by Tom Kelley, publicity director, Balmoral Park

Crete, IL — After a pair of tough defeats in Canada in his Breeders Crown elimination and the final, Hambletonian winner Market Share will look to get back to his winning ways when he faces off against nine other 3-year-old colt trotters in Saturday’s $235,000 American- National at Balmoral Park.

USTA/Ken Weingartner photo

Market Share enters the American-National as the richest horse in North America in 2012, with more than $1.83 million in his bank account.

Currently the number four ranked horse in North America and the leading money winner in 2012 with more than $1.8 million in earnings for the ownership group of Richard Gutnick, T L P Stable and William Augustine, the son of Revenue S has captured the sport’s top two events for diagonally gaited sophomores, taking the $1.5 million Hambletonian and the $1.03 million Canadian Trotting Classic this season.

Carefully handled by trainer Linda Toscano, Market Share was unbeaten in five starts as a 2-year-old, all over the half-mile oval at Freehold Raceway. Even though he boasted a perfect record, trainer Linda Toscano entered the 2012 season uncertain how the colt would fare when asked to compete on the larger tracks.

“It just goes to show you what can happen when a horse gets brave and confident,” Toscano said. “He was always a sound horse, he’s always been a good-gaited horse, and all of a sudden he figured out what to do.

“I always knew he had a great work ethic, but I still wasn’t sure he’d be able to pick it up on the mile track. Once he got a taste of it and figured out what we wanted, he’s gotten stronger and stronger. He’s a classic example of what can happen when a horse gets real brave. He’s always been a fun horse to have around the barn, and to watch what he’s been able to do, I think Timmy (driver Tetrick) and I are both in awe.”

The bay colt has had a busy work schedule this season, starting 18 times and posting a record of 8-5-3 for his proud connections who plan to race him again next year as a 4-year-old.

Toscano is also enjoying the fruits of her labors, becoming the first female trainer to win the Hambletonian with Market Share back in August. A breast cancer survivor, Toscano has already set a career high this year, with $6.13 million in purse earnings, which ranks No. 4 among all trainers in North America. Her previous best was $3.71 million, which she established in 2011. Her stable has now surpassed $2 million in earnings for six consecutive years.

Maven looks to keep momentum rolling

Hoping to capitalize off a big come from behind victory in the Breeders Crown, William J. Donovan’s Maven will look to continue a big second season when she takes on six other 3-year-old trotting fillies in Saturday’s $130,000 American-National.

After staging some knock down, drag out wars with Check Me Out, the No. 2 rated horse in North America all summer long, Maven got the best of her main rival on a chilly night at Woodbine, overtaking her in the lane to win the Breeders Crown by 1-1/4 lengths in 1:54.

USTA/Mark Hall photo

Breeders Crown champion Maven will look to add the American-National to her resume.

The Breeders Crown title was the first for trainer Jonas Czernyson, who seemed a bit surprised that his filly was able to overcome a difficult first over journey in tough conditions.

“She raced very big (that night). When she went first up I thought it wasn’t going to work,” he said.

The daughter of Glidemaster has been a model of consistency in each of her first two seasons on the track, putting together a record of 14-6-1 in 25 starts with earnings of $847,149. Among her biggest wins this year are the $191,500 Moni Maker at the Meadowlands where she took her career best of 1:52.3 and her Hambletonian Oaks elimination in which she stopped the clock in 1:52.4.

Despite the big numbers she has put up Maven has not been without her fair share of bad racing luck this season. In the Hambletonian Oaks final she was on the move to challenge Check Me Out when that filly went off stride, causing Maven to make a break which took her out of contention. She also ran into a world record setting mile by Bluff while finishing second in the Buckette at the Delaware County Fair and was nipped at the wire by Delicious at the Red Mile despite trotting a mile in 1:52.2 with a final quarter of :27.3.

The filly has been a handful for Czernyson from the time she showed up at his barn as a $27,000 yearling purchase. At times he often wondered whether the filly would ever shed her attitude of entitlement and display her true talents when it came to getting on the track.

“When she trained down she showed us she had talent, but she just never put it together in a good way,” Czernyson explained. “We thought why should we really stake her to anything when anytime you looked at her she would make a break?

“She is tough around the barn and thinks she is Queen Maven,” he continued. “If she doesn’t want to go in the bath stall, there’s no way she’s going to, but the next day she’ll walk in like she’s never had a problem. We can live with it though as long as she does good and when she’s on the track she is good. That’s when she seems to get over it all.”