Breeders Crown champion Karl trounced nine other freshman trotters in the $267,500 Crawford Farms Kindergarten Series Final, one of four finals conducted on Saturday night (Nov. 4) at The Meadowlands.
The time for the mile was 1:53.2.
Driver Yannick Gingras, leaving with the son of Tactical Landing from the outermost post, left well enough to find a spot fourth as Tony Adams S, Bright Star and French Kronos S rushed to take early positions in front of him.
The :28.1 first quarter was no threat to Karl. Gingras angled to the outside lane and scooped up all the ground between him and the early leavers to take the top and cut the rest of the fractions — a half in :57.3 and three-quarters in 1:26.4 — with complete command of the race in the stretch. French Kronos S was never a challenge to Karl, but finished a clear second by 3-1/4 lengths. Tony Adams S finished third and Bright Star took fourth.
Nancy Takter trains Karl. She owns the colt with Christina Takter, Black Horse Racing, breeder Crawford Farms and Bender Sweden. Karl has now earned $836,823 while winning eight of nine starts (with one second-place finish). He paid $2.10 to win.
Nancy did not like Karl getting the post ten because “he drew it a lot and I’m sick of it. But he handled it perfectly. Yannick had him well in hand and they relaxed once in front.”
She said they thought of ending the season after the Breeders Crown win but “he is so refined. He’s so smart, warms up quiet and is push-button perfect” so she went with a spot in the Kindergarten and sees it as a prep for the Valley Victory later this month.
Sambuca Hanover and driver David Miller won the $241,300 Kindergarten Series Final for two-year-old filly trotters. The time for the mile was 1:54.2.
Leaving the gate, 6-5 favourite Honey Sweet galloped and took back while three fillies to her right were quick to establish positions. Sambuca Hanover was well placed up front but Eloise got the top with Go For Gaagaa NO on the move. The first quarter went in :27.2 when International Model stormed first over to lead the field. Sambuca Hanover was shuffled a bit in the traffic but the :57 half was on her side as her early foes grew weary.
Miller had a lot of room to pave a path mid-track and was charging by three-quarters in 1:26.1. His filly easily pushed ahead of them all into the stretch.
But it was not over because soaring on the inside was 90-1 Glamorous Hanover and both left the rest behind to duel to the wire where Sambuca Hanover broke the beam by a head in a lifetime best. Glamorous Hanover settled for second while Marg In Charge rallied for third and Miss I La came from near last for fourth.
Richard “Nifty” Norman trains the daughter of Bar Hopping. David McDuffee, Paul Bordogna and Melvin Hartman own the filly, a winner of five in 10 starts and $174,818 in earnings. She paid $19.40 to win.
“She got away well,” co-owner Bordogna said. “She’s a big filly and we’re going strong with her. She was good early [in the year] but had a little soreness and needed work.” He said she worked her way back well to this spot.
The 90-1 shot closing late had him “holding his breath in the stretch especially when David couldn’t get the plugs out.”
Caviart Belle rebounded when winning in the $205,900 Crawford Farms Kindergarten Classic Final for two-year-old pacing fillies as the 6-5 favourite with a 1:49.4 blast from off the speed.
A steady clip bubbled as Canigetalouploup steamed to the lead in a :26.3 first quarter and charged up the backside to a :54 half with Sarasota Hanover in the pocket. With action brewing two wide from midfield, Sarasota Hanover swung out of the pocket to take the lead and attempted to slip clear of her foes as she strode by three-quarters in 1:22.
Spinning off the final turn, Caviart Belle fanned to the center of the track from third over and began chugging after Sarasota Hanover. Caviart Belle collared Sarasota Hanover with ease in the final eighth while also holding back Miraculous Deo’s charge through a seam at the inside to win by two lengths at the beam. Miraculous Deo secured second from Sarasota Hanover with Chiapanecas taking fourth.
“She’s been struggling with a low white blood [cell] count,” trainer Nancy Takter said of Caviart Belle, who sparkled earlier this season in Canada with a 1:50.1 win in an Eternal Camnation division before being foiled at odds of 3-2 in the She’s A Great Lady final in September. “It’s been difficult to get her healthy again, but she was slowly getting better and I think just coming back to New Jersey, getting back to the field and kind of being a horse again has really turned her around.”
Winning her sixth race from 12 starts, Caviart Belle has now banked $315,103 for owner Caviart Farms. The daughter of Captaintreacherous paid $4.40 to win.
Lou Vuitton, the 2-1 second choice, powered first over and persisted through a stretch battle to hold firm on the point to the finish of a 1:51.1 mile to win the $179,200 Crawford Farms Kindergarten Classic for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings.
Forging forward through a :27.4 first quarter, Lou Vuitton pocketed early leader Total Stranger to land on the point before yielding control to 3-2 favourite Courtship. Courtship took the field by the half in :55.2 and strolled through the final turn to clock three-quarters in 1:23.2 while Lou Vuitton began his attack.
Courtship clung to a shrinking lead motoring down the straightaway as Lou Vuitton pressed closer and closer to the outside. Lou Vuitton lunged to the lead in the final eighth and survived a two-pronged battle to the finish by a head with Courtship holding second to the inside. Total Stranger swung wide to join the fight but just missed in third and Fasnacht Hanover checked in fourth.
“Matty [Kakaley and Courtship] was the horse I thought I had to follow and it worked out good,” winning driver David Miller said. “As soon as I moved him, he started chugging forward and didn’t stop until he got his head in front. All three of us were charging towards the wire there and I was doing all I could to keep mine going. He’s turned into a really nice colt, and when I got the chance to drive him again I was glad to get it.”
Ron Burke trains Lou Vuitton, a colt by Sweet Lou who competes for owners Burke Racing Stable, Hatfield Stables, J&T Silva-Purnel&Libby and Larry Karr. Lou Vuitton has now won four races from 13 starts and accrued $180,779 in earnings. He paid $6.00 to win.
A LITTLE MORE: The prolific pair were up to their usual tricks as Yannick Gingras led the driver colony with four winners while Ron Burke topped the trainers with a three-bagger. … A double carryover in the 20-cent Pick-8 led to a total pool of over $8,600. Two shrewd handicappers had winning tickets that returned $3,975. … A Pick-6 carryover of just under $4,000 led to a total pool of $22,084. After a sequence where no winning horse went off at odds longer than 3-1, the return on winning tickets was $445.72. … All-source handle totaled $3,075,117 on the 14-race card. … Racing resumes Friday (Nov. 10) at 6:20 p.m.
(Meadowlands Media Relations)