Fashion Creditor looks to step up in Hambletonian
August 7, 2015,by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications
Ken Weingartner
Freehold, NJ — Fashion Creditor is heading to Saturday’s $1.2 million Hambletonian Stakes for 3-year-old trotters at the Meadowlands off the fastest winning mile of his life and trainer Tom Fanning believes the colt could take another step forward on harness racing’s biggest stage.
The Hambletonian is the first jewel in the Trotting Triple Crown and attracted a field of 18 male trotters and one female — world champion Mission Brief. She is the 6-5 favorite in the second of two $100,000 elimination races on Saturday, with Pinkman being the 8-5 favorite in the first division. The top five finishers from each elimination return later in the day for the $1 million final.
Coverage of the Hambletonian will air from 4-5:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.
Fashion Creditor won on July 31 at the Meadowlands in 1:52.3. He is 20-1 on the morning line in the first elimination and will start from post six with David Miller as his driver. Pinkman, the favorite, starts from post No. 10 on the extreme outside of the gate.
USTA/Mark Hall photo
Trainer Tom Fanning will start Fashion Creditor in the Hambletonian on Saturday.
“We felt if he was sharp going into the race we would put him in there,” said Fanning, who trains Fashion Creditor for owner Joe Smith. “We tried to get him sharp for this time of year. He’s good right now, that’s for sure.
“He likes the Meadowlands. When he won last week it wasn’t really his trip being on the front like that. I think if he gets his trip, which is to follow along and sprint at the end, I think he’ll trot significantly faster this week. Whether it’s fast enough, I don’t know.”
In addition to Pinkman starting on the outside, Canepa Hanover, who is 3-1, is in post nine while Centurion ATM, who is 9-2, leaves from post eight. Pinkman has won six of seven races this year and 12 of 15 in his career while earning $1.18 million. He was voted harness racing’s best 2-year-old male trotter last year.
“I think there will be a lot of horses flat-out leaving or floating out of there, especially with the two horses in the nine and 10 holes,” Fanning said. “They’re not going to get away ninth or 10th. We can leave also a little bit. (Fashion Creditor) can find an early spot and hopefully they mix it up a lot. With those horses on the outside, I think they will mix it up.”
Mission Brief is bypassing Saturday’s $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks, which is solely for 3-year-old filly trotters, to attempt to become the first female to beat the boys and win the Hambletonian since Continentalvictory in 1996. Mission Brief was voted the sport’s best 2-year-old female trotter last year and has won 12 of 17 career races.
She also holds the world record for the fastest time for any 2-year-old trotter in history, 1:50.3. This year, she has won three of four races while dealing with back woes, which have improved in recent weeks thanks to chiropractic work.
Fashion Creditor has won three of 18 lifetime races and earned $96,497. He has not finished worse than third in any of his four most recent starts. He will try to become the 56-year-old Fanning’s first Hambletonian finalist. Fanning and Smith sent Possessed Fashion into the 2013 Hambletonian eliminations, but the horse failed to advance to the final.
“We want to do good but we know we’re a little bit on the outside looking in,” Fanning said. “(Fashion Creditor) has to get a little bit lucky and he has to be at his very best.”
