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Woodbine Racetrack
The 2015 Breeders Crown wrapped up on Saturday night at Woodbine Racetrack with more than $7.6 million in purses up for grabs over 12 races. When all was said and done, two participants finished the night by accomplishing something no one else has done in the history of the 31-year-old championship series....read on
2 åriga passgångare h&v 1.609 m auto Purse: $600 000 ()
Race 7 Pace, purse $778,440 (EX, P3, SU, TR) BREEDERS CROWN - FINAL - 2 YEAR OLD COLTS & GELDINGS. (PURSE $600,000 U.S. 300,000 -150,000 - 72,000 - 48,000 - 30,000) Last Horse HV PP 1/4 1/2 3/4 Stretch Finish Time 1/4 Driver Odds Trainer 6 Boston Red Rocks 6 8/14 9@/12T 8@/8 6/5 1/2H 1:51.3 27.3 Ti Tetrick 18.45 S Elliott 7 Big Top Hanover 7 9/15T 8/12Q 7/7T 7/5T 2/2H 1:52 28 Y Gingras 33.50 R Burke 4 Nvestment Bluechip 4 7/12 7@/10T 5@/6Q 5/4Q 3/3Q 1:52.1 28.3 J Jamieson 33.85 D Menary 8 Betting Line 8 2@/T 1/1T 2/NK 1/H 4/3T 1:52.2 30 C Christoforou 9.55 C Coleman 9 Pretty Boy Hill 9 10/17H 10/15Q 9/9Q 8/8Q 5/4 1:52.2 28.1 B Sears 62.20 R Burke 3 Control The Moment 3 5/8Q 5@/6T 3@/2 3/1H 6/4H 1:52.2 29.3 Ra Waples 0.85* B Maxwell 2 Spider Man Hanover(L) 2 6/10Q 6@/9 4@/4Q 4/3T 7/5 1:52.3 29.2 D Miller 18.70 B Brown 1 Racing Hill(L) 1 4/5T 4/5 1@/NK 2/H 8/5T 1:52.4 30.2 B Miller 2.00 T Alagna 10 Talk Show 10 1/T 2/1T 6/6H 9/14Q 9/24Q 1:56.2 32.4 C Callahan 146.25 S Elliott 5 American Passport 5 3/2 3X/3 10/20Q 10/28 10/30T 1:57.4 31.2 S Zeron 14.35 T Alagna 13 Travel Playlist SCRATCHED - VET(SICK) Time: 25.3, 53.2, 1:22.2, 1:51.3 (Temperature: 10, Condition: GOOD, Variant: 1) Judges List: Travel Playlist-VET 1st Boston Red Rocks (b,c,2 - Rocknroll Hanover-Mcgibson-Mcardle) Owner: Peter R Blood,Pompano Beach-Rick Berks,Boca Raton,FL 2nd Big Top Hanover (b,c,2 - Western Ideal-Blind Ambition-Art Major) Owner: JT45 LLC,Long Beach,NY-Burke Racing Stable LLC,Fredericktown,PA 3rd Nvestment Bluechip (b,c,2 - Shadow Play-Hazes Zure Bet-Bettors Delight) Owner: Menary Racing Inc,Rockton-Michael A Guerriero,Brampton-Denis R Breton,Welland-Thomas Kyron,Toronto,ON
2 åriga passgångare ston 1.609 m auto Purse: $600 000 ()
Race 2 Pace, purse $778,440 (EX, P3, SU, TR) BREEDERS CROWN - FINAL - 2 YEAR OLD FILLIES. (PURSE $600,000 U.S. 300,000 - 150,000 - 72,000 - 48,000 - 30,000) Last Horse HV PP 1/4 1/2 3/4 Stretch Finish Time 1/4 Driver Odds Trainer 3 Pure Country 3 5@/5H 1/1H 1/1T 1/2H 1/3 1:51.4 28 B Miller 0.15* J Takter 2 Shezarealdeal 2 8@/9Q 7@/8Q 6@/5 5/6Q 2/3 1:52.2 27.3 J Campbell 42.55 T Osullivan 9 Mayhem Seelster 9 3@/3Q 2/1H 3/2 2/2H 3/3H 1:52.2 28.1 J Moiseyev 119.20 T Osullivan 5 Yankee Moonshine 5 6@/7H 5@/6H 4@/3Q 3/5Q 4/4T 1:52.4 28.2 Y Gingras 8.80 R Burke 6 Soft Idea 6 9@/11 9@/9T 8@/7Q 8/8T 5/5 1:52.4 27.3 Ti Tetrick 24.85 L Toscano 1 Darlinonthebeach 1 7/8H 8X/9Q 10/12T 10/13Q 6/7Q 1:53.1 26.4 D Miller 8.10 N Johansson 8 Skinny Dipper 8 10@/13Q 10@/11H 9@/8T 9/9Q 7/7H 1:53.1 27.3 Ra Waples 172.50 T Osullivan 4 Lyons River Pride 4 2/2 4/5 2@/1T 6/6Q 8/10T 1:54 29.4 B Sears 40.80 R Burke 10 Call Me Queen Be 10 1/2 3/3Q 5/4 4/6Q 9/11Q 1:54 29.2 S Zeron 51.50 T Osullivan 7 Blue Moon Stride 7 4/4Q 6/7 7/6H 7/8Q 10/12 1:54.1 29.1 A Mccarthy 119.05 M Harder Time: 26.1, 55.1, 1:23.4, 1:51.4 (Temperature: 10, Condition: GOOD, Variant: 1) 1st Pure Country (b,f,2 - Somebeachsomewhere-Western Montana-Western Hanover) Owner: Diamond Creek Racing,Wellsville,PA 2nd Shezarealdeal (b,f,2 - Western Ideal-Shezarealcaesar-Real Artist) Owner: Let It Ride Stables Inc,Boca Raton-Dana L Parham,Fort Lauderdale,FL 3rd Mayhem Seelster (b,f,2 - Mach Three-Macapelo Rose-Mcardle) Owner: Domenic Chiaravalle,Hamilton,ON
