Entries for the $5.8 million Breeders Crown events saw 151 trotters and pacers fill the entry box to qualify for the 12-race October 24 finals.
Three of harness racing’s top-ranked horses -- trotters Pinkman, Mission Brief and Bee A Magician -- lead the list of 151 horses entered today (Tuesday) for this year’s 12 Breeders Crown events, which will be contested at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto. Eliminations are Friday and Saturday, with the $5.8 million championship night to follow on October 24.
Five-year-old mare Bee A Magician is a two-time Breeders Crown champion, having claimed trophies at ages three and four, while gelding Pinkman and filly Mission Brief both were Crown winners last season as two-year-olds. Pinkman is No. 2 in the current Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll, with Mission Brief at No. 3 and Bee A Magician at No. 4.
Eliminations are unnecessary in the following events: $500,000 thrtee-year-old colt trot, with 11 entries; $500,000 three-year-old filly trot, with seven; $250,000 Mare Pace, with 10; $250,000 Mare Trot, with ten; and the $531,250 Crown Trot, with seven, including the supplemental entry of Creatine, recent third-place finisher in the $1 million Yonkers International Trot.
Four-year-old Shake It Cerry, from the stable of trainer Jimmy Takter, also is a two-time Breeders Crown winner. Takter is the winningest trainer in the history of the Breeders Crown, with 21 trophies and earnings of more than $9 million in the series.
Open Mare Trot (with listed drivers)
1. Rockin With Dewey (M. Baillargeon)
2. Harley Momma (S. Zeron)
3. Classic Martine (T. Tetrick)
4. Charmed Life (J. Jamieson)
5. Bax Of Life (C. Christoforou)
6. D One (D. Miller)
7. Shake It Cerry (Jo. Takter)
8. Daylon Miracle (D. Miller)
9. Riveting Rosie (P. MacDonell)
10. NO STARTER FROM POST 10 (click here for more info)
11. Handover Belle (M. Kakaley)
Pinkman, another Takter-trained trotter, heads to the Breeders Crown for three-year-old male trotters off a win in last Saturday’s Kentucky Futurity at Lexington’s Red Mile. A gelding byExplosive Matter out of the mare Margie Seelster, Pinkman has won 11 of 15 races this year and earned $1.75 million. His other victories include the $532,000 Canadian Trotting Classic, $1 million Hambletonian, $500,000 Beal Memorial, and $370,000 Zweig Memorial.
For his career, Pinkman has won 17 of 23 starts and $2.31 million.
Pinkman is joined in the three-year-old colt trot by Crescent Fashion, Dont Rush, Fashion Creditor, French Laundry, Infiniti As, Lookslikeachpndale, Muscle Diamond, Southwind Mozart, The Bank, and Uncle Lasse. French Laundry, The Bank, and Uncle Lasse also are from Takter’s stable.
Mission Brief heads to the Breeders Crown for three-year-old female trotters having won eight of 11 races this year and earning $830,617. Her victories include the Elegantimage, Zweig Memorial filly division, and Moni Maker stakes. She finished second to Pinkman in the Hambletonian.
For her career, the Ron Burke-trained Mission Brief, a daughter of Breeders Crown champions Muscle Hill and Southwind Serena, has won 17 of 24 races and banked $1.42 million.
Burke, who has eight Breeders Crown wins in his career, is on the verge of surpassing $20 million in seasonal earnings for the third consecutive campaign. No other trainer in harness racing history has approached $20 million in a year.
Mission Brief is joined in the three-year-old filly trot by Jimmy Takter-trained Wild Honey, who upset Mission Brief in last weekend’s Kentucky Filly Futurity.
Three-Year-Old Filly Trot (with listed drivers)
1. Elegant Serenity (R. Mayotte)
2. Classic Annie (A. Merriman)
3. Wild Honey (Y. Gingras)
4. Speak To Me (Br. Miller)
5. Im So Fancy (M. Kakaley)
6. Danielle Hall (J. Jamieson)
7. Mission Brief (Y. Gingras)
Bee A Magician, who was entered in the Breeders Crown Open Trot, will try to join Peace Corps, Grades Singing, and Mack Lobell as the only trotters in history with three or more Breeders Crown titles. She has won 10 of 15 races this season, earning $888,545, and has finished worse than second only once.
Trained by Richard “Nifty” Norman, the daughter of stallion Kadabra out of the mare Beehive has won 41 of 62 lifetime races and earned $3.62 million. She was the Horse of the Year in both the U.S. and Canada in 2013.
Open Trot (with listed drivers)
1. Flanagan Memory (T. Tetrick)
2. Resolve (A. Svanstedt)
3. Gural Hanover (M. Kakaley)
4. Bee A Magician (B. Sears)
5. Intimidate (S. Filion)
6. Creatine (Jo. Takter)
7. Master Of Law (Br. Miller)
The Open Trot also features past Breeders Crown winner Intimidate as well as Creatine, Flanagan Memory, Gural Hanover, Master Of Law, and Resolve. The six-year-old Intimidate won the 2012 Breeders Crown for three-year-old male trotters. Creatine, who raced in Europe before returning to the U.S. for the International Trot, is the group’s top money-winner this season, with $507,227, thanks in part to two Grade 1 victories overseas.
