In harness racing, 'it all comes down to the Breeders Crown' ...in more ways than one.
The lucrative championship finals slated for this Friday, Oct. 25 and Saturday, Oct. 26 at The Meadowlands not only play a major role in the minds of voters for divisional honours, those 12 races also factor prominently in the standings for the 2024 TROT Magazine Fantasy Stable Contest.
The TROT Fantasy Stable Contest is based on total earnings of selected horses and five per cent of the earnings of selected trainers and drivers between May 24 and Dec. 31, 2024. For the purposes of the fantasy bankroll, the winners (horses only) of the 2024 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 The Big M, with five of those stables heading into the weekend with more than $9 million in earnings. A special shout out to trainer Jason McGinnis, who heads into Breeders Crown weekend in third place overall in the Fantasy Stable contest but also has a chance to impact Group K — the two-year-old trotting colt division. McGinnis is the trainer of post 10 starter Memento Mori, who faces three Group K entrants on Friday: Hidalgo, Maryland and Super Chapter.
A common thread for top five stables heading into Breeders Crown weekend: Group A selection Karl and Group B choice Jiggy Jog S. Neither of those horses will be competing as both have been retired. Thus, the efforts of contenders in Groups C through L will play a key role in either keeping those leaders atop the standings or bringing a new front-runner ahead of the pack as stakes season winds down.
At the end of the year, the first three finishers (based on total stable earnings) will be awarded betting vouchers in the amount of $800 (first place), $400 (second place) and $200 (third place).
Contest totals are updated daily at 11 a.m. (EDT).
Here are the top 10 in the standings as of Oct. 24, 2024. To see the full list of results, click the following link: 2024 TROT Magazine Fantasy Stable Standings.
| Rank | Stable | Name | City, Province/State | Total Earnings | Rank Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | THE PAPER STABLE | Lawrence Cohen | Howell, NJ | $9,701,670 | 0 |
| 2 | BAZINGA | Murray Higgs | Gananoque, ON | $9,335,049 | 0 |
| 3 | PIGS TO THE RAIL | Jason Mcginnis | Guelph, ON | $9,244,988 | 0 |
| 4 | DORAN STABLES | John Doran | Loretto, ON | $9,226,770 | 0 |
| 5 | KUCIK RACING | George Kucik | Crown Point, IN | $9,094,954 | 0 |
| 6 | ALL IN | Jim Hilliard | London, ON | $8,880,532 | 0 |
| 7 | GFANJB2024E | Kirk Jones | Campbellville, ON | $8,880,474 | 0 |
| 8 | KARL MCFARLAND STABLE | Karl Mcfarland | Amherstview, ON | $8,848,277 | 0 |
| 9 | K.C. STABLE | Ken Craig | Guelph, ON | $8,821,121 | 0 |
| 10 | WEEZIE | Rick Hodgins | Grand Bend, ON | $8,804,046 | 0 |