3 åriga passgångare h&v 1.609 m auto Purse: $531 250
Race 9 Pace, purse $689,244 (EX, G4, P3, SU, TR) BREEDERS CROWN - FINAL - 3 YEAR OLD COLTS & GELDINGS. (PURSE $531,250 U.S. 265,625 - 132,812 - 63,750 - 42,500 - 26,562) Last Horse HV PP 1/4 1/2 3/4 Stretch Finish Time 1/4 Driver Odds Trainer 4 Freaky Feet Pete(L) 4 6/9T 6@/8Q 6@@/6Q 2/3T 1/1H 1:50 26.3 Tr Tetrick 1.35* L Rheinheimer 5 Artspeak(L) 5 7/11 8@/10Q 8@/8Q 6/6Q 2/1H 1:50.1 26.2 S Zeron 2.05 T Alagna 7 Lost For Words(L) 7 2/1T 1/1T 1/2H 1/3T 3/1T 1:50.2 28.1 D Miller 8.20 B Brown 3 Wakizashi Hanover 3 5/7T 5@/6Q 4@/4H 4/4T 4/2Q 1:50.2 27.2 Ti Tetrick 3.50 J Looney King 1 Dealt A Winner(L) X1X 10/16H 7/9 7/7 7/7 5/4Q 1:50.4 27.1 Y Gingras 51.55 M Silva 8 Reverend Hanover 8 1/1T 2/1T 3/2T 5/4T 6/5H 1:51 28.1 C Christoforou 37.90 C Coleman 2 Penji Hanover 2 4/5T 4/5T 5/5 8/7H 7/6 1:51.1 28 J Jamieson 104.45 B Wallace 6 Dudes The Man(L) 6 9/12T 9@/12H 9@/10Q 9/9Q 8/7 1:51.2 27.1 C Callahan 29.65 H Okusko Jr 10 Artistic Major 10 8@/12Q 10@/14H 10@/12 10/11Q 9/7T 1:51.3 27 M Kakaley 149.30 S Elliott 9 In The Arsenal(L) 9 3/4Q 3@/3 2@/2H 3/4 10/8 1:51.3 29 B Sears 31.30 K Harrison Time: 26, 55, 1:22.1, 1:50 (Temperature: 10, Condition: SLOPPY, Variant: 1) 1st Freaky Feet Pete (b,c,3 - Rockin Image-Skyway Lori-Pilgrims Punch) Owner: Mary Jo Rheinheimer,La Grange-Marty R Rheinheimer,Howe,IN 2nd Artspeak (b,c,3 - Western Ideal-The Art Museum-Artsplace) Owner: Brittany Farms,Versailles,KY-Marvin Katz,Toronto,ON- Joe Sbrocco,Brecksville,OH-In The GYM Partners,Staten Island,NY 3rd Lost For Words (b,c,3 - Well Said-Thou Shalt Not-Real Desire) Owner: Country Club Acres Inc-William J Robinson,Findlay-Richard M Lombardo,Solon-Strollin Stable,Marion,OH
3 åriga passgångare sto 1.609 m auto Purse: $500 000 ()
Race 4 Pace, purse $648,700 (EX, G4, P3, SU, TR) BREEDERS CROWN - FINAL - 3 YEAR OLD FILLIES. (PURSE $500,000 U.S. 250,000 - 125,000 - 60,000 - 40,000 - 25,000) Last Horse HV PP 1/4 1/2 3/4 Stretch Finish Time 1/4 Driver Odds Trainer 1 Divine Caroline 1 5/6T 5@/6 2/1T 1/Q 1/1T 1:51 27.1 D Miller 0.65* J Holloway 10 Sassa Hanover 10 4/4Q 4@/3T 1/1T 2/Q 2/1T 1:51.2 28 M Kakaley 27.25 R Burke 4 Bedroomconfessions(L) 4 7/11 8@/9T 7@/7H 5/6Q 3/3 1:51.3 26.4 Ti Tetrick 5.35 T Alagna 3 Solar Sister 3 6/9 6@/7T 5@/5Q 3/5 4/3 1:51.3 27.1 D Mcnair 5.90 R Mcnair 6 Southwind Roulette 6 1/1H 2/1H 4/5Q 4/5T 5/3H 1:51.3 27.1 Y Gingras 32.10 R Burke 9 Stacia Hanover(L) 9 9/13 7/8 8/8T 7/8T 6/3T 1:51.4 26.3 S Zeron 57.20 S Elliott 7 Frost Damage Blues 7 10/14T 10/13 10@/10T 10/11 7/4T 1:52 26.2 B Sears 12.20 T Fanning 2 Bettor Be Steppin 2 2@/1H 1/1H 3/3Q 6/6Q 8/7T 1:52.3 28.3 C Callahan 15.15 J Holloway 5 Mosquito Blue Chip 5 8@/12T 9@/12 9@/10 9/10T 9/8 1:52.3 27.1 A Miller 12.30 P Jessop 8 The Show Returns 8 3/2 3/3H 6/7Q 8/9 10/9Q 1:52.4 28 J Campbell 86.90 C Ryder Time: 25.3, 55, 1:23.2, 1:51 (Temperature: 10, Condition: GOOD, Variant: 1) 1st Divine Caroline (b,f,3 - Rock N Roll Heaven-Loving Caroline-Art Major) Owner: Val Dor Farms,Freehold,NJ-Theodore Gewertz,New York,NY- Rojan Stables,Wilmington,DE-Michael A Ouriel,Webster,NY 2nd Sassa Hanover (b,f,3 - Rock N Roll Heaven-Sayo Hanover-Allamerican Native) Owner: Burke Racing Stable LLC,Fredericktown,PA-The Panhellenic Stb Corp,Oyster Bay,NY- Weaver Bruscemi LLC,Canonsburg,PA-Lawrence R Karr,Randolph,NJ 3rd Bedroomconfessions (b,f,3 - American Ideal-Turnoffthelights-Jennas Beach Boy) Owner: Riverview Racing LLC,Boynton Beach,FL-Alagna Racing LLC,Manalapan,NJ