Following are the fields for the Hambletonian eliminations in post order with drivers, trainers and morning line odds. The Hambletonian final is Race No. 13:
$1.2 million Hambletonian-$100,000 1st elim.-Race 8
HN-Post-Driver-Trainer-Line
1. Donatomite, Trond Smedshammer, Trond Smedshammer, 15-1
2. The Bank, Johnny Takter, Jimmy Takter, 8-1
3. Workout Wonder, Daniel Dube, Ake Svanstedt, 12-1
4. Habitat, Brian Sears, Ron Burke, 6-1
5. Total Darkness, Tim Tetrick, Jonas Czernyson, 20-1
6. Fashion Creditor, David Miller, Tom Fanning, 20-1
7. Jacksons Minion, Tom Jackson, Tom Jackson, 30-1
8. Centurion ATM, Ake Svanstedt, Ake Svanstedt, 9-2
9. Canepa Hanover, Jimmy Takter, Jimmy Takter, 3-1
10. Pinkman, Yannick Gingras, Jimmy Takter, 8-5
$1.2 million Hambletonian-$100,000 2nd elim.-Race 9
HN-Post-Driver-Trainer-Line
1. Billy Flynn, Scott Zeron, Staffan Lind, 15-1
2. Mission Brief, Yannick Gingras, Ron Burke, 6-5
3. Cruzado Dela Noche, Orjan Kihlstrom, Nancy Johansson, 20-1
4. Aldebaran Eagle, Corey Callahan, Jonas Czernyson, 20-1
5. Wings Of Royalty, Brian Sears, George Ducharme, 12-1
6. French Laundry, Brett Miller, Jimmy Takter, 4-1
7. Uncle Lasse, David Miller, Jimmy Takter, 5-2
8. Southwind Mozart, Ake Svanstedt, Ake Svanstedt, 20-1
9. Muscle Diamond, Tim Tetrick, Brett Bittle, 8-1
- Hambletonian draws 19 starters (Monday, August 03, 2015)
Pinkman will start from the outside post 10 in the first of two eliminations in Saturday’s $1.2 million Hambletonian Stakes for 3-year-old trotters at Meadowlands Racetrack while the filly Mission Brief will leave from post two in the second elimination. The draws for the Hambletonian and $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks were conducted Monday afternoon at the Meadowlands.
- Mission Brief to flex her “Muscle” in Hambletonian (Tuesday, August 04, 2015)
Mission Brief, a daughter of Muscle Hill, was nurtured in the New Jersey Sire Stakes program and proved herself against the best of her age, gait and gender to win divisional honors at two. Now she will tackle the best 3-year-old trotters in training in the $1.2 million Hambletonian on Saturday at the Meadowlands.
- Big Hambletonian Day card in Grand Circuit spotlight (Wednesday, August 05, 2015)
Grand Circuit action kicks off this Saturday (Aug. 8) at Meadowlands Racetrack with one of the biggest cards of the season. The afternoon program is led by the $1.2 million Hambletonian, the first leg of trotting’s Triple Crown for 3-year-olds.
- Blockbuster Hambo Day racing at The Meadowlands (Wednesday, August 5, 2015)
The 2015 Hambletonian Day card on Saturday, August 8 at The Meadowlands has all the elements necessary to be one of the great events in harness racing history.
- 90th Hambletonian to air live on CBS Sports Network (Wednesday, August 05, 2015)
CBS Sports Network will present a 90-minute live telecast of the first leg of the Trotting Triple Crown, the $1.2 million Hambletonian, from the Meadowlands Racetrack on Saturday (Aug. 8) from 4-5:30 p.m. (EDT).
- Freshman stakes winners to duel in Hambletonian (Thursday, August 06, 2015)
Two horses enter Saturday’s $1.2 million Hambletonian Stakes at Meadowlands Racetrack having already posted victories at the Big M on Hambletonian Day — colt Centurion ATM and filly Mission Brief. Centurion ATM won last year’s Peter Haughton Memorial while Mission Brief captured the Merrie Annabelle, both in world-record-equaling times.
- Takter seeks rare Hambletonian repeat (Thursday, August 06, 2015)
Jimmy Takter will try to become the sixth trainer in harness racing history to win the Hambletonian Stakes in back-to-back years when he sends five horses into Saturday’s 90th edition of the trotting classic for 3-year-olds at Meadowlands Racetrack.
- Yankeeland legacy leaves deep imprint on Hambletonian history (Friday, August 07, 2015)
The Hambletonian, to be raced for the 90th time on Saturday, has a rich family heritage. Page through the pedigrees of today’s finest horses and you can take a trip back in time and find the greatest trotters of the last century. Family means everything when it comes to equine pedigree and it means even more to those heavily invested in the sport.
- George Ducharme back for another try at Hambletonian glory (Saturday, August 08, 2015)
Trainer George Ducharme knows that Wings Of Royalty is not the same horse as 2013 Hambletonian champion Royalty For Life. The affable conditioner nonetheless is rather pleased with the progress the son of RC Royalty has made entering the 90th edition of the Hambletonian Saturday at the Meadowlands.