The countdown to the Breeders Crown is on with the first night of eliminations completed Friday at Meadowlands Racetrack.
Two-Year-Old Filly Trot
Overwhelming 1-5 favourite Mission Brief was on her best behaviour in the first $25,000 elimination and cruised to an easy three-length victory in 1:54.2 with Yannick Gingras aboard for trainer Ron Burke. Danielle Hall advanced from the backfield with three-eighths to go and came on for second while Smexi finished third. Lilu Hanover was fourth and Hot Start completed the top five finishers to advance to the final.
"She was really good tonight," said Gingras of the filly that is out of his first Breeders Crown winner, Southwind Serena. "She was on her best behaviour. When she's like this, she is certainly tough to beat."
After leaving from post three, the world champion Muscle Hill filly cleared to command around the first turn and led through panels of :28.1, :57 and 1:26.4 en route to her eighth win from 12 starts this season.
The Merrie Annabelle and International Stallion Stakes winner is owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC, Our Horse Cents Stables, J And T Silva Stables LLC, and Weaver Bruscemi LLC.
Gingras swept the two-year-old filly trot eliminations winning with another 1-5 shot, Wild Honey, later on the card.
The Jimmy Takter-trained filly notched her 10th win in a row after making a backstretch brush from third to first.
Gingras made the winning move with the Matron Stakes champion after the :28.2 opening quarter, overtaking early leader Wiclet Hanover and clearing past the :58.2 half-mile marker. She then raced by the third quarter station in 1:27.4 and turned back her biggest challenger, Sarcy, down the lane for the 1:55.3 triumph.
"She's just been and unbelievable girl," Takter said of the Cantab Hall-U Wanna Lindy filly owned by his wife Christina, Herb Liverman, and Toronto-based brothers John and Jim Fielding. "She's not very big, but she's got a big heart."
Livininthefastlane closed off cover for the second-place honours while Wiclet Hanover finished third. Stubborn Belle edged out Love Me Madly in a battle for the remaining spot in the final.
Two-Year-Old Filly Pace
JK Shesalady will bring her undefeated win streak to the finals after capturing her elimination in 1:51.1 for trainer Nancy Johansson.
With Tim Tetrick picking up the catch-drive for the championship events, JK Shesalady journeyed first over from sixth nearing the half-mile mark and wore down fellow world record holder Sassa Hanover and her former driver Yannick Gingras for her 11th consecutive victory. Sassa Hanover, who had cleared to command past the :26.3 opening panel and led through middle splits of :55.1 and 1:23.4, finished two and three-quarter lengths behind in second. Also advancing to the final in third through fifth were Bettor Be Steppin, Bettor N Better and Heavenly Bride.
After the race, Tetrick discussed his first impressions of the Art Major-Presidential Lady filly, who boasts victories in the Eternal Camnation, Shes A Great Lady, Kentuckiana Stallion Stakes, International Stallion Stakes and Three Diamonds. "There's a reason she's undefeated, she's a beautiful filly and knows how to get things done. She's special," he said.
"She loves it first over. She loves this track...she loves every track, she hasn't lost," said co-owner and breeder Alan Katz of the 3 Brothers Stables.
In the second elimination, a pair of judges inquiries led to a pair of disqualifications with Heart Major ($23.00) and driver Ron Pierce being named the official winners.
Joe Pavia Jr. trains and co-owns the Art Major-Ru Girl filly for Dijo Racing Inc., Vincent Barbera, and Steven Held.
Heart Major had finished second after leading through fractions of :27, :56.1 and 1:24. However, when Tim Tetrick maneuvered the initial winner, Ideal Nuggets, out wide off a three-hole trip in the stretch to prevail in 1:52.1, he struck the front legs of Well Hello There causing that filly to break stride. Thus, Ideal Nuggets was disqualified for causing interference when changing course and Heart Major inherited the victory.
First over Divine Caroline inherited second-place while a from-last Happy Becky was moved up into third.
Happiness had inherited fourth-place, but she was the subject of the second judges' inquiry when she went inside multiple pylons in the stretch. That filly was also disqualified for leaving the course and gaining an unfair advantage. As a result of the placing, the next fillies to cross the wire, Southwind Roulette and Well Hello There, were awarded the remaining spots in the final.
Three-Year-Old Filly Pace
Gallie Bythe Beach rallied home off the cover of eventual runner-up Major Dancer to pull off a 9-1 upset in her elimination with Tim Tetrick aboard. Beach Gal finished third while Gettingreadytoroll was fourth and even-money favourite and supplemental entry Sayitall BB was fifth.