Open 1.609 m auto Purse: $400 000 ()
Race 12 Pace, purse $518,960 (EX, LD, SU, TR) BREEDERS CROWN PACE - FINAL - OPEN. (PURSE $400,000 U.S. 200,000 - 100,000 - 48,000 - 32,000 - 20,000) Last Horse HV PP 1/4 1/2 3/4 Stretch Finish Time 1/4 Driver Odds Trainer 3 Always B Miki 3 5@/6H 1@/T 1@/1T 1/2H 1/5H 1:49.3 26.3 D Miller 0.40* J Takter 8 Jk Endofanera 8 6@/8Q 6@/5H 7/6Q 5/6H 2/5H 1:50.3 26.2 B Miller 5.15 J Takter 2 Mach It So(L) 2 7/8H 4@/3H 5@/4H 4/4H 3/5H 1:50.3 26.4 Ti Tetrick 24.60 J Bamond Jr 6 All Bets Off(L) 6 9@/11T 10@/10 10@@/9H 6/6T 4/6Q 1:50.4 26 M Kakaley 65.20 R Burke 4 Foiled Again(L) 4 2/1H 3/2Q 3@/2T 3/4 6P5/6T 1:51 27.2 Y Gingras 9.60 R Burke 7 State Treasurer 7 1/1H 2/T 2/1T 2/2H X5P6/6H 1:50.4 27.2 C Christoforou 9.60 Dr I Moore 5 Bettors Edge(L) 5 8@/10 8@/8 9@/8H 9/8T 7/8H 1:51.1 26.3 B Sears 17.75 R Burke 9 Mcwicked(L) 9 10/13Q 9/8Q 8/8 10/9 8/8T 1:51.2 26.4 C Callahan 62.45 C Coleman 10 Arthur Blue Chip 10 4/4T 7/6Q 6/6Q 7/7H 9/9T 1:51.3 27.2 Ra Waples 69.45 Dr I Moore 1 Melmerby Beach(L) 1 3/3H 5/4T 4/4 8/7T 10/13H 1:52.1 28.2 P Macdonell 83.90 Dr I Moore Time: 26.3, 55.2, 1:23, 1:49.3 (Temperature: 10, Condition: SLOPPY, Variant: 2) 1st Always B Miki (b,h,4 - Always A Virgin-Artstopper-Artsplace) Owner: Bluewood Stable,Hopewell,NJ-Roll The Dice Stable,Wilmington,DE-Christina Takter,East Windsor,NJ 2nd Jk Endofanera (b,h,4 - Art Major-Presidential Lady-Presidential Ball) Owner: 3 Brothers Stables,New York,NY 3rd Mach It So (b,g,5 - Mach Three-Beach Dancer-Beach Towel) Owner: Bamond Racing LLC,Brick,NJ
Open Mare 1.609 m auto Purse: $250 000
Race 10 Pace, purse $324,350 (EX, P3, SU, TR) BREEDERS CROWN - FINAL - OPEN MARE. (PURSE $250,000 U.S. 125,000 - 62,500 - 30,000 - 20,000 - 12,500) Last Horse HV PP 1/4 1/2 3/4 Stretch Finish Time 1/4 Driver Odds Trainer 1 Colors A Virgin 1 5/8H 5/7H 6@/5T 3/1H 1/NS 1:53.3 28 D Miller 6.50 B Brown 2 Sandbetweenurtoes(L) 2 6/11Q 6/9Q 4/3H 7/2H 2/NS 1:53.3 28.3 S Filion 5.30 R Moreau 9 Venus Delight(L) 8 4/6H 4/5T 5@/4 4/1T 3/1T 1:54 28.4 J Bartlett 1.55* J Bamond Jr 8 Lady Shadow 7 1/2 1/1H 1/1H 1/T 4/2Q 1:54 29.3 D Mcnair 8.15 R Adams 6 Yagonnakissmeornot(L) 5 3/3T 3/3T 3@/2 2/T 5/2H 1:54 29.1 D Dube 5.30 R Allard 5 Katie Said 4 7/14 7/11Q 8@/7T 6X/2H 6/3Q 1:54.1 28.1 J Campbell 4.10 J Takter 3 Skippin By(L) 3 2/2 2/1H 2/1H 5/2Q 7/8Q 1:55.1 30.3 Ra Waples 26.15 V Morgan Jr 7 Marquise De Sarah 6 8/17Q 8/17 7/7Q X8/9H 8/18H 1:57.1 31.2 J Jamieson 58.65 D Menary 10 Fancy Desire(L) 9 9/19 9/20H 9/14T 9/16H 9/23H 1:58.1 30.4 L Ouellette 76.50 L Ouellette 4 Anndrovette(L) SCRATCHED - VET(SICK) Time: 25.3, 54.3, 1:24.2, 1:53.3 (Temperature: 10, Condition: SLOPPY, Variant: 2) Judges List: Anndrovette-VET 1st Colors A Virgin (b,m,4 - Always A Virgin-Full Color-Allamerican Ingot) Owner: Emerald Highlands Farm,Mount Vernon,OH 2nd Sandbetweenurtoes (b,m,4 - Somebeachsomewhere-Als Girl-Artsplace) Owner: Bradley J Grant,Milton,ON 3rd Venus Delight (b,m,5 - Bettors Delight-Venus Killean-Run The Table) Owner: Bamond Racing LLC,Brick,NJ
The 2015 Breeders Crown wrapped up on Saturday night at Woodbine Racetrack with more than $7.6 million in purses up for grabs over 12 races. When all was said and done, two participants finished the night by accomplishing something no one else has done in the history of the 31-year-old championship series.
