Captain Corey remains the No. 1-ranked horse in the Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll while Lyons Sentinel and Allywag Hanover made the biggest gains as positions two through 10 were shuffled. There were no newcomers to the Top 10.
It was announced Monday night that three-year-old trotting colt Captain Corey will miss the remainder of the season because of a hairline fracture in his left front foot.
Captain Corey won his most recent four races prior to the discovery of the injury, with the victories including the $1 million Hambletonian and $300,000 Earl Beal Jr. Memorial. Lifetime, the son of Googoo Gaagaa-Luv U All has won 10 of 14 races and $1.09 million. He is owned by Knutsson Trotting Inc., Ake Svanstedt Inc., S R F Stable and Midnight Sun Partners Inc.
Milton Stakes elimination winner Lyons Sentinel moved from third to second in the poll, swapping positions with Manchego, who went off stride and finished eighth in the Armbro Flight. Mohawk Gold Cup winner Allywag Hanover jumped from seventh to fourth, bumping idle Test Of Faith down a notch to round out the top five.
Each horse in the top five received at least one first-place vote. Captain Corey added five first-place votes to increase his total to 22 while Lyons Sentinel picked up five No. 1 votes for a total of eight. Allywag Hanover and Test Of Faith both received two nods while Manchego got the remaining first-place tally.
In the bottom half of the Top 10, Venerable and King Of The North were idle. Atlanta finished third in the Armbro Flight, Hot Mess Express won a leg of the Indiana Sire Stakes and Bella Bellini finished second in the Elegantimage.
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 18 – 9/21/2021
| Rank | Name (First Votes) | A/S/G | Record | Earnings (USD) | Points | Pvs |
| 1 | Captain Corey (22) | 3ct | 7-5-1-0 | $758,695 | 325 | 1 |
| 2 | Lyons Sentinel (8) | 4mp | 13-7-1-2 | $422,383 | 265 | 3 |
| 3 | Manchego (1) | 6mt | 9-6-0-1 | $421,596 | 221 | 2 |
| 4 | Allywag Hanover (2) | 4gp | 15-8-2-0 | $606,950 | 193 | 7 |
| 5 | Test Of Faith (2) | 3fp | 9-8-1-0 | $414,050 | 192 | 4 |
| 6 | Venerable | 2ft | 7-7-0-0 | $466,945 | 187 | 5 |
| 7 | King Of The North | 2ct | 7-6-1-0 | $533,115 | 127 | 8 |
| 8 | Atlanta | 6mt | 8-4-1-1 | $278,449 | 94 | 6 |
| 9 | Hot Mess Express | 3fp | 11-9-1-0 | $428,634 | 80 | 10 |
| 10 | Bella Bellini | 3ft | 14-8-5-0 | $591,815 | 68 | 9 |
ALSO: Charlie May 24; Fire Start Hanover 19; Niki Hill 18; Winning Ticket 17; Perfect Sting 13; Desperate Man 11; Lawless Shadow, When Dovescry 10; Dover In Motion 9; Blue Diamond Eyes, Jujubee, Sea Silk 7; Bulldog Hanover 6; Grace Hill 4; This Is The Plan 3; Ahundreddollarbill 2; Abuckabett Hanover, Catch The Fire, Donna Soprano, Nicholas Beach, Pebble Beach, Prohibition Legal 1.
(With files from USTA)