“They all are players. They all belong there. Overall, they’ve had a great season.”
Pinkman is trying to follow Takter-trained Father Patrick as a Breeders Crown winner at ages 2 and 3 in this division. Father Patrick accomplished the feat in 2013 and 2014. Takter’s Malabar Man pulled off the double in 1996 and 1997. The only male trotter to accomplish the feat between Malabar Man and Father Patrick was Greg Peck-trained Muscle Hill in 2008 and 2009.
Takter, who is the winningest trainer in Breeders Crown history with 21 titles, has captured this division four times. He also sends out French Laundry (5-1), The Bank (6-1) and Uncle Lasse (8-1) in this year’s race.
Slowed by injury and illness this year, Muscle Diamond raced only once prior to July 26. He enters the Breeders Crown off a fourth-place finish in the Kentucky Futurity on Oct. 10 at The Red Mile. He started from post 10, the most outside position on the starting gate, and was beaten by 2-1/4 lengths by Pinkman after trailing by nearly nine lengths at the halfway point. A week earlier, Muscle Diamond won a division of the Bluegrass Stakes.
“We’re hoping for a better draw than the Futurity, that’s the first thing that comes to mind,” driver John Campbell said with a laugh prior to getting post four. “I was very happy with his race in the Futurity and his race the week before (in the Bluegrass) so I think he’s coming into the Breeders Crown in good shape.
“We were hoping there wouldn’t be eliminations. The week off is going to help him, but it’s to help everybody I think. If he had a better draw (in the Futurity) he would have been quite a bit closer, I believe. It’s been a struggle for (trainer Brett Bittle) to get him to this point; that’s an understatement. But we’re moving forward from that.”
Lookslikeachpndale, 20-1 on the morning line, has won five of his most recent seven starts and finished worse than second only once during that span. All of his victories this season have come in conditioned races. He went off stride in his elimination for the Canadian Trotting Classic after following leaders Pinkman and The Bank to the halfway point and failed to advance to the final.
“I’m disappointed about the Canadian Trotting Classic because he made a break and I don’t know why,” trainer Luc Blais said. “He was third behind good horses and I would have liked to see what he could do in the stretch. It was a good chance to evaluate him. Maybe this weekend. We’ll see.
“He raced last week and he raced good (winning in 1:55.4 over a “good” track at Woodbine). He’s better and better, week after week. He’s a nice horse. We’ll see how far he can go. He started late. We took our time because he was a big horse. We waited for him. It looks like he’s ready right now to trot a good mile.”
Infiniti As, 20-1 on the morning line, heads to the Breeders Crown off a win in a late closer race at The Red Mile. After winning his seasonal debut in 1:55 at Mohawk in the Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots Series, Infiniti As went off stride in his next five starts. He was gelded and returned with a second-place finish at Hoosier Park.
In his following start, Infiniti As went off stride on a track labeled “good” at The Red Mile, but rallied to finish in a dead heat for third, beaten by only a neck. He then won by 5-1/2 lengths in 1:52.2 in Lexington. That win time is seventh fastest among all 3-year-old male trotters this year.
“He’s been doing good since we gelded him,” trainer Anette Lorentzon said. “He was really very good at Lexington. Tim (Tetrick) didn’t put the blame on him for the break in the first race there. He thought it was the track.
“It’s hard to say what kind of horse he is. He was good in his first race this year, but then he decided he wanted to run more than trot. He’s got talent, but he’s still got to prove it to me. I don’t know where I have him. I don’t trust him yet. The main thing is for him to behave.”
Fashion Creditor, 30-1 on the morning line, won the $50,000 consolation division of the New York Sire Stakes for three-year-old male trotters on Sept. 19 at Vernon Downs. One of his remaining four lifetime wins also came in New York Sire Stakes action, with the other three triumphs in conditioned races.
He finished seventh in his elimination for the Hambletonian, but was beaten only 3-1/2 lengths after trailing by 15 lengths after the opening quarter-mile.
“He’s good,” trainer Tom Fanning said. “He was super sharp when the sire stakes ended. I wish I could have raced him right after the Vernon race because he was sharp as a tack, but there was a gap in the schedule.
"A big track will help him. He can trot. In the Hambletonian elimination, circumstances went against him. Hopefully he can be a little closer (in the Breeders Crown). He trots hard in the stretch. We’re trying to get a piece.”
For the first time in three years, Woodbine Racetrack will again host the Breeders Crown, harness racing’s most spectacular evening, when 12 championship finals, offering more than $6 million in purse money. It’s the richest day of horse racing in Canada as North America’s best two-year-olds, three-year-olds and older pacers and trotters will be in the spotlight seeking to claim divisional and possibly Harness Horse of the Year honours. TSN2 will air a special one hour telecast across Canada from 9:00 – 10:00 p.m. and will televise two of the 12 Crown finals live, the $500,000 Three-Year-Old Colt Trot at 9:19 p.m. and the $531,250 Three-Year-Old Colt Pace at 9:44 p.m. ET.
Among the marketing activities on Breeders Crown night are WEG’s First Bet On Us $2 voucher and a free toque (while supplies last), available on the 3rd Floor; $10,000 in Instant Cash Giveaways (wager through a self-serve wagering terminal at Woodbine for 100 chances to win $100) and a mandatory Jackpot Hi 5 payout on Race 13 (the carryover pool is currently at $557,000) scheduled for 11:27 p.m.
In addition, there will be two $100,000 Guaranteed Pick 4’s, Early (Races 4-7) and Late (Races 8-11).
To view the entries for the Breeders Crown card, and for past performances for the Breeders Crown entrants courtesy TrackIT, click one of the following links:
2015 Breeders Crown Finals: