Karl, who last month missed equalling the world record for two-year-old male trotters by one-fifth of a second, will be among a group of 15 freshman colts and geldings competing in Breeders Crown eliminations on Thursday, Oct. 19 at Harrah’s Hoosier Park.
Karl will start from post one in the first of two $25,000 eliminations for the two-year-old male trotters. The top four finishers from each elim, plus the fifth-place finisher with the highest earnings, will join T C I in the $700,000 final on Oct. 27 at Hoosier.
T C I, the winner of 10 of 11 races and $1.29 million this season, advanced directly to the final thanks to his victory in the Peter Haughton Memorial on Sept. 15 at Hoosier.
In addition to the boys being in action, there will be three $25,000 Breeders Crown eliminations for two-year-old female trotters on Thursday at Hoosier. The top three finishers from each elim will join Soiree Hanover in the $700,000 final on Oct. 27. Soiree Hanover received her spot by capturing the Jim Doherty Memorial at Hoosier last month.
All elimination winners, as well as T C I and Soiree Hanover, will draw for posts one through five in their respective finals. The starting positions for the remainder of the two fields will be determined by open draws. The finals will be raced with 10-horse fields, with post 10 being in the second tier.
Breeders Crown entries for two-year-old male and female pacers, three-year-old female pacers, and three-year-old female trotters are due by 1:30 p.m. (EDT) on Tuesday. Eliminations, if necessary, will be held on Friday. The remaining Breeders Crown entries are due by 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, with necessary elims on Saturday.
Karl has won five of six races this season, with his lone defeat coming by a nose to T C I in a division of the International Stallion Stakes on Oct. 6 at the Red Mile. His wins include the Kentucky Sire Stakes Championship Series final and a division of the Bluegrass Stakes on Sept. 28, when he trotted his near-record 1:51.2 mile.
The first elimination also includes Mars Hill, a Bluegrass winner and runner-up to T C I in the William Wellwood Memorial, and Dashing Danny, who began his career on the Indiana fairs circuit and finished second behind Musclefantastic in last week’s Indiana Sire Stakes championship.
Musclefantastic is among the horses in the second elim for the boys. The group also includes Grand Circuit winners Security Protected, Dame Good Time and Pick Pocket.
The first elimination for the two-year-old trotting fillies includes Buy A Round, who counts the New Jersey Sire Stakes final and two Grand Circuit events among her five wins, as well as R Melina, who won the Kentuckiana Stallion Management Stakes in a track record 1:53.1 at Hoosier, and Pennsylvania Sire Stakes champ Sierra Girl.
Peaceful Way Stakes winner Drawn Impression is among the six fillies in the second elim, along with New York Sire Stakes champ Senorita Palema, Ohio Sire Stakes champ Sugar Instead and Grand Circuit winners Miss I La and Pizzelle.
The third elimination includes Kentucky Sire Stakes Championship Series winner Date Night Hanover and Grand Circuit winners Warrawee Michelle and Emoji Hanover.
Racing begins at 6:15 p.m. (EDT) on Thursday. For complete entries, click here. For free daily program pages, click here.
Following are the fields for Thursday’s Breeders Crown eliminations.
TWO-YEAR-OLD MALE TROTTERS
First Elimination (Race 9)
Post – Horse – Driver – Trainer
1. Karl – Yannick Gingras – Nancy Takter
2. Wild Ticket – Brian Sears – Marcus Melander
3. Mr Bluebird – Ake Svanstedt – Ake Svanstedt
4. Mars Hill – Todd McCarthy – Tony Alagna
5. Dashing Danny – Kyle Wilfong – Jeff Cullipher
6. Vanguard – Tim Tetrick – Brian Brown
7. Greenspan – Dexter Dunn – Jim Campbell
8. Southwind Metric – Ake Svanstedt – Ake Svanstedt
Second Elimination (Race 11)
Post – Horse – Driver – Trainer
1. Dame Good Time – Scott Zeron – Robert Bath
2. Situationship – Ake Svanstedt – Ake Svanstedt
3. Pick Pocket – Anthony MacDonald – Eric Patalan
4. Private Access – Louis Roy – Luc Blais
5. Security Protected – Tim Tetrick – Marcus Melander
6. Musclefantastic – Robert Taylor – Robert Taylor
7. Magic Hill – Scott Zeron – Nancy Takter
TWO-YEAR-OLD FEMALE TROTTERS
First Elimination (Race 3)
Post – Horse – Driver – Trainer
1. Draw The Line – Scott Zeron – Dustin Jones
2. Volcanic Blue Chip – Ake Svanstedt – Ake Svanstedt
3. Chapalonia – David Miller – Annie Stoebe
4. R Melina – Tim Tetrick – John Butenschoen
5. Buy A Round – Andrew McCarthy – Noel Daley
6. One World – Dexter Dunn – Lucas Wallin
7. Sierra Girl – Ake Svanstedt – Ake Svanstedt
Second Elimination (Race 5)
Post – Horse – Driver – Trainer
1. Drawn Impression – Louis Roy – Luc Blais
2. Senorita Palema – Tim Tetrick – Ake Svanstedt
3. Miss I La – Scott Zeron – Noel Daley
4. Pizzelle – David Miller – Chris Beaver
5. Sugar Instead – Ronnie Gillespie – Virgil Morgan Jr.
6. Graceful Design – Andrew McCarthy – Tony Alagna
Third Elimination (Race 7)
Post – Horse – Driver – Trainer
1. Warrawee Michelle – Ake Svanstedt – Ake Svanstedt
2. Emoji Hanover – Louis Roy – Luc Blais
3. Chaparmbro – Brian Sears – Trond Smedshammer
4. Jakarta Hanover – Andy Miller – Todd Schadel
5. Date Night Hanover – Brian Sears – Marcus Melander
6. Justasiam As – Tony Hall – Anette Lorentzon
(USTA/Breeders Crown)