The night belonged to driver David Miller and trainer Jimmy Takter. Miller drove five Breeders Crown winners, while Takter trainees won six races. Here are Trot Insider's recaps of the races with replays and reactions where available.
D One celebrated the first crowning moment of the night as she held off two-time champion Shake It Cerry to win the $324,350 Mares Open Trot for trainer Roger Walmann.
Shake It Cerry (Johnny Takter) established the early lead from post seven over Classic Martine (Tim Tetrick) and Rockin With Dewey (Mario Baillargeon) through a :27.1 first quarter before D One made her move down the backstretch. Driver David Miller sent the 2-5 favourite on the attack from fourth and took over command approaching the half-mile mark of :57.2.
D One continued to lead the trotting mares past three-quarters in 1:26.3 while a parked out Daylon Miracle (Brett Miller) advanced first over with Bax Of Life (Chris Christoforou) tracking her cover.
D One remained clear on the lead through turning for home and held off the late stretch challenge from the pocket-pulling Shake It Cerry to win by three-quarters of a length in 1:54.2 over the track listed as 'good' due to earlier rain. Charmed Life (Jody Jamieson) closed from the backfield to finish third.
"It's a big help [to get the night started with a win], you can start off, everything's rolling good, your confidence is up, it's good," said Miller of winning the first championship of the night. "The track's good right now. If we don't get any more rain and it doesn't get any worse, it should be alright."
After the race, Miller noted that the trip went as planned.
"Yeah, pretty much. If I had my choice I would have essentially come up the backstretch and move her then, but there were horses out there so I had to move her when I did and it held up very well," said Miller.
The five-year-old millionaire mare is by Donato Hanover out of Giant Diablo. She is owned by Stall Kenny 23 of Varmoo, Sweden.
Walmann pointed to the mare's heart and will to win as what makes her so special. Walmann said D One could race in the TVG Final at The Meadowlands and that would be her last start on North American soil before heading home to Sweden.
| Photo |
| Driver Brett Miller captures his FIRST Breeders Crown trophy with the undefeated 2-year-old pacing filly PURE COUNTRY in 1:51.4. Trained by Jimmy Takter and owned by Diamond Creek Racing, the Somebeachsomewhere lass put an exclamation point on the end of a perfect 10 for 10 season. |
The undefeated Pure Country pushed her win streak into the double digits as she captured the $778,440 Two-Year-Old Filly Pace.
Pure Country -- now a 'perfect 10' -- provided driver Brett Miller with his first Breeders Crown victory, while trainer Jimmy Takter added to his record win total, which now stands at 22.
"Oh my God, it feels so good to win it and to have this race early...I'm go glad this race was early, and so glad we were able to win," said Miller.
Call Me Queen Be (Scott Zeron) fired off the gate from the outside post 10 to establish the lead in front of the grandstand, however, post nine starter Mayhem Seelster (Jack Moiseyev) was parked and pressing and she took over past the :26.1 first quarter mark.
Meanwhile, Miller had heavy 1-9 favourite Pure County out and rolling and they cleared to command down the backstretch.
As Pure Country led the field to the half in :55.1, Lyons River Pride (Brian Sears) was flushed first over with elimination winner Yankee Moonshine (Yannick Gingras) catching her cover.
Lyons River Pride battled head-to-head with Pure Country, who came back on as they raced by three-quarters in 1:23.4. The Somebeachsomewhere-Western Montana filly then began to open up down the stretch and drew off to a three-length victory in 1:51.4. Shezarealdeal (John Campbell) rallied home from third over to edge out Mayhem Seelster for the runner-up honours, making it was a 2-3 finish for the Tony O'Sullivan stable.
"I was being just a little cautious with her out of the gate, and actually it almost cost me," said Miller. "I got very lucky to get out...and once I got out, she's such a nice filly, I kind of eased her to the front -- :55.1 is a big half -- she's just a tremendous horse."
Miller explained that once he headed around the final turn, there wasn't any anxious moments for the star filly.
"I had her pretty much shut down there, I was trying to give her a breather, and I was still pretty confident in the last turn. She's something else....she's got all the tools and she's got grit to her, too."
Owned and bred by Diamond Creek Racing of Wellsville, Pennsylvania, Pure Country nearly doubled her bankroll with the victory. She has earned over $782,000 in purses during her debut year.
