The two-year-old eliminations for the 2012 Breeders Crown were contested on Friday night at Woodbine Racetrack.
Friday's elimination round included two events for pacing colts, one for pacing fillies, and one elimination for trotting colts.
Captaintreacherous and driver Tim Tetrick kicked off the action with a 1:50 three and three-quarter length score in the first $24,635 two-year-old pacing colt elim. Vegas Vacation (Scott Zeron) followed in second with Rockin Amadeus (Yannick Gingras) third, Dress The Part (John Campbell) fourth, and Twilight Bonfire (Ron Pierce) fifth.
Rockin Amadeus fired to command from the outside post seven and cut an opening quarter of :26.3 with the parked out Dress The Part rolling up to take over the lead into the backstretch. Meanwhile, Emeritus Maximus (Andy Miller) broke stride in third ahead of heavy 1-9 favourite Captaintreacherous.
Dress The Part led the way to the half in :55.3 before Tetrick made his move with Captaintreacherous. The Metro Pace champion swept to command and reached three-quarters in 1:23.3 before kicking away from the field with a :26.2 final frame. Captaintreacherous paid $2.30 to win.
“He does everything right, he wasn’t at the top of his game last week and he still gave it his all,” said Tetrick. “I love driving good horses and that’s why I worked so hard to get to the top.”
Tony Alagna trains the Somebeachsomewhere-Wordly Treasure colt for owners Marvin Katz of Toronto, Brittany Farms of Versailles, Kentucky, Joe Sbrocco of Brecksville, Ohio, and breeder White Birch Farm of Allentown, New Jersey.
The $250,000 Lexington Selected Sale purchase is just a neck short of a perfect freshman season with over $840,000 banked in purses.
Wake Up Peter, driven by Scott Zeron, unleashed a strong closing kick to win in 1:51.1 and complete a Alagna sweep of the two-year-old pacing colt eliminations. Apprentice Hanover (Jody Jamieson) settled for second as the 3-5 favourite with Captive Audience (Brian Sears) third, Urbanite Hanover (Tim Tetrick) fourth, and Fool Me Once (Ron Pierce) fifth.
Apprentice Hanover left from post five and established the lead during a :26.4 opening panel. He then led the field through middle fractions of :56 and 1:24.2 with Captive Audience advancing first over and Wake Up Peter gapping his cover.
Apprentice Hanover was faced with challengers from both sides in the stretch as Captive Audience applied pressure on the outside and pocket-sitter Fool Me Once slipped up the inside, but the late-closing Wake Up Peter rushed by them all for the one and three-quarter length victory. He paid $28 for the 13-1 upset.
“We’ve been high on this colt all year,” said Alagna in the winner's circle. “He had a breathing problem early in the season, but we fixed that. He’s a little lazy, but that’s okay with me. I told Scott [the colt] is as sharp as he could be tonight.”
The Rocknroll Hanover-Lovely Lady colt is owned by Alagna Racing LLC of Steger, Illinois, Louis Willinger of Louisville, Kentucky, Eagles Soar Partners of Staten Island, New York, and the Wake Up Peter Partners of Millstone, New Jersey.
The victory was the second in eight starts for the colt, who has earned nearly $140,000 in purses so far in his career.
The field for next week's final is listed below in post position order. Elimination winners earned the right to pick their posts.
$591,240 Breeders Crown Two-Year-Old Colt Pace
PP-Horse-Driver Listed
1. Dress The Part - John Campbell
2. Rockin Amadeus - Yannick Gingras
3. Captaintreacherous - Tim Tetrick
4. Wake Up Peter - Andy Miller
5. Twilight Bonfire - Ron Pierce
6. Vegas Vacation - Scott Zeron
7. Apprentice Hanover - Jody Jamieson
8. Fool Me Once - Ron Pierce
9. Urbanite Hanover - Tim Tetrick
10. Captive Audience - Brian Sears
With Andy Miller in the bike, Somwherovrarainbow pulled off a 10-1 upset in a career-best 1:51.2 in the $24,635 elimination for two-year-old pacing fillies. Love Canal (Jody Jamieson) finished second with L Dees Lioness (Scott Zeron) rounding out the top three. Art Ideal (Yannick Gingras), Wherethegirls (Ron Pierce), Mattie Terror Girl (Dave Palone) and Hit The Curb (Jim Morrill Jr.) earned the remaining spots in next week’s final and will be joined by I Luv The Nitelife, Parlee Beach, and UF Dragons Queen, who accepted byes.
When the wings of the gate closed, post seven starter L Dees Lioness crossed over to the pylons ahead of insider Somwherovrarainbow and posted a :26.3 opening panel before being confronted down the backstretch.
