The Week 10 results from the Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown Standardbred Poll have been released, and Fear The Dragon, who was an impressive winner this past weekend in the Delvin Miller Adios, remains atop the list.
In the Adios, race favourite Huntsville and Eddard Hanover battled for the lead to the quarter pole in :26.1. Huntsville eventually worked his way to the top for driver Tim Tetrick. Huntsville motored to the mid-way point in :53.3 with Fear The Dragon commencing a first-over bid from the five-hole.
Huntsville hit the accelerator in the backstretch in a bid to gain some insurance lengths on Fear The Dragon. Little separated the two of them at the three-quarters pole in 1:21.1, and it was more of the same for the majority of the stretch drive. It wasn’t until the closing strides that Fear The Dragon got the upper hand on Huntsville. Fear The Dragon prevailed over Huntsville in 1:49.1, with R J P taking home third prize in the rich affair.
Brian Brown trains the three-year-old son of Dragon Again-Armbro Cinnamon for Emerald Highlands Farm of Mt. Vernon, Ohio. The 14-time winner now boasts a 9-1-0 record from 10 starts this season. The $200,000 payday lifted his lifetime earnings to $1,294,594.
The results from Week 10 of the poll appear below.
(Rank – Horse [first-place votes] – Total Points – Previous)
1 – Fear The Dragon (32) – 344 – 1
2 – Huntsville 287 – 2
3 – Ariana G (1) – 268 – 4
4 – Hannelore Hanover (1) – 221 – 3
5 – Marion Marauder – 168 – 7
6 – Walner (1) – 146 – 5
7 – Downbytheseaside – 105 – 8
8 – Crazy Wow – 61 – 9
9 – Agent Q – 58 – 10
10 – JL Cruze – 55 – N/A
Also: Lady Shadow (52); Devious Man (29); Keystone Velocity (26); Long Tom (19); Nike Franco N (18); Bit Of A Legend N (12); Magic Presto (11); Resolve (9); Blazin Britches, International Moni, Somewhere In LA (6); Funknwaffles (5); Homicide Hunter (4); All Bets Off (3); Barn Bella, Holy Trout, Percy Blue Chip, Phaetosive, Roaring To Go, RJP (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.