There has been a leader change atop the latest edition of the 2018 Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown Poll, as Week 20 voting is now in.
On the strength of her one-length, 1:51 victory in the $224,000 Kentucky Filly Futurity final this past Sunday, the Canadian-connected Atlanta has been voted No. 1 overall in Week 20 of the poll.
Atlanta carved out panels of :28.2, :56.1 and 1:24.3 for driver Scott Zeron before rocketing home in :26.3 to win the final comfortably over Seviyorum and Nixie Volo.
“Everybody I noticed today was pulling shoes and I didn’t want to pull the shoes and race her two heats,” trainer Rick Zeron said after the big win, “so I said to Scott ‘If you can get us through the first heat and get into the final I’ll pull the shoes off her.’ George Ducharme came by and gave me a perfect set of bell boots for her because we didn’t have any.”
“[Pulling the shoes] worked out so well,” Rick said after the race, “and when Scott called on her around the last turn, I was in the paddock. Gone.”
“For him, it was a big move to make,” Scott said. “But he was confident talking over it with me and we put some bell boots on her — I really think that helped her just that little bit more.”
With the victory, the daughter of Chapter Seven-Hemi Blue Chip improved her sophomore record to 7-4-1 from 12 starts. The 11-time winner, who is owned by Rick Zeron, Crawford Farms, Holland Racing Stable, Howard Taylor and Brad Grant, lifted her lifetime earnings to $1,043,997.
The results from Week 20 of the poll appear below.
(Rank – Horse [first-place votes] – Total Points – Previous Rank)
1. Atlanta (20) - 311 - 3
2. McWicked (6) - 282 - 6
3. Shartin N (2) - 243 - 4
4. Courtly Choice (3) - 204 - 2
5. Kissin In The Sand (3) - 192 - 7
6. Manchego (1) - 185 - 1
7. Marion Marauder - 131 - 5
8. Six Pack - 121 - N/A
9. Crystal Fashion - 43 - 9
10. Stay Hungry (1) - 41 - 8
Also: Homicide Hunter 36; Lather Up 27; Ariana G 20; Lazarus N 19; Phaetosive 13; Green Manalishi S 9; Plunge Blue Chip, Warrawee Ubeaut, Workin Ona Mystery 7; Dorsoduro Hanover, Ice Attraction, Stag Party 5; Mets Hall 3; Hannelore Hanover, The Ice Dutchess, Woodside Charm 2; Caviart Ally, Gimpanzee, Will Take Charge 1.
The Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll is voted on by harness racing media representatives that cover North American Standardbred racing.
The rankings are based on the votes of harness racing media representatives on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.
The Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll does not determine Horse of the Year. The U.S. Harness Writers Association votes in December on all Dan Patch Award division winners plus Trotter of the Year, Pacer of the Year and Horse of the Year. The Dan Patch Awards are separate from the O'Brien Awards, which recognize Canada's top Standardbreds of a given racing season.