Breeders Crown eliminations have been drawn and are set to flood Woodbine Mohawk Park this Friday (Oct. 18) and Saturday (Oct. 19). The Campbellville, Ont. oval will be hosting a total of 15 eliminations over the two-day span.

The eliminations will help determine the fields for the lucrative Breeders Crown finals, which will be contested the following weekend on Friday, October 25 and Saturday, October 26.

The ‘Crown’ elims that will be contested this Friday will strictly be for two-year-olds. A total of seven elims will face the gate during the card, which will kick off with a first-race post time of 7:50 p.m.

There will be a lone elimination for the two-year-old pacing colts (Race 9). Undefeated Bettors Delight colt Tall Dark Stranger (PP4, Yannick Gingras) headlines the 10-horse elim. The Nancy Johansson-trained Metro Pace winner will be looking to run his extend his win streak to eight for owners Crawford Farms Racing, Marvin Katz, Caviart Farms and Howard Taylor.

Eight of the 10 colts will advance to next week's final as the connections of Capt Midnight and Catch The Fire accepted byes to the final.

Only a single elimination is required for the two-year-old trotting colts. The 10-horse field, which will take to the track for Race 2, is headlined by Father Patrick gelding Amigo Volo (PP3, Dexter Dunn), who is riding a two-race win streak for owners Pinske Stables and David J. Miller. The bay is moving back into the barn of trainer Richard ‘Nifty’ Norman after having raced tremendously for young conditioner Carter Pinske down at the Red Mile. Amigo Volo captured both his Bluegrass and International Stallion Stakes divisions in Lexington and appears to be heading into this weekend in good form.

In this division, 13 colts were entered and thus three byes to the final were offered. Capricornus, Port Perry and the unbeaten Real Cool Sam automatically advance.

A pair of eliminations have been drawn for the two-year-old trotting fillies. The first of the elims will face the gate for Race 1, as eight fillies, headlined by the undefeated Hypnotic AM (PP6, Brian Sears), are set to battle. The bay daughter of Chapter Seven has been perfect for trainer Marcus Melander and pilot Brian Sears through seven starts thus far. The bay last raced in mid-September in her New York Sire Stakes Final, but recently recorded a 1:54.2 tightener, which came in an October 9 qualifier at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono. Courant Inc. holds the ownership papers on Hypnotic AM.

The second of the two-year-old trotting filly elims has been programmed as Race 3, and the unblemished Muscle Hill lass Ramona Hill (PP4, Andrew McCarthy) will be looking to get the better of her eight rivals once the gate swings away. The Tony Alagna-trained bay has done everything asked of her to this point and is heading into Friday fresh off of a sweep of her Grand circuit tilts (Bluegrass and International Stallion Stakes) down at the Red Mile. Ramona Hill races for Crawford Racing of Ohio, Crawford Farms Racing, Robert Leblanc and In The Gym Partners.

A trio of eliminations were necessary for the two-year-old pacing fillies, each of which will house fields of seven. The first of the elims has been carded as Race 4 and features Indiana stalwart Priceless (PP5, Brandon Bates) making her first start out of the Hoosier state. With a 6-1-0 record from nine seasonal starts, the daughter of Rockin Image - Btwnyurheartnmine boasts $328,662 in earnings for trainer Bates and owners Kevin Miller of Arthur, Ill. and Bert Hochsprung of Elburn, Ill. She was an impressive 1:52.2 winner over an off track in her most recent start at Hoosier, trouncing her state-bred rivals by more than six lengths in the Indiana Super Final.

Ontario Sires Stakes star Alicorn (PP5, Louis-Philippe Roy), who has raced very well for trainer Chantal Mitchell this season, headlines the second of the two-year-old pacing filly elims, which will face the gate for Race 6. The Bettors Delight filly has won seven of her 11 starts and has missed the board just once. She is heading into her elimination on a two-race win streak – her most recent victory came in her OSS Super Final at Mohawk. Windermere Stable LLC and Robert Muscara own Alicorn, a $30,000 yearling purchase that has banked $520,000 this year.

The last of the elims for the two-year-old pacing fillies has been slotted as Race 8 and will feature standout Captaintreacherous bay Lyons Sentinel (PP6, Tim Tetrick). The Pennsylvania Sires Stakes champion has been in sharp form for months now. She is riding a six-race win streak into her elim. The 2019 Shes A Great Lady winner has tasted defeat three times this year, but those losses came by a nose, a neck and a head. She has tucked away $591,000 in purses and was clocked in an ultra-sharp 1:49.3 in her Shes A Great Lady win. Lyons Sentinel is owned by Threelyonsracing of Brantford, Ont.

