Breeders Crown Finals Present Public-Choice Winners, Strong Exotic Partners Delivered Here; Rosecroft Victor Tops Prices At $16

Because of the calm, warm weather, it did not seem much like the late-season championship series. Then the two- and three-year-olds began to charge from the gate at The Meadowlands on Oct. 29 and it was apparent we were witnessing fields of gold, so to speak and the Breeders Crown was into its final miles.

On Friday, Oct. 28, the older pacers and trotters jousted for a “Crown.” Those races were covered in our last extra blog of the season, the Breeders Crown Countdown, which is reported below, after the Oct. 29 night of speed and stamina.

Beginning with the two- and three-year-old events, let’s review how we did with our suggested contenders, which as usual, we speculated could topple the obvious, crowd-accepted favorites.

We were spot on in our analysis that Racing Hill ($6.40, $5.40, $2.80) would continue his recent come-from-behind style to scorch the soph-pacing colt field. He was the second choice. Our attempts at a big exacta failed because our choices for the second spot, Dr J Hanover (22-1) and Fernando Hanover (28-1), were topped by a 60-1 shot.

The soph-filly trot, we warned, was in danger of offering little because most of us expected to find probable-favorite Broadway Donna ($3.60, $2.60, $2.20) in the winner’s circle, where she did wind up. Our upset possibility, Fad Finance (32-1), finished sixth.

Another big favorite, Bar Hopping, seemed vulnerable to our choice, Southwind Frank ($4.20, $3.20), who finished second for a remarkably high exacta worth $19.00. Also in that event, our third choice, Double L Lindy ($10.40) finished third to complete a triple with the favorite that paid a generoud $302.40.

Call Me Queen B (12-1), defeated the final field of soph-filly pacers. We supported her the week before in her elim when she finished third. Here, we backed the winner of the other elim, Newborn Sassy (17-1). She finished sixth, while proposed exotic partner Kiss Me Onthebeach (43-1) ended up eighth.

Three of the four two-year-old finals were dominated by obvious choices that won as huge favorites.

In the filly trot, our choice, Broadway Idole (177-1), broke while making a major move, and was eliminated. Our second choice, Evelyn (143-1) took the fifth spot and our choice for third finished third at 132-1. Sunshine Delight ($18.40) was a strong late chaser of the winner, Ariana G.

In the frosh-colt trot, What The Hill (10-1) finished fourth, followed by exacta-partner choices Dover Dan (38-1) getting sixth and Snowstorm Hanover seventh. Walner was the prohibitive choice and he won hoofs down.

The other crowd choice winning (denied by us) was Hunsville, in the frosh-colt pace. We backed the fast-closing third finisher, Miso Fast ($5.40), while our second choice, Blood Line (83-1) finished sixth.

The frosh-filly pace was taken by a 17-1 shot, ahead of our fifth-place finisher That’s The Ticket (80-1) and her would-be exacta partner Rockette (158-1), who finished seventh.


BREEDERS CROWN COUNTDOWN

The Breeders Crown Countdown (BCC) blog completed its 2016 run covering the quartet of championships for the older pacers and trotters. Three favorites won.

In the Mare Trot we had the two femmes behind winner Hannelore Hanover. We were second with Bee A Magician ($2.40, $2.10) and third with Shake It Cerry ($2.60). Our choice, D’One (8-1), finished sixth.

The Open Pace went to the fastest standardbred in history, Always B Miki. We looked for an upset from Shamballa ($2.60) but he finished third, while all exotic hopes for a huge price were lost when Split The House (36-1) ended up fourth behind Shamballa, Wiggle It Jiggleit and the winner (a $2.00 superfecta paid $33.20).

Next, the glorious Lady Shadow made chalk players happy winning the Mare Pace, while our followers were stuck with Divine Caroline (48-1), finishing 10^th and our second choice, Frost Damaged Blues ($2.80) closing well but only picking up the show.

Flannigan Memory (4-1) presented the older divisions with their highest win price, while we were eighth with Il Sogno Dream (62-1) and fourth with Windsun Revenge.