"This is something you dream about, it's something I've dreamed about forever, and to finally win a Breeders Crown it feels really good. I have to thank all the owners and trainers out there that have put me in this spot," concluded Miller.
Southwind Frank was 1-9 on the toteboard and he proved why with an authoritative victory in the $778,440 Breeders Crown Final for Two-Year-Old Trotting Colts.
Yannick Gingras floated the rookie trotter up to the lead as Sliding Home (David Miller) showed fastest speed off the gate. Just after the :27.1 opening panel, Gingras landed Southwind Frank on the front. With a :59.1 middle half over fractions of :57.3 and 1:26.2, the odds were more than in the favourite's favour heading for home. A :28 closing quarter was sufficient enough to hold off first-over challenger Marion Marauder (Scott Zeron) in 1:54.2, while Sliding Home completed the triactor over Deep Impact (Steve Condren).
"He was a bit more aggressive [behind the gate] than he's been the last few weeks...he had been like that earlier in the year, so I just wanted to get him off on the right foot," noted Gingras about the trip. "He wasn't really sure-footed at the point, the rest of the way I was pretty confident."
Both Gingras and interviewer Greg Blanchard noted the horse's manners, although Gingras said that wasn't always the case.
"From the first time I sat behind him he was all business. Everytime I've raced him, he's a true professional."
Owner Jerry Silva, who was part owner of the colt's superstar sire, heaped more praise on Southwind Frank in the winner's circle.
"He may have surpassed his father, Muscle Hill. And that's saying a lot. No one knows until next year."
Silva noted that this would be Southwind Frank's final start of 2015, with hopes of a Hambletonian title in 2016.
"This year we tried it with Mission Brief against Pinkman and we weren't good enough. Next year we'll try it with Southwind Frank."
Southwind Frank (Muscle Hill - Flawless Lindy) is now 11-for-12 on the year with an impressive bankroll in excess of $940,000 for Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC of Pennsylvania, Our Horse Cents Stables and J And T Silva Stables LLC of New York.
| Photo |
| Divine Caroline takes the $500,000 Breeders Crown 3-year-old filly pace in 1:51. Trained by Joe Holloway and driven by David Miller, the Rock N Roll Heaven filly scores her fourth in a row and is owned by Val D'or, Gewertz, Rojan & Ouriel. |
The Joe Holloway trainee settled away mid-pack while Southwind Roulette (Yannick Gingraa) and The Show Returns sprinted off the gate together from posts six and eight, respectively. The Show Returns eventually took back into the two-hole as Southwind Roulette forged on with the inner advantage. The early duel produced a :25.3 record first quarter for the fillies.
Bettor Be Steppin (Corey Callahan), another filly from the Holloway stable, was on the move early though and she swept to the top from third just past that first quarter mark.
As the new leader raced down the backstretch to the half in :55, Sassa Hanover (Matt Kakaley) advanced first over from fourth with Divine Caroline following cover. Solar Sister (Doug McNair), an elimination winner, and Bedroomconfessions (Tim Tetrick) were also spotted in the outer flow.
Sassa Hanover worked past Bettor Be Steppin as they headed into the final turn and past three-quarters in 1:23.2 with Divine Caroline left looming first over. Divine Caroline moved alongside Sassa Hanover in the stretch and swept by in the final eighth of a mile to win by one and a half lengths in 1:51. Sassa Hanover finished second and Bedroomconfessions came on for third.
"Last year, she had just one win and showed high, high speed, but it took time for her to mature and even through the beginning of the year, she was always close, but never winning," Holloway said of the Rock N Roll Heaven-Loving Caroline filly. "She's finally turned it around and turned on the winning ways and turned into a really topnotch filly."
Divine Caroline had earned back-to-back wins in the Bluegrass Stakes and Glen Garnsey Memorial at The Red Mile before sweeping her Breeders Crown elimination and the final. The championship victory was her seventh win in 20 starts this year and boosted her career bankroll to nearly $800,000.
"That's all you hope for is a good, clean trip and the horse has to show it for themselves, and she did," said Holloway. "In the beginning [of the race], I was hoping that Steppin [Bettor Be Steppin] was back to herself -- she took off for the early lead, but I could see by the half she wasn't quite good enough. So we'll retire her for the year and she'll be back next year to race. Caroline was in a good spot and she showed what she can do."
Holloway noted that Divine Caroline would be pointed next to the Matron Stakes at Dover Downs before concluding her sophomore season at The Meadowlands.
Divine Caroline is owned by Val Dor Farms of Freehold, New Jersey, Theodore Gewertz of New York, New York, Rojan Stables of Wilmington, Delaware and Michael Ouriel of Webster, New York.
All The Time put an end to stablemate Haughty's seven-race win streak as she was a dominant winner in the $778,440 Two-Year-Old Filly Trot.
Driver Yannick Gingras and trainer Jimmy Takter picked up their second Breeders Crown victories of the night with the homebred Muscle Hill-Cantab It All filly, who is owned by Marvin Katz of Toronto and Al Libfeld of Pickering, Ont.
Another Takter filly, Kathy Parker (Johnny Takter), posted a :26.4 stakes record tying first quarter as she sprinted to the lead early from post seven over outsider Caprice Hill (Tim Tetrick). However, 6-5 favourite All The Time rushed by from third and Gingras stole a second quarter breather, reaching the half in :58 before cruising by three-quarters in 1:28.2 and then opening up five lengths down the stretch for the 1:56.2 triumph. Haughty closed off the cover of Dewdle All Day (catch-driver Brett Miller) to finish second while Caprice Hill was third.
