The saying goes that 'it all comes down to the Breeders Crown' but that's usually a reference to divisional honours. The Breeders Crown also plays a major role in the standings for the 2023 TROT Magazine Fantasy Stable Contest.
The TROT Fantasy Stable Contest is based on total earnings of selected horses and five percent of the earnings of selected trainers and drivers between May 26 and Dec. 31, 2023. For the purposes of the fantasy bankroll, the winners (horses only) of the 2023 Breeders Crown Finals will each receive a $200,000 contest bankroll bonus.
There are more than 1,000 contestants looking for big weekends from their selections at Harrah's Hoosier Park, with just four of those stables sporting a bankroll in excess of $6 million. Shane Courbier's Courbier Racing ($6.43 million) leads the way, with Bev Rock's ABR stable ($6.39 million) close behind and early contest leader Randy Proud in third with his Proud Stable ($6.25 million). Mike Parrish's Alysar Racing ($6.2 million) rounds out the $6 million quartet.
A common thread for these stables heading into Breeders Crown weekend: harness racing's top-ranked horse, Confederate as a Group A selection. However, Courbier, Rock and Parrish all have Bythemissal in Group B, with Proud banking on Jiggy Jog S.
For the Group C choice, Proud is also the outlier with Pretender while Courbier, Rock and Parrish all selected divisional rival Its Academic. Proud is also the only member of that top four with Grace Hill in Group D, with Allywag Hanover (Courbier and Parrish) and Mamabcita (Rock) completing their selections.
At the end of the year, the first three finishers (based on total stable earnings) will be awarded betting vouchers in the amount of $500 (first place), $300 (second place) and $100 (third place).
Contest totals are updated daily at 11 a.m. (EDT).
Here are the standings as of October 19, 2023. To see the full list of results, click the following link: 2023 TROT Magazine Fantasy Stable Standings.
| Rank | Stable | Name | City, Province/State | Total Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | COURBIER RACING | Shane Courbier | Grand Rapids, MI | $6,433,847 |
| 2 | ABR | Beverley Rock | Sarnia, ON | $6,386,021 |
| 3 | PROUD STABLE | Randy Proud | Stratford, PE | $6,251,599 |
| 4 | ALYSAR RACING | Mike Parrish | Maplewood, OH | $6,204,245 |
| 5 | MARLEY AND ME III STABLE | Steven J. Blizzard | Fairfax, VA | $5,963,390 |
| 6 | RJD STABLE | Rocky Di Bello | Richmond Hill, ON | $5,939,544 |
| 7 | CROSSOVERS | Gus Pseekos | Barrie, ON | $5,845,623 |
| 8 | TROJAN HORSE | Marco Arbour | Ajax, ON | $5,781,980 |
| 9 | PRESTIGE EQUINE | Joseph Koury | Parkland, FL | $5,763,293 |
| 10 | GREEN HAT STABLE | Peter Gilby | Lantz, NS | $5,717,532 |