There was very little change in the most recent edition of the Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown top 10 poll.
Only one horse in last week’s poll was in action, as Shartin N finished fourth in the preferred handicap at the Meadowlands Racetrack on Saturday (Oct. 17). She dropped one spot in this week’s rankings, from seventh to eighth.
Kissin In The Sand moved up a notch to seventh.
There were no other changes in the rankings. Tall Dark Stranger remained No. 1 followed by Party Girl Hill, Ramona Hill, Atlanta, and Gimpanzee in the top five.
Tall Dark Stranger, pictured victorious in the Tattersalls Stakes on October 11, 2020.
Tall Dark Stranger received 21 first-place votes and Party Girl Hill received the remaining 14.
The Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll does not determine Horse of the Year. The members of the U.S. Harness Writers Association vote on all Dan Patch Award division winners plus Trotter of the Year, Pacer of the Year and Horse of the Year.
Rankings based on the votes of harness racing media representatives on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.
Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown Standardbred Poll: Week 15 – 10/20/2020
| Rank | Name (First Votes) | A/G/S | Record | Earnings | Points | Pvs |
| 1 | Tall Dark Stranger (21) | 3pc | 11-10-0-0 | $1,177,681 | 335 | 1 |
| 2 | Party Girl Hill (14) | 3pf | 13-13-0-0 | $736,620 | 326 | 2 |
| 3 | Ramona Hill | 3tf | 9-6-1-1 | $915,615 | 263 | 3 |
| 4 | Atlanta | 5tm | 10-5-3-0 | $613,814 | 227 | 4 |
| 5 | Gimpanzee | 4th | 9-6-1-1 | $718,464 | 161 | 5 |
| 6 | Perfect Sting | 2pc | 8-8-0-0 | $304,300 | 147 | 6 |
| 7 | Kissin In The Sand | 5pm | 9-5-1-0 | $257,484 | 99 | 8 |
| 8 | Shartin N | 7pm | 8-5-2-0 | $328,069 | 97 | 7 |
| 9 | Bettors Wish | 4ph | 9-4-1-2 | $372,232 | 73 | 9 |
| 10 | Test Of Faith | 2pf | 9-8-1-0 | $500,000 | 48 | 10 |
ALSO: Sorella 35; Amigo Volo 19; Action Uncle, Captain Corey, Ready For Moni 14; Pemberton 10; Donna Soprano 7; Manchego, Tattoo Artist 6; Charlie May 4; Peaky Sneaky, Southwind Gendry 3; Cattlewash, Southwind Tyrion, Venerate, Warrawee Vital 2; Cuatro De Julio, Hypnotic AM, Love A Good Story, Reflect With Me, Scootnroll, Woodmere Stealdeal 1.
(USTA)
I think we can now safely say
I think we can now safely say that a 3yo pacer will be named HOTY in 2020.