"She's really sweet. From the minute I hit the track tonight, actually, she's never felt better," stated Gingras. "Per [Engblom], Jimmy's second trainer, told me he thought she was even better than last week and he was right. They did a tremendous job with her in the last three, four weeks to get her where she is today.
"For the two-year-olds I think [getting them a start over the track a week prior] matters more than the rest of them. The other horses, they've probably been over here at some point in the past but for them it definitely helps...but she's a true professional, I don't think it would have mattered with her."
"This is really fulfilling of all of the expectations that Al Libfeld and myself and Sam [Goldband] and the long journey that we've had," stated co-owner Marvin Katz. "This is the idea we had many, many years ago where we would produce champions for ourselves and out of our own broodmare band."
Katz went on to thank trainer Takter, Perry Soderberg, Jimmy Glantz and Bob Brady before thanking driver Yannick Gingras, who committed to this filly over Caprice Hill in the Peaceful Way -- where All The Time made a break -- and since stuck with her.
All The Time now has six wins and two seconds in 10 starts and career earnings totalling more than half a million dollars.
There's a reason why they race them, and that reason was never more evident than in the result of the $648,700 Breeders Crown Final for Three-Year-Old Trotting Fillies.
As favoured Mission Brief (Yannick Gingras) was trotting through an uncontested lead over the field of seven through fractions of :26.2, :56.2 and 1:25, she looked to be homefree hitting the head of the lane when she went offstride and took herself out of contention.
That development opened up the race but left in squarely in the lap of pocket sitter and second favourite Wild Honey (John Campbell), who inherited the lead and held off a late surge from teh backfield to hit the wire first in 1:54.3. Im So Fancy (Matt Kakaley) edged Speak To Me (Brett Miller) for the runner-up spot.
"My filly struggled a little bit in the last turn, I really had to be careful with her there," said Campbell in the winner's circle. "At that point I was thinking I wasn't going to get [Mission Brief] because if you're going to beat her you have to be right up on her back well into the stretch. I had to give up some lengths there so she got away on me but once I got my filly around the turn she squared up and gave me a good effort finishing."
"She's always had little issues, on and off, on the turns, and I saw that a little bit...thought we're not going to beat that filly today, but I also saw that Yannick had big problems on the backside with Mission Brief. She wasn't trotting as smooth as she normally does."
Takter couldn't be any happier with Wild Honey's season. "She won the Hambletonian [Oaks], the Breeders Crown and the [Kentucky] Filly Futurity. She's, to me, the three-year-old trotting filly of the year."
Wild Honey (Cantab Hall - U Wanna Lindy) claimed her seventh win in 14 seasonal starts for owners Christina Takter of East Windsor, N.J., Canadian native Herb Liverman of Miami Beach, Fl., and brothers John & Jim Fielding of Toronto, Ont. Her lifetime bankroll now exceeds $1.6 million.
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| BOSTON RED ROCKS at 18-1 takes a thrilling $600,000 Breeders Crown for 2-year-old pacing colts in 1:51.3. The Rocknroll Hanover colt came from behind to snatch victory from the jaws of several "favorites" for trainer Steve Elliott and Florida-based owners Peter Blood and Rick Berks. |
Tim Tetrick drove the Rocknroll Hanover-McGibson colt for trainer Steve Elliott and Florida-based owners Peter Blood of Pompano Beach and Rick Berks of Boca Raton.
Talk Show (Corey Callahan), drawing in off the Also Eligible list when Travel Playlist was scratched sick after the eliminations, crossed over to command in the early going from the outside 10-hole. He blazed through an opening quarter in :25.3 with American Passport (Scott Zeron) leaving from mid-pack for the pocket spot and Betting Line (Chris Christoforou), from the post eight, pressing the pace.
Betting Line eventually battled past Talk Show as the field entered the backstretch and he reached the half in :53.2. American Passport began to advance first over, but broke stride, leaving Racing Hill (Brett Miller) first over with undefeated Control The Moment (Randy Waples) on his back.
Betting Line continued to lead the field past three-quarters in 1:22.2 and was able to keep Racing Hill at bay at they raced into the stretch, however, the backfield was closing in. Boston Red Rocks, spotted fifth over turning for home, was full of late pace and stormed down the stretch for the career-best 1:51.3 triumph. Big Top Hanover (Yannick Gingras) came through inside for second-place honours and Nvestment Bluechip (Jody Jamieson) came on for third over Betting Line.
"I was kind of towards the back on the outside, but when I saw Corey leave with Talk Show I knew the fractions were going to be strong, and they were very strong," said Tetrick. "[I was thinking] hopefully they come back to me. And my horse, last week he had a nice little sneaky run and I thought if the fractions were fair I could have a shot at them. He really responded well."
Boston Red Socks started his career with three consecutive wins and has never missed the board in seven starts. He was a runner-up to Racing Hill last week in his elimination.
"I really liked him [last week], he's very smart, good to drive and that gives me a lot of audibles when he's push-button so it worked out good tonight."
Tetrick said the game plan was to "just try and stay as close as I could," but noted "when I saw Corey being aggressive with that one -- and he's pretty aggressive when he gets on his way -- I knew there would be honest fractions and I just wanted to be on the outside in the flow and I got lead up good enough and my horse charged well."
The victory boosted the lightly raced colt's bankroll to more than $468,000.
