The connections of four Standardbreds have made supplemental payments in order to make their charges eligible to the upcoming Breeders Crown, which promises to be quite the show at Woodbine Mohawk Park in Campbellville, Ont.
The wide open sophomore pacing colt landscape and a sparkling performance in the Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final for three-year-old pacing fillies have triggered three supplements to those respective divisions. Trotting mare Custom Cantab will also start in the $300,000 Breeders Crown Mare Trot via the supplemental entry route.
Today (Monday, Oct. 14) at noon was also the deadline for world champion Bold Eagle – the lone foreign classic invitee to declare – and his connections have entered him in the $500,000 Breeders Crown Trot for Saturday, October 26.
The connections of Century Farroh and Southwind Ozzi each anted up $62,500 to enter the $500,000 Breeders Crown Colt Pace, as did the owners of filly pacer Boadicea for her event.
Southwind Ozzi, pictured victorious in his opening-heat elimination of the Little Brown Jug.
Southwind Ozzi has staked a claim to divisional leadership with a bankroll of $838,763 and recent wins in the Little Brown Jug and Adios. The son of ‘Crown’ champion Somebeachsomewhere was recently beaten a head in Lexington by Dancin Lou in 1:49.4, but a qualifier at Freehold Raceway in 1:56.2 satisfied trainer Bill MacKenzie that a supplement was justified.
“He was just fine,” MacKenzie stated when he dropped off the cheque after the qualifier at Freehold. “Basically a training mile.”
Century Farroh, pictured victorious in the Simcoe Stakes at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Aug. 31, 2019.
Century Farroh who has raced primarily in Ontario, and like Southwind Ozzi did not race in the Breeders Crown as a two-year-old, has also racked up an impressive record for trainer Ian Moore and owners the Ratchford Stable NS. Though he was third beaten a length in his last start, the Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final, which saw a mad dash to the wire and an upset win by B Stoney, Century Farroh has picked up $624,739 this year and certainly earned a start in his divisional Crown event.
Boadicea, pictured victorious in her Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Oct. 12, 2019.
Boadicea, a sophomore daughter of Crown champion Big Jim, crushed foes with a 1:49.2 mile in her regional final at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Saturday. Her record of 11 wins from 18 starts and her sharp recent form for trainer Bill Budd and an exuberant group of Lawrence Stable owners saw her supplemented for $62,500 to the $500,000 Three-Year-Old Filly Pace. She will face defending divisional and Crown champion Warrawee Ubeaut, among others.
Custom Cantab, pictured victorious at Tioga Downs on Aug. 11, 2019.
Custom Cantab, a four-year old daughter of Mr Cantab, surged past the million-dollar earnings mark for trainer Chris Beaver with a second-place finish in the $250,000 Harry Harvey Trot to male trotter Mission Accepted. Her ownership of Beaver, Robinson and RBH Ventures will pay $31,250 to start in the $300,000 Mare Trot.
Last, but the farthest from least, is foreign invitee Bold Eagle. The six-year-old son of Ready Cash-Reethi Rah Jet has won 45 times against the toughest of European competition and banked more than $5 million. He has been invited three times to the Breeders Crown, and his racing schedule and the travel conditions finally aligned for Bold Eagle to ship to Canada for the Crown. He is the first foreign classic winner to accept an invitation since Commander Crowe came triumphantly to the Meadowlands in 2014.
Foreign invitees must make up the same schedule of payments as eligible horses and pay the starting fee, but advance directly to the final if there are eliminations, and are placed in the open post position draw. With current driver Bjorn Goop unavailable due to a racing conflict, Hall of Famer Brian Sears has been tapped to drive the European champion.
Regular entries for all eligible Breeders Crown trotters and pacers are due by 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, October 15 at the Woodbine Mohawk Park race office.
The contestants for the 12 Breeders Crown finals will be determined through elimination races, if needed, this Friday and Saturday night at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Eliminations for all two-year-old events will be raced on Friday (post time 7:50 p.m.) and eliminations for all three-year-old and up events will be Saturday (post time 7:10 p.m.).
Elimination winners, in an order determined by lot, draw for inside post positions one to five for the finals.
The $6 million Breeders Crown finals will be raced on Friday, October 25 (all two-year-olds) and Saturday, October 26, (three-year-olds and up) with an early post time of 7:00 p.m. (EDT) both nights.
For more information head to hambletonian.com or woodbine.com/mohawk/events/breeders-crown/.
(Breeders Crown)