Two of the sport’s Top 10 stars, three-year-old female pacer Sylvia Hanover and two-year-old female pacer Geocentric, will lead a total of 60 horses into Friday’s Breeders Crown eliminations at Harrah’s Hoosier Park.
Twelve horses entered both the Breeders Crown for three-year-old female pacers and two-year-old female pacers, requiring two eliminations for each group. There also will be two elims for the Breeders Crown for three-year-old female trotters, which had 14 horses enter.
The top five finishers from each of those eliminations will advance to their respective finals.
Twenty-two horses entered the Breeders Crown for two-year-old male pacers, setting up three eliminations. The top three finishers from each elim plus the fourth-place finisher with the highest earnings will advance to the final.
All elimination winners will draw for posts one through five in their respective finals. The starting positions for the remainder of the fields will be determined by open draws. The finals will be raced with 10-horse fields, with post 10 being in the second tier.
Post positions for Thursday’s eliminations for two-year-old trotters were drawn on Monday. Breeders Crown entries for three-year-old colts and geldings as well as older male and female pacers and trotters are due by 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, with necessary elims on Saturday.
The finals for two-year-olds will be Oct. 27 at Hoosier Park. The remaining finals will be Oct. 28. Post time is 6 p.m. (EDT) both nights.
Sylvia Hanover, a returning Breeders Crown champion who is ranked No. 2 in the current Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll, will start from post three in the second of Friday’s two $25,000 elims for three-year-old female pacers. Bob McClure will drive the filly for trainer Mark Steacy.
The daughter of Always B Miki-Shyaway has won nine of 11 races this season, earning $533,125, and counts the Fan Hanover Stakes and Mistletoe Shalee among eight Grand Circuit scores in 2023. Her most recent victory was on Oct. 8 in a division of the Glen Garnsey Memorial at Lexington’s Red Mile.
Twin B Joe Fresh, who won the other Garnsey split, will start from post five in the first Breeders Crown elim, with Dexter Dunn in the sulky for trainer Chris Ryder. Twin B Joe Fresh, a daughter of Roll With Joe-Fresh Breeze, has won nine of 13 races this year and $698,777 in purses. Her victories include the James M. Lynch Memorial and Kentucky Sire Stakes Championship Series final.
Geocentric, who is undefeated in eight races and ranked No. 6 in the Top 10, will start from post two in the second of the two $25,000 elims for two-year-old female pacers with Tim Tetrick driving for trainer Brian Brown. The daughter of Sweet Lou-Geometry has won on the Grand Circuit and collected sire stakes titles in Pennsylvania and Kentucky, earning $536,751 for the year.
The second elim also includes My Girl EJ, who is the season’s fastest two-year-old pacer, with a best win time of 1:49.1. The daughter of Sweet Lou-Lucys Pearl will leave from post five with Dexter Dunn listed to drive for trainer Ron Burke.
The first elimination includes Shes A Great Lady Stakes winner Its A Love Thing in a rematch of last weekend's Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final with champion Pass Line.
Its A Love Thing, a daughter of Bettors Delight-Love For Sail, will start from post one with James MacDonald driving for Dave Menary. Pass Line, a daughter of All Bets Off-Breakheart Pass, will leave from post two with Yannick Gingras driving for Burke.
In the elims for three-year-old female trotters, Hambletonian Oaks winner Heaven Hanover, Kentucky Filly Futurity winner Mommamia Volo and returning Breeders Crown champ Special Way will meet in the first of two $25,000 splits.
Heaven Hanover, a daughter of Father Patrick-Hillarmbro, will start from post five with Brian Sears driving for Marcus Melander. Mommamia Volo, a daughter of Tactical Landing-Margarita Momma, goes from post four with Todd McCarthy driving for Carter Pinske. Special Way, a daughter of Walner-Special Hill, leaves from post seven with driver Tim Tetrick listed for trainer Ake Svanstedt.
Svanstedt-trained Bond, the winner of the Elegantimage Stakes and Delmonica Hanover, will start from post two in the second elimination. The daughter of Southwind Frank-Boccone Dolce will have Svanstedt in the sulky.
In the first of the three $25,000 eliminations for two-year-old male pacers, Better Is Nice, a sire stakes champion in New Jersey and Kentucky, will start from post seven. The son of Bettors Wish-Thatsoveryverynice will be driven by Andy McCarthy for trainer Tony Alagna.
The field also includes once-beaten Newsroom, a son of Always B Miki-Well Hello There, who will start from post five with David Miller driving for Joe Holloway.
New York Sire Stakes champion Boston Rocks, a son of Boston Red Rocks-Scirocco Sarah, will leave from post seven in the second elimination, with Tim Tetrick driving for Steve Elliott. Ontario Sires Stakes champ Storm Shadow will start from post five with Bob McClure in the sulky for Ian Moore.
The third elim finds once-beaten Pennsylvania Sire Stakes champ Captain Albano, a son of Captaintreacherous-Angelou, leaving from post four with Todd McCarthy driving for Noel Daley. Legendary Hanover, whose only setback this year was a second-place finish in the Metro Pace, starts from post six. The son of Huntsville-Lillian Hanover will have James MacDonald driving for Linda Toscano.
Racing begins at 6:15 p.m. (EDT) on Friday. For complete entries, click here. For free daily program pages, click here.
(With files from USTA/Breeders Crown)
Canadian racetrack nostalgia
Most of the Non-Breeders Crown races on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday are named after North American racetracks that no longer exist. Two of the tracks on Friday night's card were in Canada. Can anyone guess which 2 tracks received the honors? (this could be a SC Rewind question!) The correct answer: Race 7: Northlands; Race 15: Blue Bonnets.