All eyes were on defending champion and 1-5 favourite Pinkman in the $648,700 Three-Year-Old Colt Trot, but it was another Jimmy Takter trainee that would steal the spotlight on this night.
The Bank pulled off a 14-1 upset as he defeated Pinkman with a late stretch surge, scoring in 1:54.3.
The Bank carried driver David Miller back to the winner's circle for the third time tonight while trainer Jimmy Takter celebrated his fourth 2015 Breeders Crown triumph.
With the inside post advantage, Pinkman (Yannick Gingras) came through with the lead among the early leavers with Muscle Diamond (John Campbell) settling into the two-hole ahead Lookslikeachpndale (Sylvain Filion) through a :27.2 first quarter. Meanwhile, The Bank was left parked out from post five in fourth-place.
Pinkman carved out middle splits of :57.2 and 1:26.4 with The Bank floating first over and French Laundry (Brett Miller), also from the Takter stable, moving second over on his barn buddy's back.
Pinkman maintained a clear lead into the stretch, but The Bank began to close in on his stablemate with a sixteenth of a mile to go and got up for the narrow score just in time. Muscle Diamond finished third and French Laundry was fourth.
After the race, Miller said it wasn't until the last turn that he thought he had a shot at reeling in the leading multiple stakes champion and double millionaire.
"Around the last turn, Yannick asked his horse and I was still sitting on mine," said Miller. "At that point, I thought I'd maybe be second for sure, and he went a big trip. He hung a long ways and got the job done.
"[The track has] held up pretty good, it's a little sticky, but under the conditions it's pretty good," added Miller.
With his victory in the rich Breeders Crown final, the Donato Hanover-Lantern Kronos colt surpassed the million-dollar mark in career earnings for owners Christina Takter of East Windsor, New Jersey, Goran Falk of Allentown, New Jersey and Goran Anderberg of Malmo, Sweden.
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| FREAKY FEET PETE, the freaky fast son of Rockin' Image captures the Breeders Crown glamour boys division in 1:50. The win gives driver Trace Tetrick and trainer Larry Reinheimer their first Crown trophy. The Indiana fan base exceeded the capacity of the winners circle to celebrate with their home-town hero. |
Tetrick settled his colt into sixth in the early going as Reverend Hanover (Chris Christoforou), Lost For Words (David Miller) and In The Arsenal all left stoutly. First on the lead was Reverend Hanover through a :26 opening quarter, with Lost For Words briefly pacing in the pocket before right-lining for the lead. The half was reached in :55, with Wakizashi Hanover (Tim Tetrick) coming first up until Sears pulled from third with In The Arsenal to be the first in the outer flow.
Miller tried to open up some daylight on those horses stuck behind cover by clicking off three-quarters in 1:22.1 and started to get some separation on the field. Once Freaky Feet Pete hit the homestretch, he responded with a lethal late closing kick and gained on Lost For Words with every stride. Closer to the wire, Freaky Feet Pete powered past Lost For Words for the Crown title, winning in 1:50. Artspeak (Scott Zeron) closed strongly to nose out Lost For Words for second.
The win marks the first Breeders Crown title for trainer Larry Rheinheimer and driver Trace Tetrick, who called the win "very exciting" and said he would "remember it forever."
"I was third over, I followed Tim off -- and that's the horse if not the best, the second best one to beat because I knew Artspeak was going to come off my helmet," stated Tetrick post-race. "Going into that last turn, I looked up and Dave up there just winging and I thought it was going to be a tough job to catch him and I got him in the last little bit. It was great."
When asked about what the future holds for Freaky Feet Pete, Tetrick told Greg Blanchard to expect to see more of the pacing powerhouse in 2016.
"The four-year-old year is the toughest year by far. I'm not sure what they're going to do but I know they have expectations of staking him a little more aggressively for next year. If he can come back and maintain if not get a little better, who knows how fast or what can do?"
Now with 13 wins and two second place finishes from 15 seasonal starts, Freaky Feet Pete (Rockin Image - Skyway Lori) boasts $977,703 in career earnings for owners Mary Jo Rheinheimer and Marty Rheinheimer of Indiana.
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| COLOR'S A VIRGIN (1) powers down the stretch from way off the pace to capture the $250,000 Breeders Crown Open Mare Pace in 1:53.3 during a heavy rain over Sandbetweenurtoes (2). Driver David Miller takes his fourth BC trophy on the night, this time for trainer Brian Brown of Delaware, Ohio and owner Emerald Highlands (Bruce Trogden). |
David Miller matched the record for most Breeders Crowns driving wins in a night as he was aboard the four-year-old mare for trainer Brian Brown and owner/breeder Emerald Highlands Farm of Mount Vernon, Ohio. Miller matched Tim Tetrick's four-win record that was set during the 2012 championships at Woodbine.
When the gate opened, Lady Shadow (Doug McNair) fired to the lead and carved out fractions of :25.3, :54.3 and 1:24.2 before the thrilling stretch drive. The outer flow began to fan out across the track as they came off the final turn with Colors A Virgin and Katie Said (John Campbell) widest of all as they rallied from third and fourth over, respectively. Down the stretch, Katie Said broke stride and then Sandbetweenurtoes (Sylvain Filion) came through inside of Colors A Virgin and those two hit the wire side by side. However, it was 6-1 Colors A Virgin who had the slight edge in the photo finish to earn the victory, which was clocked in 1:53.3. Favourite Venus Delight (Jason Bartlett) rounded out the top three finishers.
