The final four post position draws for the 2024 Breeders Crown championships took place on Tuesday, Oct. 22 at a luncheon at Hogan Equine in Cream Ridge, New Jersey.
The post draws were conducted for the Three-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Trot, Three-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Pace, Mare Pace and Open Trot. Elimination winners drew for posts one through six before the remaining finalists were put in an open draw. Video of the draw is available below.
Twin B Joe Fresh, the No. 1-ranked horse in the Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll, will leave from post five in Saturday’s $400,000 USD Breeders Crown Mare Pace at The Meadowlands and was made the 4-5 morning line favourite.
Twin B Joe Fresh, who finished second to Grace Hill in the single Mare Pace elimination last week, has nine wins and two seconds in 11 starts this season for trainer Chris Ryder and driver Dexter Dunn. She has won 28 of 38 lifetime races, missing the top three only twice and earning $2.3 million. She had a nine-race win streak snapped in her Crown elimination, when she started from post 10 at The Big M.
“She’s fine,” said Ryder. “She’ll be ready. I keep saying the same thing, I have to pinch myself. She’s been winning, and winning well. It’s a big joy. It’s very exciting.”
Grace Hill will leave from post three for trainer Virgil Morgan Jr. and driver Todd McCarthy and was established as the 4-1 second choice. Grace Hill captured the Mare Pace in 2022. She has won 35 of 77 races and more than $2 million during her career. She missed the board in four straight starts during the summer but has three consecutive victories, two in conditioned classes, since a month layoff.
“She just needed some time off and we regrouped,” Morgan said after Grace Hill’s elim triumph. “Obviously, it paid off. She was real good in the last two starts, but she’s supposed to be against those horses. That worked to our benefit coming in here.”
The field also includes two-time Breeders Crown champion Sylvia Hanover, who will leave from post nine for trainer Mark Steacy and driver Bob McClure and is 6-1. Canada’s 2023 Horse of the Year has won 20 of 37 lifetime races and earned $2.1 million.
In the draw for the three-year-old colt and gelding pacers, elimination winners Mirage Hanover and Captain Albano got posts one and five, respectively. Elim winners Daiquiri Hanover and T C I drew posts two and six, respectively, in the three-year-old colt and gelding trot final.
There were no eliminations for the Open Trot, which features a field of 11. The draws for the remaining eight Breeders Crown events were conducted previously.
Here is how those fields will line up in this weekend's finals at Meadowlands Racetrack:
$600,000 USD Breeders Crown Three-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Trot
Post - Horse - Listed Driver - Trainer - Odds
1. Private Access – Louis-Philippe Roy – Luc Blais – 15-1
2. Daiquiri Hanover – Ake Svanstedt - Ake Svanstedt – 6-1 (elimination winner)
3. Amazing Catch – Dexter Dunn – Ake Svanstedt – 10-1
4. Highland Kismet – Tim Tetrick – Mark Etsell – 9-2
5. Security Protected – Scott Zeron – Marcus Melander –15-1
6. T C I – David Miller – Ron Burke – 5-2 (elimination winner)
7. Greenspan – Todd McCarthy – Jim Campbell – 20-1
8. Sig Sauer – Andrew McCarthy – Noel Daley – 3-1
9. Secret Agent Man – Andy Miller – Julie Miller – 20-1
10. Tony Adams S – Dexter Dunn – Ake Svanstedt – 5-1
$600,000 USD Breeders Crown Three-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Pace
Post - Horse - Listed Driver - Trainer - Odds
1. Mirage Hanover – Dexter Dunn – Jake Leamon – 9-5 (elimination winner)
2. Nijinsky – Louis-Philippe Roy – Anthony Beaton – 3-1
3. Calicojack Hanover – Louis Roy – Luc Blais – 15-1
4. McCrunch – Andrew McCarthy – Nancy Takter – 15-1
5. Captain Albano – Todd McCarthy – Noel Daley – 8-5 (elimination winner)
6. Sweet Beach Life – Matt Kakaley – Travis Alexander – 20-1
7. Timeisonmyside – Anthony MacDonald – Tim Twaddle – 20-1
8. Gem Quality – Tim Tetrick – Chris Ryder – 15-1
9. Captain Luke – Tim Tetrick – Tony Alagna – 10-1
10. Howlenthehills – Matt Kakaley – Travis Alexander – 25-1
$600,000 USD Breeders Crown Open Trot
Post - Horse - Listed Driver - Trainer - Odds
1. Ari Ferrari J – Jason Bartlett – Tony Alagna – 12-1
2. Up Your Deo – Ake Svanstedt – Ake Svanstedt – 12-1
3. Asteroid – Tim Tetrick – Jeff Cullipher – 20-1
4. Its Academic – David Miller – Ron Burke – 8-1
5. Winners Bet – Dexter Dunn – Nancy Takter – 6-5
6. Hillexotic – Austin Hanners – Todd Luther – 15-1
7. Periculum – Scott Zeron – Marcus Melander – 9-2
8. Hasty Bid – James MacDonald – Nancy Takter – 20-1
9. Bestfriend Volo – Yannick Gingras – Nancy Takter – 20-1
10. Logan Park – Dexter Dunn – Rob Fellows – 3-1
11]. Oh Well – Todd McCarthy – Marcus Melander – 10-1
$400,000 USD Breeders Crown Mare Pace
Post - Horse - Listed Driver - Trainer - Odds
1. Always B Naughty – Yannick Gingras – Nancy Takter – 10-1
2. Strong Poison – Yannick Gingras – Virgil Morgan Jr. – 12-1 (received bye)
3. Grace Hill – Todd McCarthy – Virgil Morgan Jr. – 4-1 (elimination winner)
4. Silver Label – Scott Zeron – Nick Gallucci – 8-1 (received bye)
5. Twin B Joe Fresh – Dexter Dunn – Chris Ryder – 4-5
6. Kobes Gigi – David Miller – Ron Burke – 20-1
7. Beach Cowgirl – Jason Bartlett – Ron Burke – 25-1
8. Dabarndawgswatchin – Tim Tetrick – David Menary – 20-1
9. Sylvia Hanover – Bob McClure – Mark Steacy – 6-1
10. Valar Dohaeris – Mark MacDonald – Ake Svanstedt – 25-1
The 2024 Breeders Crown will mark the 41st edition of harness racing’s $7 million USD championship event. The two-year-old Breeders Crown finals will be contested on Friday, Oct. 25 while the three-year-olds and open competitors will face off on Saturday, Oct. 26. Post time is 6:20 p.m. both nights. FOX Sports will air coverage from 8-11 p.m. both nights; Friday on FS1, Saturday on FS2, and live video from the full cards will also be available on the SC website.
For complete coverage of 2024 Breeders Crown events, including last weekend's elimination races, click here.
Meadowlands Racetrack provided live stream of the post position draws, which is available below.
(Standardbred Canada; with files from the Breeders Crown)