Test Of Faith Takes The Lead In Poll
Test Of Faith, who won last week’s Breeders Crown for three-year-old female pacers, moved to No. 1 in this week’s Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll released Tuesday (Nov. 2) as Breeders Crown Mare Pace runner-up Lyons Sentinel dropped from first to third.
Test Of Faith, previously ranked second, became the fifth different horse ranked No. 1 this season.
Jujubee, Niki Hill, Bella Bellini, Perfect Sting and Ecurie D DK also benefited from Breeders Crown triumphs at The Meadowlands, which hosted finals for two-year-olds on Friday and for horses three and older on Saturday.
Three-year-old male trotter Jujubee, a supplemental Breeders Crown entry, vaulted from sixth to No. 2 in the poll. Two-year-old female pacer Niki Hill, whose 1:51 triumph was the fastest of 13 races on a stormy Friday at the Big M, jumped from seventh to fourth while three-year-old female trotter Bella Bellini gained four positions to land at No. 5.
Perfect Sting, who won the Breeders Crown for three-year-old male pacers, joined the Top 10 at No. 7, one spot behind Open Pace third-place finisher Allywag Hanover. Open Trot winner Ecurie D DK, also a supplemental entry, joined the Top 10 at ninth, a position below idle Venerable. Breeders Crown Mare Trot runner-up Atlanta rounded out the Top 10.
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.
The final poll will be November 30 following the completion of the Grand Circuit season.
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 24 – November 2, 2021
| Rank | Name (First Votes) | A/S/G | Record | Earnings | Points | Pvs |
| 1 | Test Of Faith (24) | 3fp | 15-13-2-0 | $1,005,239 | 334 | 2 |
| 2 | Jujubee (4) | 3ct | 18-14-3-0 | $948,791 | 276 | 6 |
| 3 | Lyons Sentinel (4) | 4mp | 17-9-2-3 | $738,908 | 215 | 1 |
| 4 | Niki Hill (2) | 2fp | 8-7-1-0 | $684,541 | 206 | 7 |
| 5 | Bella Bellini | 3ft | 17-10-6-0 | $1,038,800 | 168 | 9 |
| 6 | Allywag Hanover | 4gp | 17-9-2-1 | $820,250 | 162 | 3 |
| 7 | Perfect Sting | 3cp | 16-7-8-1 | $1,327,147 | 158 | — |
| 8 | Venerable (1) | 2ft | 9-8-0-0 | $1,011,255 | 123 | 4 |
| 9 | Ecurie D DK | 5ht | 2-2-0-0 | $393,000 | 67 | — |
| 10 | Atlanta | 6mt | 11-6-2-1 | $409,928 | 66 | 5 |
ALSO: Hot Mess Express 36; Monte Miki 27; Ocean Rock 24; Charlie May 23; Rocknificent 15; Dover In Motion, Felicityshagwell S, Manchego 5; Captain Corey 4; King Of The North 2; Desperate Man, Joviality S, Prohibition Legal, This Is The Plan 1.
(USTA)
If #1 Test of Faith or #2
If #1 Test of Faith or #2 Jujubee race again in 2021, it will most likely be on the same night and at the same track: The final stakes races of the year for 3yopf's and 3yotc's are The Matron events, on Thurs. 11/11, at Dover Downs. The Matrons for 3yopc's and 3yotf's will also be held that night.