In the Mare Pace two-time Breeders Crown champion Anndrovette is joined in the field by Colors A Virgin, Fancy Desire, Katie Said, Lady Shadow, Marquise De Sarah, Sandbetweenurtoes, Skippin By, Venus Delight, and Yagonnakissmeornot.
With a win in the Mare Pace, Anndrovette will tie Jennas Beach Boy, Eternal Camnation, and My Little Dragon for the most Breeders Crown titles by a pacer, with three apiece. Anndrovette is trained by Jeff Bamond Jr., as is Venus Delight, who is the field’s top money-earner this season. Venus Delight has won seven of 16 races and earned $475,665 this year. Her triumphs include the Milton and Artiscape stakes and the Blue Chip Matchmaker Series championship.
On Friday, Woodbine hosts Breeders Crown eliminations for all four two-year-old divisions, with post time of 7:25 p.m. for the night’s first race. Elimination winners draw for inside post positions 1-5 for the finals. All two-year-old finals will go for $600,000.
The Breeders Crown for two-year-old male trotters attracted 12 horses, resulting in a single elimination from which the top eight finishers will join Pennsylvania Sire Stakes champion Lagerfeld and Ontario Sires Stakes champion Tony Soprano in the final. The connections of those horses accepted byes to the final based on seasonal earnings.
Southwind Frank brings an eight-race win streak to the elimination. He is coming off a world-record performance in his division of the International Stallion Stakes and earlier this year won the William Wellwood Memorial and Peter Haughton Memorial stakes. He is the season’s top money-winning two-year-old male trotter, but his connections, led by co-owner/trainer Burke, turned down the bye and will race in the elim.
There are two eliminations for the Breeders Crown for two-year-old male pacers, with undefeated Control The Moment, Ontario Sires Stakes champion Betting Line, and multiple-stakes-winners American Passport and Nvestment Blue Chip landing in the first division. New York Sire Stakes champ Travel Playlist, world champion Spider Man Hanover, and stakes-winners Racing Hill and Big Top Hanover are among the horses in the second elim.
Undefeated filly Pure Country leads the second of two eliminations for the Breeders Crown for two-year-old female pacers. She is 8-for-8 this year for trainer Takter and faces a group that includes New York Sire Stakes champion Dime A Dance plus stakes-winners Darlinonthebeach and Shezarealdeal. The first elim includes New Jersey Sire Stakes champion Blue Moon Stride, and stakes-winners Call Me Queen Be, Soft Idea, and Yankee Moonshine.
Another undefeated filly, Broadway Donna, headlines the first of two eliminations for the Breeders Crown for 2-year-old female trotters. Unbeaten in nine starts for trainer Jim Campbell, Broadway Donna faces a group that includes Celebrity Eventsy, Emoticon Hanover, and Kathy Parker. The second elimination is led by once-beaten Peaceful Way winner Caprice Hill and also includes Sunset Glider and All The Time.
On Saturday, Woodbine will host Breeders Crown eliminations for the Open Pace, three-year-old colt pace, and three-year-old filly pace. The top five finishers from each elimination return for their respective final. Saturday's post time is 7:25 p.m. and once again the elimination winners draw for inside post positions 1-5 for the finals.
Fourteen horses entered the Open Pace and were divided into two elims. The second group features Ian Moore-trained State Treasurer, who leads all older pacers in money this season with $857,607 and counts the Canadian Pacing Derby among his nine victories this year. The group also includes Haughton Memorial winner Mach It So, Always B Miki, and Doo Wop Hanover. The first elimination includes two past Breeders Crown champions, McWicked and Foiled Again, as well as recent Allerage winner JK Endofanera.
The Breeders Crown for three-year-old male pacers also drew 14 entries. Freaky Feet Pete, a $62,500 supplemental entry and recent winner over No. 1-ranked Wiggle It Jiggleit, is in the first division, along with Adios winner Dudes The Man. North America Cup winner Wakizashi Hanover and recent Tattersalls Pace winner Artspeak are among the horses in the second elim, as well as returning Breeders Crown champion Traceur Hanover.
Eighteen horses were entered in the Breeders Crown for three-year-old female pacers. The first division includes Bettor Be Steppin and the second includes Divine Caroline, two multiple-stakes-winners from the stable of trainer Joe Holloway. The second elim also features Jugette winner Sassa Hanover and Fan Hanover winner Wrangler Magic. The first elim includes newly minted Ontario Sires Stakes champion Solar Sister.
Elimination winners draw for inside post positions (Post 1 through Post 5). Post positions will be drawn Saturday, October 17 after the elimination races. First-race post time is 7:25 p.m. for both nights.
The $500,000 Breeders Crown Three-Year-Old Colt Trot and $531,250 Three-Year-Old Colt Pace will be drawn at a press conference hosted by honourary drawmaster CFL Commissioner Jeffrey Orridge at Woodbine Racetrack on Tuesday, October 20. The sophomore colt pace division contains the supplemental entry of Indiana sensation Freaky Feet Pete.
To view the entries for the Breeders Crown eliminations, and for past performances for the Breeders Crown entrants courtesy TrackIT, click one of the following links:
Friday (Two-Year-Old eliminations):
Saturday: (Three-Year-Old & Open eliminations):
(with files from the Hambletonian Society/HRC)
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