Manchego Regains Top Spot In Poll
Manchego regained the No. 1 spot in the Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll thanks to her 1:49.4 win in last Saturday’s fourth round of the Miss Versatility Series at The Meadowlands.
It was the first sub-1:50 mile of the season and made the six-year-old mare the first trotter in harness racing history to win in faster than 1:50 in three different years.
Test Of Faith, who won a division of the New York Sires Stakes at Yonkers last week, moved from third to second in the rankings while Mistletoe Shalee winner Hot Mess Express climbed from fifth to third. This Is The Plan, who knocked Manchego from No. 1 for two weeks, slipped to fourth after finishing fourth in a division of the William R. Haughton Memorial won by Cattlewash.
Cattlewash was one of three newcomers in the Top 10, landing at No. 5. The remaining two newcomers in the Top 10 were three-year-old male trotters Dancinginthedark M and Johan Palema. Dancinginthedark M won a division of the Stanley Dancer Memorial and was ranked seventh. Johan Palema, who was not eligible to the Dancer, won a conditioned race and took the 10th spot.
The Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll does not determine Horse of the Year. The members of the U.S. Harness Writers Association vote on all Dan Patch Award division winners plus Trotter of the Year, Pacer of the Year and Horse of the Year.
Rankings based on the votes of harness racing media representatives on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.
Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown Standardbred Poll: Week 9 – July 20, 2021
| Rank | Name (First Votes) | A/S/G | Record | Earnings | Points | Pvs |
| 1 | Manchego (33) | 6mt | 5-4-0-1 | $167,971 | 346 | 2 |
| 2 | Test Of Faith (1) | 3fp | 5-5-0-0 | $163,350 | 268 | 3 |
| 3 | Hot Mess Express (1) | 3fp | 6-6-0-0 | $266,590 | 247 | 5 |
| 4 | This Is The Plan | 6gp | 12-4-7-0 | $535,845 | 218 | 1 |
| 5 | Cattlewash | 4hp | 5-2-2-1 | $274,815 | 153 | — |
| 6 | Atlanta | 6mt | 3-2-0-0 | $96,520 | 118 | 4 |
| 7 | Dancinginthedark M | 3ct | 5-4-0-0 | $106,347 | 96 | — |
| 8 | Nicholas Beach | 5gp | 7-5-2-0 | $107,950 | 86 | 7 |
| 9 | Perfect Sting | 3cp | 5-2-2-1 | $267,927 | 63 | 9 |
| 10 | Johan Palema | 3ct | 5-4-1-0 | $316,627 | 49 | — |
ALSO: Its Academic 41; Charlie May 40; Beads 39; Lawless Shadow 33; Bulldog Hanover 21; Venerable 14; JK First Lady 13; American Courage, Lyons Sentinel 9; Abuckabett Hanover, Winning Ticket 8; I Did It Myway, Ready For Moni, Southwind Gendry 6; Ahundreddollarbill 5; Allywag Hanover, Gotthegreenlight, Hypnotic AM 4; Bella Bellini, Racine Bell 3; King Of The North, Sea Silk, Southwind Amazon, Time To Dance, Whiskey Blu 1.
When was the last time that a
When was the last time that a horse which has ONLY raced in The Maritime Provinces received recognition in this poll? Well, it happened today - Time To Dance received 1 vote.