On Saturday, the Breeders Crown action kicks off with the three-year-old trotting fillies in the second and third race of the program.

Elegantimage winner Evident Beauty (PP1, David Miller) comes into the Breeders Crown elims as the division's top money earner and she'll look to add to her impressive $834,103 seasonal bankroll. Richard 'Nify' Norman trains the daughter of Trixton - Struck By Lindy for Mel Hartman of Ottawa, Ont., R A W Equine Inc. of Burlington, Ont. and Jeff Gural's Little E LLC of New York, N.Y. She'll face seven rivals in her elim with the top five finishers advancing to next week's final.

After two impressive efforts during Grand Circuit week at The Red Mile, Beautiful Sin (PP8, Ake Svanstedt) will look to maintain her late-season form and justify her $480,000 yearling sale price tag with a Breeders Crown title. But first, she'll have to advance from the deep group of eight fillies assembled in the second elim. S R F Stable of Lighthouse Point, Fl owns the daughter of Muscle Hill - Sina, who reeled off back-to-back sub-1:51 miles for trainer-driver Svanstedt including a 1:50.1 score in the Kentucky Filly Futurity on October 6.

A single $32,500 Breeders Crown elimination for three-year-old trotting colts & geldings is slated as the fifth race on the Saturday card and features a full field of 10 sophomores. Taking byes to next week's final are Kentucky Futurity champ Greenshoe and Hambletonian winner Forbidden Trade. Thus, the top eight from Saturday's elim will advance to next week's final.

Yet to face defeat on Canadian soil, Green Manalishi S (PP2, Tim Tetrick) will look to rebound from a seventh-place finish in his last start in the Kentucky Futurity and advance to the 2019 Breeders Crown Final. The son of Muscle Hill - Naga Morich S sports a summary of 6-2-1 in 11 sophomore starts but has shown an affinity for the surface in Campbellville with a perfect four-for-four lifetime record. Marcus Melander trains Green Manalishi for Courant Inc. of Delray Beach, Fl.

The Breeders Crown Open Mare Trot has drawn 15 entrants, with the connections of one contender paying handsomely for the privilege to compete. Custom Cantab (PP3, David Miller) was a supplemental entry from owner-trainer Chris Beaver who co-owns with Donald Robinson of Cardington, Ohio and RBH Ventures Inc. of New York, N.Y., and she headlines the first elim in the sixth race. A daughter of Mr Cantab - Custom Model, Custom Cantab has 10 top-three finishes from 15 seasonal starts and leads her elim with $269,736 in earnings. She as an impressive second-place finisher after being parked the route in the 1-1/4 mile $250,000 Harry Harvey Invitational at Yonkers Raceway on October 12.

However, the path to the Breeders Crown Open Mare Trot title goes through Manchego (PP8, Dexter Dunn). Coming into the Breeders Crown off back-to-back world record performances, the daughter of Muscle Hill - Secret Magic has won her last three starts for trainer Nancy Johansson and owner Black Horse Racing of Lebanon, N.J. With more than $315,000 earned this season and a mark of 1:49, she's both the richest and fastest trotting mare in the field.

Arguably, the group of three-year-old pacing fillies from 2019 is one of the deepest in recent memory. One of the fillies that wasn't on the Grand Circuit radar earlier this year was Ontario Sires Stakes champ and supplemental entry Boadicea (PP9, Jonathan Drury) and she faces nine rivals in the eighth race including the ultra-sharp Warrawee Ubeaut (PP6, Yannick Gingras). Coming into Saturday on a six-race win streak, Warrawee Ubeaut hasn't missed the top three in her 15 seasonal starts (10-2-3) for trainer Ron Burke and co-owners Phil Collura of Mountain Top, Penn., Ja&T Silva Purnel & Libby of Delray Beach, Fl. and Weaver Bruscemi LLC of Canonsburg, Penn. The daughter of Sweet Lou - Great Memories, who won the Breeders Crown as a two-year-old, is the richest filly in the division with $666,310 in seasonal earnings and more than $1.3 million banked lifetime.

Eight of the fillies competing in Saturday's $32,500 elim will advance to next week's final. The connections of Sunny Dee and Treacherous Reign accepted byes.

The final division to compete on Saturday night is the three-year-old pacing colts & geldings, the only division with multiple supplemental entries. The top five from each $32,500 split, carded at the tenth and eleventh races Saturday, will advance to the Breeders Crown Final.

