Two-year-old pacing colts and geldings faced off in three $25,000 Breeders Crown eliminations on Friday night (Oct. 22) at Meadowlands Racetrack, vying for a spot in next weekend's $600,000 championship.
The top three finishers from each elimination plus the fourth-place finisher with the highest money earnings will advance to the final, with the winners drawing from posts one through five.
Metro Pace champion Monte Miki and driver Scott Zeron held off undefeated Hammering Hank (Dexter Dunn) by a half-length in a career-best 1:50.4 after taking the lead in the backstretch and duelling with the favoured rookie rival the final quarter-mile. Early leader Gentle Giant (David Miller) finished third, with Market Based (Andy McCarthy) following in fourth.
Velocity Standardbreds' homebred colt by Always B Miki out of Montenegro has finished no worse than third in six career starts. A five-time winner, he's banked more than $450,000 thanks in large part to his upset victory from post 11 in the $824,000 Metro on September 25 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Monte Miki paid $11.80 to win as the 4-1 third choice after finishing third in the International Stallion Stakes at The Red Mile last time out on October 9.
"Anyone who stands beside him [can see] he's a gorgeous horse, beautiful stature," said Zeron of the Mark Evers trainee. "If anything, he's just a little immature. Mark did a great job changing his bridle up today to a Kant See Back from a closed [bridle] and that was the issue I had last [time] coming first-up. I cleared by the leader and he just waited a little bit and coming a :26 quarter at Lexington, I couldn't have him stall like that. So today when I was on front with the Kant See Back, the second he saw somebody, he fought tough."
Six Feet Apart and driver David Miller caught 1-5 favourite Beach Glass at the finish to win the second elimination in a new lifetime mark of 1:50.2. He paid $25.20 for the upset.
Beach Glass, who was perfect through his first three starts, made an authoritative move after a :26.4 opening quarter, sweeping to command from third and leading past the half in :54.4 and three-quarters in 1:22.3 with Six Feet Apart lurking first-over and poised for a late stretch surge to get by just in time. I Did It Myway (Todd McCarthy) closed for third, with True Blue Lindy (Tim Tetrick) finishing fourth.
"He's the type of horse, he just goes what he has to so he can go a bit more I believe," said Miller. "I was real happy with his effort. I thought maybe Timmy [Tetrick and True Blue Lindy] would come at the half, so now he's first-over and I didn't know how he would hold up, and halfway through the stretch he kept coming. He's that type of horse."
Brian Brown trains the Sweet Lou-Ideal Love colt, who picked up his four prior wins in the Kentucky Commonwealth Series. He's earned $93,225 from eight career starts for owners Michael Robinson, Robert Mondillo, David Meola and Rich Lombardo Racing LLC.
"We've gotten along real good, me and him together," said Miller. "They started him out in the Commonwealth down there and after this first win, we talked it over and I said I'd just leave him in this class and let him learn how to race, and he's got the hang of it."
The third elimination ended in a three-way photo finish with 6-5 favourite Pebble Beach and driver Todd McCarthy prevailing by a nose in 1:51.3 over Gulf Shores (David Miller) and Early Action (Brian Sears). Early leader Loukes Perry (Joe Bongiorno) finished back in fourth.
After three early lead changes, the Noel Daley-trained Pebble Beach was spotted moving up second-over approaching the :55.3 half and he fanned three-wide past three-quarters in 1:24 as Early Action led into the stretch. Gulf Shores split that pair from the pocket to make it a three-across finish, but Pebble Beach dug deep to get the job done and returned $4.20 to win.
"I've had him on front a couple times and he has won there, but he can be a little cheeky late. But when he has a target, he loves chasing one down," said McCarthy of the colt's preferred racing style. "I got away a little farther back than I would have liked, but I trust his speed and I just thought as long as we didn't run into any bad luck, I knew he'd be getting home pretty good.
"He was waiting for a battle, but he dug deep on the wire and he did what he had to do. I'm very pleased going into next week with him."
The Downbytheseaside-Santa Rosa colt has hit the board in all 10 of his career starts, with seven winning efforts including a sub-1:49 mile in the Kentucky Championship Series final and a victory last time out in the International Stallion Stakes. He's closing in on $300,000 in earnings for owners Patricia Stable, Joe Sbrocco, Country Club Acres Inc., and La Express And Jaf Racing.
Here is a look at the field in post position order for next Friday's $600,000 Breeders Crown Two-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Pace:
$600,000 Breeders Crown Two-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Pace
Post - Horse - Driver - Trainer
1. Gentle Giant - David Miller - Brian Brown
2. Monte Miki - Scott Zeron - Mark Evers
3. Pebble Beach - Todd McCarthy - Noel Daley
4. Six Feet Apart - David Miller - Brian Brown
5. I Did It Myway - Todd McCarthy - Tony Alagna
6. Gulf Shores - David Miller - Brian Brown
7. Beach Glass - Paul MacDonell - Brent MacGrath
8. Hammering Hank - Dexter Dunn - Brett Pelling
9. True Blue Lindy - Tim Tetrick - Jeff Cullipher
10. Early Action - Brian Sears - Joe Holloway
AE1. Market Based - Andy McCarthy - Nancy Takter
AE2. Loukes Perry - Joe Bongiorno - Ron Burke
In the event any horse who earned a berth into a Breeders Crown final is forced to scratch, an also-eligible entrant may take their place.
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