easy challenge.) Give me your eight winners.
Trotting events: 2-year-old
Trotting events:
2-year-old males: Federal Flex
2-year-old female: Honorable Daughter
3-year-old males: Deweycheatumnhowe
3-year-old females: Creamy Mini
Pacing events:
2-year-old males: Captain Sir
2-year-old females: Hawaiian Drink
3-year-old males: Somebeachsomewhere
3-year-old females: Tug River Princess
The 3 YO colt pace will go in 1:48.2
Kevin
Burlington, Ontario
2YR OLD MALE TROT
2YR OLD MALE TROT EXPLOSIVE MATTER
2YR OLD FEMALE TROT YURSA HANOVER
3YR OLD MALE TROT CRAZED
3YR OLD FEMALE TROT STAGE SHOW
2YR OLD MALE PACE CAPTAIN SIR
2YR OLD FEMALE PACE HAWAIIAN DRINK
3YR OLD MALE PACE SOMEBEACHSOMEWHERE 1:48.3
3YR OLD FEMALE PACE NATIVE BRIDE
Brian
Belleville
Trotting Events: 2 year old
Trotting Events:
2 year old colt trot: #3. Explosive Matter
2 year old filly trot: #7. Honourable Daughter
3 year old colt trot: #8. Deweycheatumnhowe
3 year old filly trot: #6. Creamy Mimi
Pacing Events:
2 year old colt pace: #2. Captain Sir
2 year old filly pace: #2. Hawaiian Drink
3 year old colt pace: #3. Somebeachsomewhere
3 year old filly pace: #1. Tug River Princess
Time of the 3 year old colt pace: 1:49.1
Mark
Milton, Ontario
2yo filly trotters- Musical
2yo filly trotters- Musical Mystery
2yo colt trotters- Federal Flex
3yo filly trotters- Creamy Mimi
3yo colt trotters- Crazed
2yo filly pacers- Warrawee Kay
2yo colt pacers- Major In Art
3yo filly pacers- Chancey Lady
3yo colt pacers- Somebeachsomewhere in 1.48.3
Trotting Events: 2-year old
Trotting Events:
2-year old male: Explosive Matter
2-year old female: Honorable Daughter
3-year old male: Deweycheatumnhowe
3-year old female: Creamy Mimi
Pacing Events:
2-year old male: Major In Art
2-year old female: Hawaiian Drink
3-year old male: Dali
3-year old female: Tug River Princess
Time of Sophomore Male Pace: 1:49.1
Trotting Events: 2-year old
Trotting Events:
2-year old male: Keystone Activator
2-year old female: Yursa Hanover
3-year old male: Holiday Credit
3-year old female: Lantern Kronos
Pacing Events:
2-year old male: Artists Rally
2-year old female: Fox Valley Topaz
3-year old male: Somebeachsomewhere
3-year old female: Btwnyurheartnmine
Time of Sophomore Male Pace: 1:48.3
Mike
Ontario
Trotting Events: 2-year old
Trotting Events:
2-year old male: Muscle Hill
2-year old female: Honorable Daughter
3-year old male: Deweycheatumnhowe
3-year old female: Creamy Mimi
Pacing Events:
2-year old male: Major In Art
2-year old female: Hawaiian Drink
3-year old male: Rudy Rednose
3-year old female: Tug River Princess
Time of Sophomore Male Pace: 1:49.4
Nick
Detroit,MI
Trotting Events: 2-year old
Trotting Events:
2-year old male: Muscle Hill
2-year old female: Musical Mystery
3-year old male: Deweycheatumnhowe
3-year old female: Poster Pin Up
Pacing Events:
2-year old male: Captain Sir
2-year old female: Thou Shalt Not
3-year old male: Shadow Play
3-year old female: Native Bride
Time of Sophomore Male Pace: 1:48.3
Bill
Saint John, NB
Canada
Trotting Events: 2-year old
Trotting Events:
2-year old colt: Muscle Hill
2-year old filly: Yursa Hanover
3-year old colt: Crazed
3-year old filly: Lantern Kronos
Pacing Events:
2-year old colt: Major In Art
2-year old filly: Hawaiian Drink
3-year old colt: Somebeachsomewhere
3-year old filly: Knock Three Times
Time of Sophomore Colt Pace: 1:49.2
Jay Wolf
Delaware, Ohio
The envelope
The envelope please....
Southwind Wasabi 2yr old Filly Trot
Warrawee Kay 2yr old Filly Pace
Bella Dolce 3yr old Filly Trot
Muscle Hill 2yr old Colt Trot
Crazed 3yr old Colt Trot
Captain Sir 2yr old Colt Pace
Chancey Lady 3yr old Filly Pace
Somebeachsomewhere 3yr old Colt Pace
Trotting Events: 2-year old
Trotting Events:
2-year old male: Muscle Hill
2-year old female: Honorable Daughter
3-year old male: Crazed
3-year old female: Creamy Mimi
Pacing Events:
2-year old male: Captain Sir
2-year old female: Hawaiian Drink
3-year old male: Somebeachsomewhere
3-year old female: Tug River Princess
Time of Sophomore Male Pace: 1:48
The winners, Dean, will be
The winners, Dean, will be the horses that reaches the finish line first :)
Here's my choices:
2 YO Colt Trot: Muscle Hill
2 YO Filly Trot: Southwind Wasabi
3 YO Colt Trot: Crazed
3 YO Filly Trot: Lantern Kronos
2 YO Colt Pace: Captain Sir
2 YO Fillt Pace: Hawaiian Drink
3 YO Colt Pace: Shadow Play
3 YO Filly Pace: Tug River Princess
Time of 3 YO Colt Pace: 1:50
Anne
Tonawanda, NY
In reply to The winners, Dean, will be by Anne (not verified)
Trotting events: 2-year-old
Trotting events:
2-year-old males: Muscle Hill
2-year-old female: All Star Hanover
3-year-old males: Crazed
3-year-old females: Stage Show
Pacing events:
2-year-old males: If I Can Dream
2-year-old females: Hawaiian Drink
3-year-old males: Somebeachsomewhere
3-year-old females: Native Bride
Time of 3 YO Colt Pace: 1:49.2
Tony
Fayetteville, NY
Trotting Events: 2-year old
Trotting Events:
2-year old male: Explosive Matter
2-year old female: Honorable Daughter
3-year old male: Deweycheatumnhowe
3-year old female: Creamy Mimi
Pacing Events:
2-year old male: If I Can Dream
2-year old female: Hawaiian Drink
3-year old male: Somebeachsomewhere
3-year old female: Chancey Lady
Time of Sophomore Male Pace: 1:49.1
Adam
Paris, KY