Manchego, a returning Dan Patch Award winner who won the Arthur J. Cutler Memorial in her 2021 debut, is the No. 1-ranked horse in this season’s first Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll. The six-year-old female trotter received 20 of 35 first-place votes.
Six-year-old male pacer This Is The Plan, the MGM Borgata Series champion and the sport’s leading money-winner, was second in the rankings. He was followed by four-year-old male trotter Its Academic, three-year-old male pacer Abuckabett Hanover, and six-year-old female pacer Machnhope in rounding out the top five.
Its Academic counts the Charlie Hill Memorial among his wins while Machnhope was the Blue Chip Matchmaker Series champion. Abuckabett Hanover handed Perfect Sting his first career loss in a division of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes earlier this month.
The remainder of the Top 10 includes the season’s co-fastest horse, 1:47.2-performer Nicholas Beach, at No. 6 and returning Dan Patch Award winner Anoka Hanover at No. 10.
A total of 56 horses received at least one point in the poll. The poll will continue weekly through the Grand Circuit season.
The Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll does not determine Horse of the Year. The members of the U.S. Harness Writers Association vote on all Dan Patch Award division winners plus Trotter of the Year, Pacer of the Year and Horse of the Year.
Rankings based on the votes of harness racing media representatives on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.
Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown Standardbred Poll: Week 1 – May 25, 2021
| Rank | Name (First Votes) | A/S/G | Record | Earnings | Points | Pvs |
| 1 | Manchego (20) | 6mt | 1-1-0-0 | $67,095 | 302 | — |
| 2 | This Is The Plan (6) | 6gp | 7-2-5-0 | $324,500 | 244 | — |
| 3 | Its Academic | 4ht | 8-4-1-2 | $140,680 | 181 | — |
| 4 | Abuckabett Hanover (2) | 3cp | 2-2-0-0 | $34,522 | 117 | — |
| 5 | Machnhope | 6mp | 14-6-3-2 | $215,877 | 104 | — |
| 6 | Nicholas Beach (3) | 5gp | 6-4-2-0 | $57,950 | 82 | — |
| 7 | Alexa Skye | 4mp | 12-8-3-0 | $150,874 | 79 | — |
| 8 | Whiskey Blu (1) | 3gt | 12-10-2-0 | $91,046 | 72 | — |
| 9 | One Eight Hundred (1) | 3cp | 5-4-0-0 | $60,022 | 62 | — |
| 10 | Anoka Hanover (1) | 3ft | 1-1-0-0 | $24,322 | 60 | — |
ALSO: American History 53; Perfect Sting 47; Ruthless Hanover 43; Soho Burning Love A 37; Leonidas A 36; Beads 34; Incommunicado, Rockapelo 28; Poseidon Seelster, Winning Ticket 27; Heart Of Chewbacca 23; Southwind Gendry 22; Southwind Amazon 16; Lindysmusclemania, Warrawee Vital 15; Blue Ivy, Mallard Hanover 13; Hot Mess Express, Mon Amour, Western Joe 12; Ready For Moni 10; Get Legs, Giggle Monster 9; Lyons Sentinel, Rockin Nola 8; Captain Barbossa, Lyons Steel, Wheels On Fire 7; Four Star Flash 6; Sintra, Top Me Off 5; Filly Speaks, Funnyfunnyriddle, Lady Arthur, Scirocco Rob 3; Century Farroh, Cuatro De Julio, Lawless Shadow, Skip To My Lou, So Irresistible 2; American Courage, Amigo Volo, Dewey Arnold, Lindy The Great, Love Muffin, Sunny Crockett 1.
Southwind Amazon received one first-place vote.
(USTA)
#2 This Is The Plan, #6
#2 This Is The Plan, #6 Nicholas Beach, and #11 American History all squared off last Saturday at The Meadowlands, and they'll face each other again on Sunday, in the $100,000 Commodore Barry, at Harrah's Philly. #1 Manchego and #3 Its Academic will also race there on Sunday in the $100,000 Maxie Lee, on the blockbuster racing card.