The Week 21 results from the 2017 Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown Standardbred Poll are in, and this week’s leader is on top by just four points.
Fear The Dragon is atop the list once again. The three-year-old Dragon Again colt last raced on October 8 in Tattersalls Stakes action at the Red Mile. The Brian Brown-trained and David Miller-driven bay fired from off the pace in the final quarter of the $206,000 dash and got up to nail the wire first by a half length in 1:51.2.
Ariana G, the dominant force in the three-year-old trotting filly ranks, has also been off since October 8, the day in which she finished in second, by a neck, in the $168,000 second heat of the Kentucky Filly Futurity. The Jimmy Takter-trained and Yannick Gingras-driven bay is currently second in the poll.
The results from Week 21 of the poll appear below.
(Rank – Horse [first-place votes] – Total Points – Previous)
1 – Fear The Dragon (19) – 317 – 1
2 – Ariana G (10) – 303 – 2
3 – Manchego (3) – 263 – 3
4 – Hannelore Hanover (4) – 242 – 4
5 – Downbytheseaside – 169 – 5
6 – Resolve – 89 – 6
7 – Emoticon Hanover – 79 – 8
8 – Huntsville – 73 – 7
9 – Blazin Britches – 65 – 9
10 – Twister Bi (3) – 55 –N/A
Also: Filibuster Hanover (45); Agent Q (26); Marion Marauder (22); Lost In Time, What The Hill (21); Caviart Ally (20); Alarm Detector (19); All Bets Off (14); Nike Franco N (13); Devious Man (11); Crazy Wow (9); Rainbow Room (8); Pure Country (7); Nutcracker Sweet (6); Blue Moon Stride, Youaremycandygirl (4); Barn Bella, Dealt A Winner, Idyllic Beach, On A Sunny Day (3); Funknwaffles, Keystone Velocity (2); Fourth Dimension, R First Class, Rockin Ron, Two AM (1).
The Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll is voted on by harness racing media representatives that cover North American Standardbred racing.
The rankings are based on the votes of harness racing media representatives on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.
The Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll does not determine Horse of the Year. The U.S. Harness Writers Association votes in December on all Dan Patch Award division winners plus Trotter of the Year, Pacer of the Year and Horse of the Year. The Dan Patch Awards are separate from the O'Brien Awards, which recognize Canada's top Standardbreds of a given racing season.