by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Freehold, NJ — Three of harness racing’s top-ranked horses — trotters Pinkman, Mission Brief and Bee A Magician — lead the list of 151 horses entered for this year’s 12 Breeders Crown events, which will be contested at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto. Eliminations are Friday and Saturday, with the $5.8 million championship night to follow on Oct. 24.

Five-year-old mare Bee A Magician is a two-time Breeders Crown champion, having claimed trophies at ages 3 and 4, while gelding Pinkman and filly Mission Brief both were Crown winners last season as 2-year-olds. Pinkman is No. 2 in the current Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll, with Mission Brief at No. 3 and Bee A Magician at No. 4.

Eliminations are unnecessary in the following events: $500,000 3-year-old colt trot, with 11 entries; $500,000 3-year-old filly trot, with seven; $250,000 Mare Pace, with 10; $250,000 Mare Trot, with 10; and the $531,250 Open Trot, with seven, including the supplemental entry of Creatine, recent third-place finisher in the $1 million Yonkers International Trot.

Bee A Magician, who was entered in the Open Trot, will try to join Peace Corps, Grades Singing, and Mack Lobell as the only trotters in history with three or more Breeders Crown titles. She has won 10 of 15 races this season, earning $888,545, and has finished worse than second only once.

USTA/Mark Hall photo

2013 Horse of the Year Bee A Magician will start in the Breeders Crown Open Trot.

Trained by Richard “Nifty” Norman, the daughter of stallion Kadabra out of the mare Beehive has won 41 of 62 lifetime races and earned $3.62 million. She was the Horse of the Year in both the U.S. and Canada in 2013. She is seeking to become the first mare since Moni Maker in 1998 to win the Breeders Crown Open Trot.

Joining Bee A Magician in the Open Trot are past Breeders Crown winner Intimidate as well as Creatine, Flanagan Memory, Gural Hanover, Master Of Law, and Resolve. The 6-year-old Intimidate won the 2012 Breeders Crown for 3-year-old male trotters. Creatine raced in Europe this year, where he posted two Grade 1 victories, before returning to the U.S. for the International Trot.

Creatine is trained by Jimmy Takter, who is the winningest trainer in the history of the Breeders Crown, with 21 trophies and earnings of more than $9 million in the series.

Pinkman, another Takter-trained trotter, heads to the Breeders Crown for 3-year-old male trotters off a win in last Saturday’s Kentucky Futurity at Lexington’s Red Mile. A gelding by Explosive Matter out of the mare Margie Seelster, Pinkman has won 11 of 15 races this year and earned $1.75 million. His other victories include the $532,000 Canadian Trotting Classic, $1 million Hambletonian, $500,000 Beal Memorial, and $370,000 Zweig Memorial.

For his career, Pinkman has won 17 of 23 starts and $2.31 million.

USTA/Mark Hall photo

Pinkman, the winner of last Saturday’s Kentucky Futurity, leads a field of 11 into the Breeders Crown 3-year-old colt trot.

Pinkman is joined in the 3-year-old colt trot by Crescent Fashion, Dont Rush, Fashion Creditor, French Laundry, Infiniti As, Lookslikeachpndale, Muscle Diamond, Southwind Mozart, The Bank, and Uncle Lasse. French Laundry, The Bank, and Uncle Lasse also are from Takter’s stable.

Mission Brief heads to the Breeders Crown for 3-year-old female trotters having won eight of 11 races this year and earning $830,617. Her victories include the Elegantimage, Zweig Memorial filly division, and Moni Maker stakes. She finished second to Pinkman in the Hambletonian.

For her career, the Ron Burke-trained Mission Brief, a daughter of Breeders Crown champions Muscle Hill and Southwind Serena, has won 17 of 24 races and banked $1.42 million.

Burke, who has eight Breeders Crown wins in his career, is on the verge of surpassing $20 million in seasonal earnings for the third consecutive campaign. No other trainer in history has approached $20 million in a year.

Mission Brief is joined in the 3-year-old filly trot by Classical Annie, Danielle Hall, Elegant Serenity, I’m So Fancy, Speak To Me, and Wild Honey. Takter-trained Wild Honey upset Mission Brief in last weekend’s Kentucky Filly Futurity.

In the Mare Trot are Bax Of Life, Charmed Life, Classic Martine, D’One, Daylon Miracle, Handover Belle, Harley Momma, Riveting Rosie, Rockin With Dewey, and Shake It Cerry.

Four-year-old Shake It Cerry, trained by Takter, is a two-time Breeders Crown winner. D’One, a 5-year-old from Sweden, has won three of four races in North America this year.

In the Mare Pace two-time Breeders Crown champion Anndrovette is joined in the field by Color’s A Virgin, Fancy Desire, Katie Said, Lady Shadow, Marquise De Sarah, Sandbetweenurtoes, Skippin By, Venus Delight, and Yagonnakissmeornot.

