Without Circles, veteran driver Jacques Hebert would not have had much of a year

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The Ontario Sires Stakes star is the only horse he drove regularly this season, accounting for 10 of his 17 starts and all six of his wins.

Saturday, the two-year-old trotting filly will give the hall-of-famer a shot at his first Breeders' Crown victory, at age 69.

"It'll be tough but it's a race. If you're not in it, you have no shot. I don't get the chance to drive that kind of horse much anymore," said Hebert, whose previous experience in Breeders' Crown finals was off-the-board finishes by Caressa in 1990, I Scene The Light in 1998 and Merles Pearl in 2005.

Merles Pearl and Circles are both offspring of trainer John Smith's outstanding broodmare Merles Image, who also produced OSS star Buckhams Bay and Quebec Sires Stakes stars Mccooeye and Magoo.

"She's probably the fastest of the whole bunch," Hebert said of Circles. "She's a heck of a good mare…one to beat every week."

Smith and Hebert have a long association that dates back more than a decade to the glory days of Mccooeye, who earned more than $1 million.

"We're more friends now than trainer/driver," Hebert said. "He believes in me. He still has confidence in my way of driving. I'd like to drive more than I am these days. It's part of my life. I think I'm still competitive. I'm still a bad loser; always have been."

Circles, never worse than second in 10 starts against Ontario-bred opponents, drew post two for the Breeders' Crown final, for which she received a bye because of total earnings of almost $300,000.

(Trot Insider exclusive by Paul Delean)

To view entries for Saturday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Saturday Entries – Woodbine Racetrack.