Trainer Jimmy Takter and driver Yannick Gingras swept the Breeders Crown filly trots as Ariana G asserted her divisional dominance once again in the sophomore section.
Owned and bred by Marvin Katz of Toronto and Al Libfeld of Pickering, Ont., Ariana G now boasts back-to-back Breeders Crown titles.
Despite being parked from post eight through first half fractions of :27.1 and :55.3 in the $500,000 Three-Year-Old Filly Trot, once Ariana G made the lead, there was no catching the Muscle Hill-Cantab It All filly as she began to draw away through three-quarters in 1:24.4. The long Hoosier stretch just gave her more time to awe fans a she extended her leading margin to five and a quarter lengths in sloppy conditions before hitting the wire in 1:54.3. Ice Attraction (Ake Svanstedt) reeled in Dream Together (Dan Dube) closing from the backfield for the runner-up honours.
With the victory, Ariana G, whose connections accepted a bye to enter the final, passed the million-dollar mark in seasonal earnings. Now 21-for-26 in her career, she boasts a bankroll over $1.98 million.
"I trained her mother and when you take these horses from the beginning and teach them everything they're supposed to do and standing here, these are special moments for me," said Takter. "We spend so much time with these horses and it's just a fantastic feeling."
"This isn't a partnership, this is a friendship, which is far more deep and meaningful to me and I hope to Jimmy as well," added Katz. "We've known each other many years. This is a fantastic man. He's at the pinnacle of the sport and richly deserves all the acclaim and accolades he gets. People have to understand how difficult it is to do what he does and to do it year in and year out, it's not easy."
Ariana G paid $2.40 to win as the 1-5 favourite coming off a neck defeat to Ice Attraction in the Kentucky Filly Futurity, also contested over a sloppy track.
More updates on Friday's championships will be posted in the 2017 Breeders Crown News Centre.