Sayitall BB retook the lead from Nat A Virgin after a :27.1 opening panel before Act Now swept around the top two near the :55 half-mile mark. Act Now then led the field by three-quarters in 1:22.4 and into the stretch before the late-closers closed in.
Gallie Bythe Beach paid $20.60 for the upset win, which was clocked in 1:50.4.
"To have a daughter of Galleria come out here and race the way she raced tonight and get us to the final, we're very excited," said Jim Campbell, who trains Fashion Farms' homebred Somebeachsomewhere filly.
Campbell explained that Gallie Bythe Beach learned to race off-the pace in Delaware winning a elimination heat of the Jugette and was also victorious using those same tactics in the Bluegrass Series at The Red Mile.
"She can still go the other way if she needs to, she just happened to go some better races off the pace," he added.
Supplemental entry Colors A Virgin was first up and first home in the next elimination, scoring in a lifetime-best 1:51 for driver Trace Tetrick.
Outsider Weeper, who was also supplemented to the Breeders Crown, worked her way to the top through a :27.2 opening quarter and continued to lead the fillies past the half in :56.2 and three-quarters in 1:24. Meanwhile, race favourite Colors A Virgin had launched her attack from fifth down the backstretch and she overtook the pacesetter into the homestretch en route to her seventh straight victory. Early leaver Precocious Beauty shook loose and chased the winner home in second while Allstar Rating edged out Uffizi Hanover for third. Beach Story finished fifth and also advances to the final.
"It's exciting. The mare came out and she showed up and raced great like she has all summer and deserves a shot," said Trace Tetrick of the Indiana Sires Stakes star, who also sports victories in the Jugette and Nadia Lobell on her impressive resume. "She's [earned her wins] all summer; she's been first up a lot and she comes through every week. She's been a great mare."
The homebred Always A Virgin-Full Color filly, now 13-for-17 in her sophomore season, is trained by Brian Brown for Emerald Highlands Farm.
Non-Elimination 'Crown' Contenders Score Victories
Many of the Breeders Crown Open Mares Trot contenders also raced during Friday's card in preparation for their championship, which did not require eliminations. Pulling off a 15-1 upset off a three-hole trip, Ron Burke trainee Handover Belle and Matt Kakaley won the $30,000 Free For All Trot in 1:52.2 with fellow Breeders Crown hopefuls Classic Martine, Mistery Woman, 8-5 favourite Bee A Magician and Charmed Life completing the top five finish order.
The Jimmy Takter-trained and Brett Miller-driven Odds On Amethyst, who is entered in the Three-Year-Old Colt Trot division, was a 1:54.3 winner in a $20,000 sophomore race for non-winners of $100,000 this year.
Breeders Crown eliminations for the Two-Year-old Colt Trot, Two-Year-Old Colt Pace, Three-Year-Old Colt Pace and Open Trot will be contested tomorrow evening at The Meadowlands.
The $5.4 million Breeders Crown championships will be conducted next weekend on Friday, November 21 and Saturday, November 22. The Three-Year-Old Colt Pace, Three-Year-Old Colt Trot and Open Trot will be drawn at the press conference at Victory Sports Bar at the Meadowlands on Tuesday, November 18 at 2 p.m.
The following divisions do not require eliminations:
$500,000 Three-Year-Old Filly Trot
Post - Horse
1. Market Rally
2. Lifetime Pursuit
3. Shake It Cerry
4. Struck By Lindy
5. Cantabs Fortune
6. Heavens Door
7. Vanity Matters
8. Riveting Rosie
9. Cee Bee Yes
$281,250 Mares Open Pace
Post - Horse
1. Camille
2. Charisma Hanover
3. Voelz Hanover
4. Somwherovrarainbow
5. Yagonnakissmeornot (supplement)
6. Shelliscape
7. Krispy Apple
8. Anndrovette
9. Rocklamation
10. Regil Elektra
11. Venus Delight (supplement)
$250,000 Mares Open Trot
Post - Horse
1. Intense America
2. Classic Martine
3. Bee A Magician
4. Handover Belle
5. Ma Chere Hall
6. Charmed Life
7. Dorsay
8. Mistery Woman
$400,000 Open Pace
Post - Horse
1. Bettors Edge
2. Modern Legend
3. State Treasurer
4. Thinking Out Loud
5. Foiled Again
6. Clear Vision
7. Sweet Lou
$500,000 Three-Year-Old Colt Trot
(Listed in alphabetical order)
Datsyuk
Don Dorado
E L Titan
Father Patrick
Harper Blue Chip
Hillustrious
Il Sogno Dream
Nuncio
Odds On Amethyst
Sumatra