Alagna on Tori Hanover and his nine Breeders Crown finalists
October 25, 2016,by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications
Ken Weingartner
Freehold, NJ — Tori Hanover began her career with a bang, but not in the best sense of the phrase.
“In her first lifetime start she was as hot as a firecracker and halfway ran off with (driver) Brett Miller,” trainer Tony Alagna said. “She was one of our best fillies training in Florida, trained down good all winter with no problems, but she just kind of had a little trouble getting off on the right foot. It was just a matter of regrouping with her and getting her back to where we had her before.”
Since regrouping, Tori Hanover has posted three wins and two seconds in five races. Her most recent start came in last Saturday’s eliminations for the Breeders Crown for 2-year-old filly pacers at the Meadowlands, where she won in 1:54.4 with Scott Zeron in the sulky. This Saturday, she will start the $600,000 final from post No. 1.
If she continues to find success in the Breeders Crown, it would be something of a family tradition. Her half-sister American Jewel and half-brother Luck Be Withyou are Breeders Crown champions — Luck Be Withyou goes for a second trophy in Friday’s Open Pace — and her family also includes Breeders Crown winner Life Sign.
In her Breeders Crown elimination, Tori Hanover rallied from seventh at the halfway point to defeat Someomensomewhere by a length.
“Tori was a pleasant surprise, but not a total shock,” Alagna said. “We took her to Canada (after her first start) and James MacDonald drove her up there and did a great job. He educated her, raced her off the back.
“When we took her to Lexington, the first week she was on the front end and she got beat. I told Scott, it’s not that she can’t be on the front, she’s just not as good on the front. The next week he tripped her out and she won easily in a late-closer, so we decided to take a shot (at the Breeders Crown). He tripped her out and she was very responsive.”
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In her Breeders Crown elimination, Tori Hanover rallied from seventh at the halfway point to defeat Someomensomewhere by a length.
Tori Hanover is a daughter of 2008 Breeders Crown winner and Horse of the Year Somebeachsomewhere out of the mare Trim Hanover. Tori Hanover was purchased for $135,000 at last fall’s Standardbred Horse Sale. She is owned by Jeff Snyder and Brittany Farms.
Brittany Farms leads all owners in Breeders Crown trophies, with 16, while Snyder has won three.
Tori Hanover’s foes in her Breeders Crown final include the three richest 2-year-old filly pacers this season: Idyllic Beach, Agent Q and Roaring To Go. Those three met in last week’s other elimination, with Roaring To Go picking up the victory. Roaring To Go will start from post five while Idyllic Beach leaves from nine and Agent Q from 10.
“The two pacing filly divisions were night and day as far as the way they drew out,” Alagna said. “She drew the rail (for the final) so hopefully she can get a good piece of it. I’m not saying she’s going to go out and beat the top-top fillies now, but she’s going to knock at the door here soon.”
Alagna also sends Blameitonthenight into the 2-year-old filly pace final. She has won three of 11 races, including a division of the Champlain, for owners Alagna Racing, Crawford Farms Racing, and Donna Lee Ozment. She finished third in her Crown elimination.
Tori Hanover and Blameitonthenight are two of nine Breeders Crown finalists for Alagna, who won a trophy with Captaintreacherous in 2013. Alagna’s nine is third best among all trainers in the Breeders Crown, trailing only Ron Burke and Jimmy Takter, who both have 17 finalists.
Alagna’s stable will be represented in seven of the weekend’s Crown events.
Among his other horses is Racing Hill in the Breeders Crown for 3-year-old male pacers. Racing Hill finished fourth in his elimination, his first off-the-board finish in 14 races this season. Check Six and Western Fame were elimination winners.
Racing Hill this year has won the Messenger, Hempt, Adios, and a division of the Tattersalls as well as finished second in the North America Cup, Meadowlands Pace and Battle of the Brandywine. Last year he won his Crown elimination and finished eighth in the final. He is owned by Tom Hill.