Our thanks to the Hambletonian Society and The Meadowlands for their hospitality to myself and Ray Cotolo as we covered the Breeders Crown events live.

 On various Wednesday nights we tweet for TwinSpires Twitter members from @FrankCotolo –retweeted by @twinspires—and the raceway involved. Losers from each week will appear on the next week’s horses-to-watch (H2W) list unless they race before that blog is published, so watch for them returning to the races on days in between blogs. Watch for special tweets from raceways on various Wednesdays.

H2W LIST RESULTS

The H2W results list across-the-board prices. Also, exactas listed are included when a H2W horse finishes second with a race favorite or the first two finishers making up the exacta are H2W horses (an asterisk appears when both horses were listed to complete a cold exacta). The note “ok” determines that prices published are correct even when a show price exceeds a place price or any or all of the prices are the same. This week, there were 46 active horses (a 9-percent win hit rate and a 35-percent across-the-board hit rate).

Please note that some H2W results reflect win, place, show and exotic results occurring by press time but some horses race after the blog is posted (we list them the following week) It is up to you to follow horses that have not performed before this weekly review is posted.

Winners

A Lady Sizzling, $16.80, $6.40, $4.60, Rosecroft
Milligans School, $4.40, $2.60, $2.20, Hoosier
Po Po Dee, $3.80, $2.40, $2.10, Plainridge
Mary Leah, $2.90, $2.10, $2.10, Charlottetown
 
Seconds

Spurofthemuscle, $10.40, $5.70 (Exacta $86.00), Monticello
JJFs Miss Carolyn, $4.00, $3.00 (Exacta $9.80), Plainridge
Modern Day Clyde, $4.00, $2.90 (Exacta $15.80), Rideau Carleton
Optimal Kent, $3.40, $3.00, Rideau-Carleton
 
Thirds

Yolo Lindy, $11.60, Vernon
Royal Classic, $5.20, Cal-Expo
Whistys Paradise, $5.20, Mohawk
Galex, $4.00, Cal-Expo
Too Tall Tamarac, $3.60, Northfield
Fanticipation, $3.40, Yonkers
Kholtons Rei, $2.80, Scarborough
Sir Royson, $2.80, Philadelphia

News & Notes

Trainer Jimmy Takter took three Crown titles. Highly expected Ariana G won (see above) and locked in her division’s 2016 award as top frosh-filly trotter. Bar Hopping won the soph-colt trot for Takter and Always B Miki (who Takter took over as trainer last season) won gave him the hat trick. That one will be close in votes for the top older-pacing star in his division, since the chances for Wiggle It Jiggleit winning the title are still good.

Marion Marauder, the trotting triple-crown winner, finished 10^th (which was last) in the soph-colt trotting final, going off at 5-2. There were no comments available from driver Scott Zeron or trainer Paula Wellwood to attempt an explanation of the colt’s horrible performance. Having won the Kentucky Futurity a few weeks back from post 11 in a crowded field and easily making it into the Crown final (though he did not win his elimination), Marion Marauder was never a factor in the championship mile won by Bar Hopping.

Driver Marcus Miller won his first Crown drive with Someomensomewhere (frosh-filly pacer) and Scott Zeron took his first Crown winner with Call Me Queen Be. That soph-filly trotter also gave trainer Ross Croghan his first Crown winner. Croghan is one of the few ex-California-based horsemen to come east and produce many stakes winners. The veteran trainer drove for years on the rough-and-tumble California circuit before it collapsed into a single venue (Cal-Expo). Croghan began his standardbred career Down Under.

A controversial horse owner, David H. Brooks, is dead at 61. He passed away during a prison sentence. Brooks was serving 17 years for “running a massive stock-fraud scheme. No details on the cause of death were revealed. Brooks had been one of the partners in the ownership team known as Bulletproof Enterprises. The name came from his company DHB, which manufactured and sold the Interceptor Vest, developed for the U.S. military, designed to withstand rifle fire and shrapnel.”

Extraordinary Extras

Indulge in many standardbred topics at my Hoof Beats blog titled Vast Performances.

Ray Cotolo contributed to this blog

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