Power Pack Hanover (David Miller) swept from sixth to first, clearing to command past the half-mile mark of :56.1. She then led the way to three-quarters in 1:23.4 with L Dees Lioness pulling the pocket around the final turn.
L Dees Lioness collared the leader into the stretch, but Somwherovrarainbow came flying by on the outside to win by four and a half lengths. The George Teague Jr. trainee returned $23.10 to her backers.
“George’s horses are generally on their toes and ready to go," said Miller after the victory. "When I was following L Dees Lioness, she [Somwherovrarainbow] was waiting for me to pull then approaching the wire; she dragged me along, she did it on her own."
The Somebeachsomewhere filly out of Breeders Crown champion Rainbow Blue has won half of her eight starts to date while banking nearly $120,000. She is owned and bred by K And R Racing LLC of Houston, Delaware and George Teague JR Inc. of Harrington, Delaware.
Nikki Beach was refunded for failing to make it inside the fair start pole at the beginning of the race while Belle Boyd was scratched.
The field for the final is listed below in post position order.
$591,240 Breeders Crown Two-Year-Old Filly Pace
PP-Horse-Driver Listed
1. L Dees Lioness - Scott Zeron
2. Somwherovrarainbow - Andy Miller
3. Parlee Beach - John Campbell
4. Art Ideal - Yannick Gingras
5. I Luv The Nitelife - Jack Moiseyev
6. Mattie Terror Girl - Dave Palone
7. Love Canal - Jody Jamieson
8. Hit The Curb - Jim Morrill Jr.
9. Wherethegirlsare - Ron Pierce
10. UF Dragons Queen - David Miller
Wheeling N Dealin, driven by Sylvain Filion, remained undefeated in the $24,635 two-year-old trotting colt elimination as he held off Royalty For Life (Tim Tetrick) to win in 1:55.1. Your So Vain (John Campbell) finished third with Caveat Emptor (Ray Schnittker), Pine Credit (Lewayne Miller), Show Ticket (Ron Pierce), Its Payday Friday (Chris Christoforou) and Majestized (Jack Moiseyev) completing the top eight colts who will join the trotters with byes -- Dontyouforgetit and Major Athens -- in the final.
Filion fired Wheeling N Dealin off the gate from post eight in an early attempt to make the lead, but settled into the pocket behind the persistent insider, Murmur Hanover (Mario Baillargeon), who led the way through a :28 opening panel.
Wheeling N Dealin took over down the backstretch en route to the half in :58 and fronted the field through three-quarters in 1:27.3 with Murmur Hanover making a costly break in stride while Royalty For Life advanced first over and Your So Vain followed his cover.
Wheeling N Dealin was confronted by Royalty For Life into the stretch and the top two took off from the rest of the field. Digging in on the inside, Wheeling N Dealin held on to score by half a length for the eighth consecutive time for trainer Dustin Jones. He paid $3.90 to win as the 8-5 favourite.
"My heart was pounding pretty good there when he was coming down the stretch," commented Jones in the winner's circle.
The Cantab Hall-Quick Credit colt, a $100,000 Harrisburg Sale purchase, lifted his bankroll to more than $387,000 for owner Ecurie Synergie of Montreal, Que.
Fashion Blizzard was refunded for failing to make it inside the fair start pole at the beginning of the race.
Post positions for next week's final are listed below.
$591,240 Two-Year-Old Colt Trot
PP-Horse-Driver Listed
1. Pine Credit - Lewayne Miller
2. Dontyouforgetit - Yannick Gingras
3. Wheeling N Dealin – Sylvain Filion
4. Major Athens - Brian Sears
5. Your So Vain- John Campbell
6. Majestized - Jack Moiseyev
7. Caveat Emptor - Ray Schnittker
8. Its Payday Friday - Chris Christoforou Jr.
9. Royalty For Life - Tim Tetrick
10. Show Ticket - Ron Pierce
Eliminations were not necessary for the two-year-old trotting filly division. The field for their final is listed below.
$591,240 Breeders Crown Two-Year-Old Filly Trot
PP-Horse-Driver Listed
1. Handover Belle - Mike Lachance
2. Royal Assets - Tim Tetrick
3. Mistery Woman - David Miller
4. Antsy Dancey - Sylvain Filion
5. Fashion Athena - Brian Sears
6. Bee A Magician - Rick Zeron
7. Time To Kill - John Campbell
8. To Dream On - Yannick Gingras
9. Cupcake - Ron Pierce
10. Frau Blucher - Dave Palone
The sophomore and open divisions requiring eliminations will be held on Saturday, October 20 at Woodbine.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Friday Results - Woodbine Racetrack.