McWicked, Shartin N remain on top of penultimate poll
November 27, 2018,Hightstown, NJ — No. 1-ranked McWicked and No. 2-ranked Shartin N took care of business last weekend at The Meadowlands by winning their respective TVG Series championships. As a result, the two horses remained in the top two positions in this week’s Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll.
McWicked, a 7-year-old male pacer, wrapped up a season that saw him become the oldest horse since 1975 to lead the sport in earnings for the year. Shartin N, a 5-year-old female pacer, capped a campaign that saw her become the first pacing mare ever to reach $1 million in a season.
Also winning last weekend was 3-year-old Tactical Landing, who moved from No. 10 to No. 7 in the poll after capturing the TVG Series championship for male trotters. Tactical Landing defeated 3-year-old Six Pack, who finished second and remained No. 8 in the rankings, and seven older horses.
The only other horse in the Top 10 in action last week was Dorsoduro Hanover, who finished second by a neck to Jimmy Freight in the Hap Hansen Progress Pace elimination.
The final Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll will be released Dec. 4. The Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll does not determine Horse of the Year. The U.S. Harness Writers Association votes in December on all Dan Patch Award division winners plus Trotter of the Year, Pacer of the Year and Horse of the Year.
Rankings based on the votes of harness racing media representatives on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.
Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown Standardbred Poll: Week 27 – 11/27/2018
| Rank | Name (First Votes) | A/G/S | Record | Earnings | Points | Pvs |
| 1 | McWicked (27) | 7ph | 19-12-3-2 | $1,575,364 | 341 | 1 |
| 2 | Shartin N (8) | 5pm | 24-19-1-0 | $1,053,236 | 321 | 2 |
| 3 | Atlanta | 3tf | 14-8-5-1 | $1,017,278 | 236 | 3 |
| 4 | Woodside Charm | 2tf | 7-7-0-0 | $521,658 | 221 | 4 |
| 5 | Kissin In The Sand | 3pf | 15-10-5-0 | $845,495 | 178 | 5 |
| 6 | Gimpanzee | 2tc | 9-9-0-0 | $591,358 | 145 | 6 |
| 7 | Tactical Landing | 3tc | 14-9-2-2 | $810,800 | 131 | 10 |
| 8 | Six Pack | 3tc | 15-11-2-1 | $1,159,648 | 86 | 8 |
| 9 | Dorsoduro Hanover | 3pg | 21-10-6-1 | $1,253,362 | 69 | 7 |
| 10 | Courtly Choice | 3pc | 16-10-1-0 | $910,603 | 63 | 9 |
Also: Captain Crunch 30; Homicide Hunter 27; Jimmy Freight 22; Emoticon Hanover 14; Manchego, Warrawee Ubeaut 11; Marion Marauder 5; Crystal Fashion, Met’s Hall 4; Plunge Blue Chip, Prescient Beauty 2; Lather Up, Pure Country 1.