This year's North America Cup champ Captain Crunch (PP2, Scott Zeron) hasn't found the winner's circle since August but looked to be regaining his form in most recent outing -- a second-place finish in a Tattersalls division at The Red Mile. Trained by Nancy Johansson for 3 Brothers Stables of New York, N.Y., Christina Takter of East Windsor, N.J., Rojan Stables of Wilmington, Del. and Caviart Farms, Vienna, Vi., Captain Crunch (Captaintreacherous - Sweet Paprika) boasts a mark of 1:47.2 taken at Mohawk in the N.A. Cup and more than $907,000 in seasonal earnings. The horse that beat him in his last Canadian start was Century Farroh (PP1, Sylvain Filion), whose connections ponied up a sizable supplemental fee to race Saturday.

Sophomore Bettors Wish (PP1, Dexter Dunn) has banked more money in 2019 than any other North American Standardbred, and he looks poised to add to his bankroll in the second Breeders Crown elim. The son of Bettors Delight - Lifetime Star has not finished worse than second in 15 seasonal starts, sporting a sparkling 11-4-0 record for trainer-owner Chris Ryder and co-owners Bella Racing Ltd. of Delaware, Ohio, Fair Island Farm Inc. of Versailles, Ky. and Bettors Wish Partners of Allentown, N.J. Bettors Wish fronts the field of seven, with 2019 Little Brown Jug winner and supplemental entry Southwind Ozzi (PP3, Brian Sears) looking to play the spoiler.

A trio of events for older competitors will not require eliminations this weekend.

Foreign classic invitee Bold Eagle will star in the $500,000 (USD) Open Trot. The eight-year-old son of Ready Cash will take on 10 rivals in his North American debut, seeking to add a Crown title to his incredible legacy. Hall of Fame driver Brian Sears will steer the winner of over $5 million for trainer Sébastien Guarato.

France’s Bold Eagle is the first foreign classic winner to accept a Breeders Crown invitation since Commander Crowe in 2014, who won the Open Trot at The Meadowlands.

Four-year-old mare Atlanta has earned the confidence of her connections to take another crack at the boys in a classic event. The 2018 Hambletonian champion and winner of nearly $2 million will attempt to steal the attention of the trotting world from Bold Eagle and claim the Open Trot title for a 20th career victory.

This season’s highest earner in the Open Trot is Anette Lorentzon trainee Guardian Angel As, who scored the biggest victory of his career earlier this season at Woodbine Mohawk Park. The five-year-old stallion captured the Maple Leaf Trot on August 31 and most recently finished fourth in the Yonkers International Trot.

The Open Trot star power also includes World champion Six Pack, 2016 Hambletonian champion Marion Marauder and 2017 Breeders Crown champion Fiftydallarbill. The event is completed by Dunbar Hall, Mission Accepted, Southwind Chrome and Will Take Charge.

Reigning Horse of the Year McWicked is back to defend his title in the $500,000 (USD) Open Pace and is seeking a third Breeders Crown victory. The Casie Coleman trained eight-year-old went four years between Crown victories after winning at age three and again last season. McWicked enters off back-to-back victories in the Allerage and Rooney Invitational.

The ten-horse Open Pace field includes two former Little Brown Jug champions in Courtly Choice and Filibuster Hanover. Blake MacIntosh trained four-year-old Courtly Choice scored an upset win earlier this season at Woodbine Mohawk Park in the Canadian Pacing Derby.

Hometown favourite Jimmy Freight will make his Breeders Crown debut in the Open Pace. The five-year-old is a 21-time winner and has finished outside the top-five only once in 50 career starts.

The field for the pacing heavyweight clash is completed by Always a Prince, American History, Dorsoduro Hanover, Easy Lover Hanover, Geez Joe and This Is The Plan.

Shartin N returns to the $300,000 (USD) Mare Pace with eyes on a second-consecutive Breeders Crown victory. The six-year-old New Zealand bred has won 14 of 16 starts this season, frequently crushing her foes and earning much buzz as potential Horse of the Year. The Jim King Jr. trainee is undefeated in four starts at Woodbine Mohawk Park, sweeping the last two editions of the Roses Are Red.

While nearly flawless, Shartin N did taste defeat in her most recent start, finishing second to rival Caviart Ally in the Allerage at The Red Mile. The superstar mares finished in the opposite order in last year’s Crown event.

A five-year-old, Caviart Ally has seven wins and top-three finishes in all 16 starts this season. The Brett Pelling trainee captured her second-consecutive Milton Stakes last month at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

The Mare Pace field also includes 2017 Breeders Crown champion Youaremycandygirl, and Dan Patch Award winner Kissin In The Sand. Bettors Up, Kaitlyn N and Kendall Seelster will also compete.

For more information on the Breeders Crown elimination fields, please refer to the following links:

Friday, October 18

► Entries

► Program Pages (courtesy of TrackIT)

Saturday, October 19

► Entries

► Program Pages (courtesy of TrackIT)

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(with files from Woodbine Mohawk Park)