With a trip resembling the Canadian Trotting Classic, What The Hill enjoyed a pocket ride into the stretch before unleashing a powerful kick to capture the $527,500 Breeders Crown Three-Year-Old Colt Trot Final on Saturday at Hoosier Park.
David Miller positioned What The Hill forwardly, leaving from Post 3 and settling along the wood before Lindy The Great (Tim Tetrick) brushed to the lead just after the :26.4 opening panel. What The Hill sat the pocket through fractions of :55.4 and 1:24.2 with a stalled bid from Yes Mickey (Ake Svanstedt) leaving the front pair ahead of the pack.
As the field turned for home, Miller angled What The Hill from the pocket and the sophomore trotter knew just what to do from there as he powered off to a three-length 1:52.3 score. Lindy The Great stayed for second with stablemate and slight betting choice International Moni (Scott Zeron) closing well to round out the triactor.
"That was the way we were hoping it would work out: leave and follow Timmy and it worked out for us," said Miller post-win. "If the nine [Yes Mickey] would have kept coming, that would have changed the race a whole lot, but we were going pretty hard into the first turn so obviously he caught a seat. Thankfully it worked out the way it did."
The win punctuates a roller coaster year for What The Hill's connections, who had Hambletonian glory snatched from their grasp following a disqualification and placing.
"I have been with the horse for a couple of years now and we had a little bit of hard luck with him earlier there this summer," noted Miller. "I said hopefully I can make it up for you and this helps."
Bred in Ontario by Stan Klemencic, What The Hill (Muscle Hill - K T Cha Cha) is owned by trainer Ron Burke (as Burke Racing), Our Horse Cents Stables, J And T Silva Stables LLC and Deo Volente Farms LLC. With the victory, What The Hill is harness racing's newest millionaire as his lifetime bankroll lifted to $1.15 million. His seasonal summary is 8-1-2 from 15 starts.
"I want to send a hug out to [Our Horse Cents'] Gene Kurzrok, the best partner in the world. He is awesome. He picked the horse out and I give him all the credit. He's just a wonderful man," gushed Deo Volente's Mike Gullotta. "And I want to also say, 'Madeline, we did it!' My wife. I feel like Rocky right now. Madeline, yes, we did it!
"Obviously we went from the thrill of victory to the agony of defeat in the Hambletonian, but as Dave said, he would make it up, and he just made it up."
The other Breeders Crown recaps from Saturday's card at Hoosier Park can be found in the 2017 Breeders Crown News Centre.