"This mare was the 2-5 favourite last year and had a tough trip and no flow," said Brown after the race. "Tonight was very rewarding, but I have to tell everyone and give congratulations to Tony O'Sullivan. He took the mare to Jersey and up here and he's the one who really got her turned around. Bruce and the guys get her ready on the farm and she comes to me to race and I have to thank them or we wouldn't be standing here tonight. And what can you say about David Miller? He's got four Breeders Crowns tonight!"
The Always A Virgin-Full Color mare, who is now eight-for-18 this year, soared over the $1 million mark in earnings with her 26th career victory.
Creatine cruised wire-to-wire to win the $689,244 Open Trot and give the powerful Jimmy Takter stable their fifth winner of the night.
Following his European campaign and a third-place International Trot finish in his North American season's debut at Yonkers Raceway two weeks ago, Creatine left from post six in the Breeders Crown and carved out fractions of :27.2, :56.4 and 1:25.1 en route to the 1:52.4 victory.
Johnny Takter drove the five-year-old son of Andover Hall out of Berry Nice Muscles, who became harness racing's newest double millionaire, for his brother Jimmy Takter.
"It's not easy to come here and win a Breeders Crown," said Johnny Takter of his first Breeders Crown victory. "I'm lucky I have a brother who is a trainer here."
"We've come a long way together," said Jimmy Takter. "Johnny's had a fantastic career over in Europe and I've done very well over here. He drove a few races for me over the years here too, but it's always special, of course, when your brother wins a race for you. He's done a fantastic job with the horse over in Europe. It's very special for us."
Resolve (Ake Svanstedt) finished second off a pocket trip, with Gural Hanover (Matt Kakaley) following in third. Bee A Magician (Brian Sears), the lone mare in the field of seven, finished fourth after tipping first over with three-eighths to go.
Creatine, a top-three finisher in both of his last two Breeders Crown attempts, was supplemented to this year's edition for $62,500, by his current connections, Big C Racing of Wellsville, Pennsylvania.
"$62,500 is quite a bit of money to bring into this game, but the horse raced good at Yonkers and unfortunately he tied up a bit there and I think he would have had a heck of a shot to win that one too," said Jimmy Takter. "The horse is razor sharp and had been racing good in Europe so I know he belonged. I basically know what's going to be here and I knew he could beat these horses."
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| ALWAYS B MIKI gives Jimmy Takter an unprecedented SIX Breeders Crown trophies in one night. David Miller also picked up his fifth trophy on the card. The lightly-raced 4-year-old is now a perfect 3 for 3 on the season winning the $400,000 Open Pace. |
A number of horses in the ten-horse field left for early position, with State Treasurer (Chris Christoforou) out sharpest from Post 7 to claim command after a :26.3 first quarter. Foiled Again (Yannick Gingras) paced in the pocket with public choice Always B Miki (David Miller) off the pace early in fifth. Miller then floated the favourite first up and cleared to the front just after the :55.2 half mile marker. With Mach It So (Tim Tetrick) advancing, Gingras prompted Foiled Again to engage the other elimination winner from a week ago.
After a third panel in 1:23, Miller asked Always B Miki for another gear and the pacing horse gave him one...maybe two. A sizzling :26.3 closing quarter over the off going was the dagger to the rest of the field, back nearly six lengths to Always B Miki as he tripped the timer in 1:49.3. JK Endofanera (Brett Miller) knifed through horses for the second, nosing out Mach It So.
With the victory, driver David Miller set a Breeders Crown record with five wins in one night and trainer Jimmy Takter's six wins for a trainer is also the most on a single Breeders Crown card.
"For him to go that kind of mile, on a night like tonight," stated Miller after the win. "If you only knew what he's overcome this year and last."
Miller compared this night to his 2004 Delaware Fair dominance when he won 10 races including the Little Brown Jug with No Pan Intended.
"These are nights I'll never forget, they're the ones you dream about."
Takter has won many stakes and enjoyed some tremendous success in harness racing, but he still considered this day the biggest of his lauded career.
"I have to thank all my crew and my owners, without them we wouldn't stand here. These horses are fantastic."
The story behind Always B Miki's absence has been well documented, starting with a late scratch from the 2014 Breeders Crown, requiring two surgeries and finally returning to win the race many thought he would one year ago.
"I end up with 'Miki', I've had him now for 10 months and it's been a bumpy road but I've always liked him from the first moment I started working with him," said Takter. "Standing here, it feels very, very special. He's a unique animal and I put him up with the top horses that have ever been in this sport.
"I'm really looking forward to campaigning him next year."
Always B Miki (Always A Virgin - Artstopper) is owned by breeder Roll The Dice Stable of Wilmington, DE, along with Jimmy's wife Christina and Bluewood Stable of New Jersey. Now three-for-three on the season, the pacer's career earnings surpassed $1.22 million with the victory.
Breeders Crown night concluded with a mandatory Jackpot Hi 5 payout in the 13th race, a $25,000 conditioned-claiming event. With a carryover of $557,000, the pool climbed to $1,670,263. A $1 ticket with the 6-1-3-2-12 winning combination paid $63,733.
The late-closing Grin For Money, at odds of 26-1, edged out 8-1 shot Crafty Master in a photo finish for the 1:54.1 victory.
Randy Waples drove the eight-year-old son of Grinfromeartoear-Our Inheritance to his first win since returning to racing action from an eight-month layoff for the John Kopas stable and owner Brad Grant of Milton, Ont.
Hunch Man (10-1), favourite Topcornerterror (7-5), and Velocity Driven (10-1) completed the top five finish order.
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