Bulldog Hanover Continues Reign Atop Poll
Only seven of the 29 horses receiving at least one point in the Week 10 Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll were in action last week, resulting in little movement in the Week 11 rankings released Tuesday, Aug. 16.
Four-year-old male pacer Bulldog Hanover, who won the Dan Patch Stakes this past weekend, held on to the No. 1 spot for the sixth consecutive week. He was followed in positions two through six by Bella Bellini, Alrajah One IT, Test Of Faith, Joviality S and Beach Glass. All five of those horses were idle.
Carl Milstein Memorial winner Bythemissal was seventh, a gain of three spots from a week ago, while Fashion Schooner, Pebble Beach and Cool Papa Bell each dropped a notch. Fashion Schooner and Cool Papa Bell were idle; Pebble Beach finished second in the second round of the Kentucky Championship Series.
For the first time this year, there were no newcomers to the Top 10.
The Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll does not determine U.S. 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 11 – Aug. 16, 2022
| Rank | Name (First Votes) | A/S/G | Record | Earnings (USD) | Points | Pvs |
| 1 | Bulldog Hanover (32) | 4hp | 9-8-0-0 | $661,931 | 346 | 1 |
| 2 | Bella Bellini (1) | 4mt | 11-6-2-3 | $510,477 | 270 | 2 |
| 3 | Alrajah One IT (1) | 6ht | 3-3-0-0 | $332,345 | 224 | 3 |
| 4 | Test Of Faith (1) | 4mp | 10-5-4-0 | $386,242 | 210 | 4 |
| 5 | Joviality S | 3ft | 8-6-1-1 | $596,477 | 207 | 5 |
| 6 | Beach Glass | 3cp | 8-5-3-0 | $744,025 | 205 | 6 |
| 7 | Bythemissal | 3gp | 8-7-1-0 | $432,250 | 117 | 10 |
| 8 | Fashion Schooner | 3ft | 8-5-2-1 | $466,062 | 106 | 7 |
| 9 | Pebble Beach | 3cp | 8-5-2-1 | $556,400 | 66 | 8 |
| 10 | Cool Papa Bell | 3gt | 8-4-1-2 | $627,225 | 55 | 9 |
ALSO: Max Contract 29; Rebuff 25; Jimmy Freight, Kilmister 10; Rockyroad Hanover 7; Atlanta, Stockade Seelster 5; Catch The Fire, Tattoo Artist 4; Charlie May, Dandy, Ecurie D DK 3; Adare Castle, Voukefalas 2; Hillexotic, Instagram Model, Mambacita, Oh Well, Smoking Jet, Temporal Hanover, Venerable 1.
(USTA)
Bulldog Hanover
I made a list of what will most likely be the last 8 races of Bulldog's career, based on what he's already been staked to:
8/27 Canadian Pacing Derby Elims, Mohawk
9/3 Canadian Pacing Derby Final, Mohawk
9/23 Hoosier Park Pacing Derby, Hoosier
10/01 Dayton Derby, Hollywood Dayton
10/9 Allerage, The Red Mile
10/22 Breeders Crown Elims, Mohawk
10/29 Breeders Crown Final, Mohawk
11/26 TVG Final, The Meadowlands
He also may be eligible for The Jim Ewart on 9/10. There's no list of the horses that have been nominated to the race on the Scioto Downs website.