“He was dull the other night, he wasn’t himself,” Alagna said. “He didn’t ship well. When we got him to detention the night before he broke out in a sweat and I don’t know why because he’s been shipping good all year. I think he kind of halfway washed himself out. He was flat all night. Hopefully we can get that rectified for this week because he’s as good as anything in there. He’s shown that all along. But he’s got to be on his game.”
Joining him in the final is stablemate Dr J Hanover. He has won seven of 14 races this season for owners Brittany Farms, Marvin Katz, John Cancelliere, and Dr J Partners.
He finished one spot ahead of Racing Hill in their elimination.
Three-year-old filly trotter Caprice Hill finished second in her Breeders Crown elimination. Last year, she finished third in the Breeders Crown and was Canada’s O’Brien Award winner. This season she has won seven of 13 races and finished worse than second only once for owner Tom Hill.
All The Time, who won last year’s Breeders Crown, and 2015 Dan Patch Award-winner Broadway Donna were elimination winners.
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Caprice Hill has earned $895,401 in her career.
“She raced good the other night,” Alagna said. “She scoped with some allergy mucous, we’ve been fighting allergies on her, and hopefully we can get her cleared up and she’ll be that much better for the final. She got beat by a good mare (All The Time), but she’s a good mare too and hopefully she can show it.”
Alagna sends out Odds On Delray in the race for 2-year-old male pacers. He was fourth in his elimination. Huntsville and Downbytheseaside were elimination winners. Odds On Delray has won three of 11 races this year and earned $96,570 for owner Odds On Racing.
Odds On Delray is a son of Somebeachsomewhere out of the mare My Little Dragon, who was a three-time Breeders Crown champion, sharing the record for a female pacer with Eternal Camnation.
“I’ve been happy with him,” Alagna said. “He’s been getting better as the season’s gone on. I was disappointed the trip didn’t work out better the other night because I think he’s a better horse than that, but hopefully he’ll show it in the final.
“I always liked him, from the get-go. He’s strong, he’s got a great maternal pedigree out of a great mare and he’s always done everything right.”
The remaining finalists for Alagna are Winter Harbor in the 3-year-old male trot, Bedroomconfessions in the Mare Pace and I’m So Fancy in the Mare Trot.
Complete fields for the finals are available at this link.
- Fields set for Breeders Crown finals (Sunday, October 23, 2016)
A full slate of elimination races on Saturday evening (Oct. 22) at the Meadowlands narrowed down the fields for next weekend’s $5.8 million Breeders Crown, presented by Mullinax Ford.
- Changes in routine get Lady Shadow back to the winner’s circle (Monday, October 24, 2016)
After looking like a mere shadow of herself two weeks ago, this lady appears to be back in form entering the $250,000 Breeders Crown Mare Pace final Friday night at the Meadowlands. Lady Shadow, an O’Brien Award winner in Canada at ages 3 and 4, entered the Oct. 9 Allerage Mare Pace in Lexington with eight firsts and a second in her previous nine races before finishing eighth. After some tweaks by trainer Ron Adams, Lady Shadow rebounded last Friday to win her Breeders Crown Mare Pace elimination by 7-3/4 lengths in 1:48.4 over a track rated “good” because of rain.
- Per Henriksen seeks fourth Breeders Crown title with Muscle Hustle (Tuesday, October 25, 2016)
Trainer Per Henriksen is old enough to know that you’re never too old to take a shot in the Breeders Crown. The 70-year-old native of Norway, who is based out of Norwood, Ontario, is back in this year’s Breeders Crown presented by Mullinax Ford at the Meadowlands in New Jersey on Saturday night (Oct. 29), seven years since he last raced in the championship event.
