Confederate, ranked No. 1 in the sport’s Top 10, and returning champions Ammo, Jiggy Jog S, Grace Hill, Treacherous Dragon and Gaines Hanover will be among the horses in action on Saturday, Oct. 21 when Harrah’s Hoosier Park hosts the last of three nights of Breeders Crown eliminations.
Eliminations will be contested on Saturday for three-year-old male pacers and trotters as well as older male and female pacers and trotters. Eliminations for two-year-old trotters are set for Thursday, followed by two-year-old pacers and three-year-old fillies on Friday.
The finals for two-year-olds will be on Oct. 27 at Hoosier Park. The remaining champions will be crowned on Oct. 28.
Eighty-nine horses were entered in Saturday’s eliminations, bringing the total for the entire event to a record 185. Eliminations, going for $25,000 each, are necessary for all 12 divisions. Elimination winners will draw for posts one through five in their respective finals. The finals will be raced with 10-horse fields, with post 10 being in the second tier.
Confederate, the unanimous No. 1-ranked horse in the Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll, will bring an eight-race win streak to the first of three eliminations for three-year-old male pacers. He has captured seven in a row by a margin of at least two lengths and is a head from being undefeated in 11 starts this season. His triumphs include the Meadowlands Pace, Cane Pace and Max C. Hempt Memorial.
His only setbacks in his past 17 starts dating back to August 2022 were second-place finishes in this year’s North America Cup to Its My Show and in last year’s Breeders Crown final for rookie male pacers by a half-length to Ammo.
Confederate, who leads all pacers in the sport with $1.29 million in purses this year and is the fastest three-year-old in history thanks to his 1:46.1 mile on Sept. 4 at the Red Mile, will start on Saturday from post four with Tim Tetrick driving for trainer Brett Pelling.
Its My Show, who has earned $1.1 million this season and also counts the Little Brown Jug among his nine wins, will start from post six in the second elimination. Its My Show is ranked No. 7 in the Top 10. Ammo, who won last year’s Breeders Crown at odds of 52-1 from post nine at Woodbine Mohawk Park, also is in the second elim, leaving from post three.
Delvin Miller Adios winner Cannibal, who has captured 11 of 14 races this year, leads the field in the third elim, and starts from post seven.
The top three finishers from each elimination plus the fourth-place finisher with the highest seasonal earnings will advance to the $600,000 final.
In the three eliminations for three-year-old male trotters, Hambletonian and Kentucky Futurity winner Tactical Approach will start from post two in the second split. Ranked No. 5 in the Top 10, the colt has earned just shy of $1 million this season. The second elim also includes last year’s freshman Crown champ, Gaines Hanover, who will leave from post five.
Canadian Trotting Classic winner Celebrity Bambino, who finished second in last year’s Breeders Crown, will start from post five in the first elimination. The field also includes Hambletonian runner-up Oh Well, from post four, and Pennsylvania Sire Stakes champ French Wine, from post six.
Elimination three includes Kentucky Sire Stakes Championship Series winner Ari Ferrari J, leaving from post six, and Ontario Sires Stakes champion Ghostly Casper, starting from post two. Supplemental entry Helpfirstedition, the Indiana Sire Stakes champ, is in post four.
The top three finishers from each elimination plus the fourth-place finisher with the highest seasonal earnings will advance to the $672,000 final.
In the Open Pace, last year’s runner-up Tattoo Artist will bring a six-race win streak to the first of two eliminations. The Canadian Pacing Derby winner, ranked No. 4 in the Top 10, will start from post five. Multiple Grand Circuit stakes-winner Bythemissal, ranked No. 9, will leave from post four in the second elim.
The top five finishers from each elimination advance to the $600,000 final.
Eleven horses entered the Open Trot, resulting in two horses — Maple Leaf Trot winner Alrajah One IT and Rattle My Cage — receiving byes to advance directly to the $600,000 final. The remaining nine horses will compete for the eight spots left in the final. Its Academic, who earlier this year won the Caesars Trotting Classic at Hoosier and John Cashman Memorial, will start from post six.
Two Crown winners from a year ago, Grace Hill and Treacherous Dragon, were among the 13 horses entered in the Mare Pace. Treacherous Dragon, last year’s three-year-old filly champ, will race from post six in the first elimination while Grace Hill, last year’s Mare Pace champ, will leave from post seven in the second. Grace Hill is ranked No. 8 in the Top 10.
The first elimination also includes Lady Liberty winner Silver Label and Dorothy Haughton Memorial winner Mikala.
The top five finishers from each elim will advance to the $400,000 final.
Jiggy Jog S leads the first of two eliminations for the Mare Trot. Jiggy Jog S, last year’s three-year-old champ, will start from post three. She won this season’s Dayton Oaks and Graduate Series final and finished second in the Yonkers International Trot.
M Ms Dream, who won the Hambletonian Maturity and Dr. John R. Steele Memorial, headlines the second elim. She will also leave from post three.
The top five finishers from each elimination advance to the $400,000 final.
Racing begins at 6:15 p.m. (EDT) on Saturday. For complete entries, click here. For free daily program pages, click here.
(With files from USTA/Breeders Crown)
Breeders Crown Trivia
Regardless of what happens in the eliminations on Saturday night, this will be the first time in history in which every horse in a Breeders Crown Final has paced a mile in sub-1:50. The race, of course, is The Breeders Crown Open Pace. And unless Bugaboo Lou finishes 3rd or better in Saturday's 13th race elimination, which is extremely unlikely, every horse in the Breeders Crown 3yopc Final will have also paced a mile in sub-1:50.
Every horse ranked 1-10 in yesterday's Top Ten Poll will be racing in a Breeders Crown elimination this weekend with the exception of TCI, who received a bye to advance directly to the 2yotc final.