With a win in the Mare Pace, Anndrovette will tie Jenna’s Beach Boy, Eternal Camnation, and My Little Dragon for the most Breeders Crown titles by a pacer, with three apiece. Anndrovette is trained by Jeff Bamond Jr., as is Venus Delight, who is the field’s top money-earner this season. Venus Delight has won seven of 16 races and earned $475,665 this year. Her triumphs include the Milton and Artiscape stakes and the Blue Chip Matchmaker Series championship.

On Friday, Woodbine hosts Breeders Crown eliminations for all four 2-year-old divisions, with post time of 7:25 p.m. for the night’s first race. Elimination winners draw for inside post positions 1-5 for the finals. All 2-year-old finals will go for $600,000.

The Breeders Crown for 2-year-old male trotters attracted 12 horses, resulting in a single elimination from which the top eight finishers will join Pennsylvania Sire Stakes champion Lagerfeld and Ontario Sire Stakes champion Tony Soprano in the final. The connections of those horses accepted byes to the final based on seasonal earnings.

USTA/Mark Hall photo

World champion Southwind Frank leads 12 into the eliminations for the 2-year-old male trot.

Southwind Frank brings an eight-race win streak to the elimination. He is coming off a world-record performance in his division of the International Stallion Stakes and earlier this year won the William Wellwood Memorial and Peter Haughton Memorial stakes. He is the season’s top money-winning 2-year-old male trotter, but his connections, led by co-owner/trainer Burke, turned down the bye and will race in the elim.

There are two eliminations for the Breeders Crown for 2-year-old male pacers, with undefeated Control The Moment, Ontario Sire Stakes champion Betting Line, and multiple-stakes-winners American Passport and Nvestment Blue Chip landing in the first division. New York Sire Stakes champ Travel Playlist, world champion Spider Man Hanover, and stakes-winners Racing Hill and Big Top Hanover are among the horses in the second elim.

Undefeated filly Pure Country leads the second of two eliminations for the Breeders Crown for 2-year-old female pacers. She is 8-for-8 this year for trainer Takter and faces a group that includes New York Sire Stakes champion Dime A Dance plus stakes-winners Darlinonthebeach and Shezarealdeal. The first elim includes New Jersey Sire Stakes champion Blue Moon Stride, and stakes-winners Call Me Queen Be, Soft Idea, and Yankee Moonshine.

Another undefeated filly, Broadway Donna, headlines the first of two eliminations for the Breeders Crown for 2-year-old female trotters. Unbeaten in nine starts for trainer Jim Campbell, Broadway Donna faces a group that includes Celebrity Eventsy, Emoticon Hanover, and Kathy Parker. The second elimination is led by once-beaten Peaceful Way winner Caprice Hill and also includes Sunset Glider and All The Time.

On Saturday, Woodbine will host Breeders Crown eliminations for the Open Pace, 3-year-old colt pace, and 3-year-old filly pace. The top five finishers from each elimination return for their respective final. Saturday’s post time is 7:25 p.m. and once again the elimination winners draw for inside post positions 1-5 for the finals.

Conrad photo

State Treasurer leads 14 into the Open Pace eliminations.

Fourteen horses entered the Open Pace and were divided into two elims. The second group features Ian Moore-trained State Treasurer, who leads all older pacers in money this season with $857,607 and counts the Canadian Pacing Derby among his nine victories this year. The group also includes Haughton Memorial winner Mach It So, Always B Miki, and Doo Wop Hanover. The first elimination includes two past Breeders Crown champions, McWicked and Foiled Again, as well as recent Allerage winner JK Endofanera.

The Breeders Crown for 3-year-old male pacers also drew 14 entries. Freaky Feet Pete, a $62,500 supplemental entry and recent winner over No. 1-ranked Wiggle It Jiggleit, is in the first division, along with Adios winner Dude’s The Man. North America Cup winner Wakizashi Hanover and recent Tattersalls Pace winner Artspeak are among the horses in the second elim, as well as returning Breeders Crown champion Traceur Hanover.

Eighteen horses were entered in the Breeders Crown for 3-year-old female pacers. The first division includes Bettor Be Steppin and the second includes Divine Caroline, two multiple-stakes-winners from the stable of trainer Joe Holloway. The second elim also features Jugette winner Sassa Hanover and Fan Hanover winner Wrangler Magic. The first elim includes newly minted Ontario Sire Stakes champion Solar Sister.

For complete Friday entries, click here. For complete Saturday entries, click here.

The $5.8 million finals are scheduled for Oct. 24 at Woodbine Racetrack. Special post time is 6:30 p.m. (EDT). There will be a live broadcast from 9-10 p.m. on TSN2 in Canada.

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