In harness racing, the familiar phrase is that it all comes down to the Breeders Crown. But for the 2024 TROT Magazine Fantasy Stable, it's quite likely that it will all come down to the Fall Final Four and FanDuel Championships.
The 2024 Grand Circuit season culminated on Saturday, Nov. 30 at The Meadowlands where driver Dexter Dunn one-upped his sensational weekend in New Jersey five weeks ago. He struck at a 50 percent win rate over the 12 Breeders Crown championship events, but his success percentage was even better on Saturday when he won five of the eight lucrative stakes events.
When the dust settled in New Jersey, there was a shake-up atop the 2024 TROT Magazine Fantasy Stable leaderboard. Murray Higgs of Gananoque, Ont. vaulted two spots and into the overall lead with a bankroll of $11,576,456 in his Bazinga stable. Three horses were key to this elevation: FanDuel Open Trot winner Logan Park, Valley Victory runner-up Super Chapter and Goldsmith Maid bridesmaid Vougish.
The leader heading into December was Lawrence Cohen's The Paper Stable, now sitting in second with $11,465,726 in earnings. That position is tenuously held by just $672 as John Doran's Doran Stables sports a bankroll of $11,465,054.
With most of the horses involved in the Fantasy Stable contest, changes in position will largely come down to the trainer and driver selections by these participants.
The TROT Fantasy Stable Contest is based on total earnings of selected horses and five per cent of the earnings of selected trainers and drivers between May 24 and Dec. 31, 2024. For the purposes of the fantasy bankroll, the winners (horses only) of the 2024 Breeders Crown finals will each receive a $200,000 contest bankroll bonus.
At the end of the year, the first three finishers (based on total stable earnings) will be awarded betting vouchers in the amount of $800 (first place), $400 (second place) and $200 (third place).
Contest totals are updated daily at 11 a.m. (EDT).
Here are the top 10 in the standings as of Dec. 1, 2024. To see the full list of results, click the following link: 2024 TROT Magazine Fantasy Stable Standings.
| Rank | Stable | Name | City, Province/State | Total Earnings | Rank Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BAZINGA | Murray Higgs | Gananoque, ON | $11,576,456 | ↑ 2 |
| 2 | THE PAPER STABLE | Lawrence Cohen | Howell, NJ | $11,465,726 | ↓ 1 |
| 3 | DORAN STABLES | John Doran | Loretto, ON | $11,465,054 | ↓ 1 |
| 4 | PIGS TO THE RAIL | Jason Mcginnis | Guelph, ON | $11,226,697 | ↑ 2 |
| 5 | LOUISVILLE MIKE | Mike Valeriote | Louisville, KY | $11,181,494 | 0 |
| 6 | CAPTAIN LUKE | Robert Leblanc | New York, NY | $11,125,568 | ↑ 1 |
| 7 | ALL IN | Jim Hilliard | London, ON | $11,025,761 | ↓ 3 |
| 8 | JJSK STABLES | Jesse Gebhardt | Hanover, ON | $10,982,306 | 0 |
| 9 | KEITH BONNAR STABLE | Keith Bonnar | London, ON | $10,958,458 | 0 |
| 10 | SOUTHERN STABLES | Jenn Barlow | Charlotte, NC | $10,908,239 | 0 |
(Standardbred Canada)