- Breeders Crown 3-year-old colt pace is ‘most important race’ for Burke (Wednesday, October 26, 2016)
Ron Burke will send high-profile stars Hannelore Hanover and Southwind Frank into Breeders Crown action this weekend, but neither horse will be in the event the trainer considers the most important to his stable. Burke, who has 17 horses spread throughout nine of the dozen Breeders Crown races at the Meadowlands, considers Saturday’s $500,000 final for 3-year-old male pacers integral to a successful weekend. Burke has four horses in the event, led by one of last week’s elimination winners, Check Six.
- Bee A Magician seeks third Breeders Crown title on Friday (Wednesday, October 26, 2016)
Several months ago it might have seemed a long shot to see Bee A Magician in the Breeders Crown, but now that she’s there she is one of the favorites. Bee A Magician, who didn’t race competitively for nearly five months because of a tendon injury, is the 2-1 second choice in Friday’s (Oct. 28) $250,000 Breeders Crown Mare Trot at the Meadowlands. Hannelore Hanover, who has won 15 of 18 races this season, is the 8-5 morning line favorite.
- Smedshammer duo aim for Breeders Crown glory (Wednesday, October 26, 2016)
Trond Smedshammer is going against his philosophy not once, but twice this week. So far, it seems to be working out. Smedshammer has qualified two Purple Haze Stables horses for the $600,000 Breeders Crown for 2-year-old filly trotters, as Chezatter and Hillarmbro will both compete in this Saturday’s final at the Meadowlands.
- Father-son team looks to zero in on Breeders Crown with Shamballa (Wednesday, October 26, 2016)
It’s been a great year for Rick and Scott Zeron and what would make it even better is winning a Breeders Crown race, something the father-and-son have yet to do in their illustrious careers.
- Downbythesesaside seeks to cap his stroll on the shore with a Crown (Friday, October 28, 2016)
Nearly any conditioner who bears the responsibility of preparing a world champion for what could be a defining moment in his career normally discusses the merits of his colt. In typical Brian Brown fashion, however, he reveals why Downbytheseaside may not be the horse posing for pictures in the Meadowlands winner’s circle on Saturday (Oct. 29) after his performance in the $600,000 Breeders Crown final for 2-year-old pacing colts and geldings.
- McIntosh and Campbell look for more Breeders Crown magic (Thursday, October 27, 2016)
Forget about holiday protocol, Bob McIntosh is jumping right over Halloween and American Thanksgiving. “It will be a little bit of Christmas if we get the right trip,” said McIntosh, referring to his horse L A Delight in Saturday’s (Oct. 29) $500,000 Breeders Crown for 3-year-old female pacers at the Meadowlands.
- VIP Stable syndication flourishing (Thursday, October 27, 2016)
Pennsylvania Sire Stakes champion Giveitgasandgo is certainly creating his own VIP experience leading up to this weekend’s Breeders Crown. Trained by John Butenschoen, Giveitgasandgo had won seven straight races prior to finishing third in last week’s Breeders Crown eliminations, in which he qualified for the $600,000 2-year-old colt and gelding trot final this Saturday (Oct. 29) at the Meadowlands.
- Breeders Crown win would be sweet “revenge” for Durham (Thursday, October 27, 2016)
It is with a sense of emotion that Jeff Durham is going into the Breeders Crown for the first time following the passing of his father, who was instrumental in his career, earlier this month. His father, Jack, had been in failing health the last 10 years and passed away at the family home in Omemee, a couple hours east of Toronto ON. He was 71.
- “This is what it’s all about” (Friday, October 28, 2016)
Jimmy Takter needs few words to sum up tonight’s Breeders Crown Open Pace at the Meadowlands, which features a continuation of the rivalry between Takter’s Always B Miki and George Teague Jr.’s Wiggle It Jiggleit. “This,” Takter says, “is what it’s all about.”
- Sir John F may turn into Mr. Holland’s opus in Breeders Crown freshman trot (Friday, October 28, 2016)
Veteran trainer Herb Holland is happy to be a member of harness racing’s dream team.