from Harness Racing Communications, a division of the U.S. Trotting Association

Four of the five richest three-year-old male pacers this season will be behind the gate in Saturday’s $555,000 Breeders Crown at Woodbine Racetrack near Toronto, but many people might have their eyes on the fastest.

Quik Pulse Mindale, the speedster who has dominated the Midwest and Canada this year, won his Crown elimination race in 1:51 on October 16, beating Western Terror and Holborn Hanover in a final quarter-mile of 26.3 seconds into a gusty headwind. Last month, he equaled PB Bullville’s world record of 1:48 for three-year-olds while beating older horses at Balmoral Park and set a track record of 1:48.3 in winning the Hayes Memorial at DuQuoin.

“He’s just kind of a nice horse,” said Mike Arnold, who trains Quik Pulse Mindale for his cousin, Lloyd Arnold of Delaware. “He doesn’t do much wrong. He trains well and he’s not too excitable. Everything is kind of nice about him.”

Quik Pulse Mindale has won 12 of 14 starts this season and earned $447,631, good for seventh among all three-year-old male pacers. In the race prior to his Crown elim, Quik Pulse Mindale finished third behind Western Terror and Holborn Hanover in a division of the Tattersalls at Lexington’s Red Mile.

“He was a little off at Lexington that day,” said driver Tony Morgan, who earlier this year won the 9,000th race of his career, but is looking for his first Breeders Crown title. “He’s not as good on the front end and he kind of got stuck in front that day; I suppose that was my fault. He’ll race in front, but he’s a lot better horse from behind.”

Quik Pulse Mindale was a $12,000 yearling purchase by William and Sheryl Tuleja at the Kentucky Standardbred Sale; Lloyd Arnold bought the pacer, a son of three-time Breeders Crown champ Jenna’s Beach Boy, for $200,000 on May 4. In his Breeders Crown elimination race, Quik Pulse Mindale was third behind Western Terror and Mantacular before moving first-over near the three-quarter mark and pacing to the win.

“He’s a little on the lazy side and if he has a weakness, it’s that he needs a horse in front of him to target and hunt down,” Morgan said. “He hasn’t been raced that hard this year. He’s gone a couple of really good miles. He takes really good care of himself early in the race. He doesn’t take a lot of work.”

Mantacular, thanks to his victory in the North America Cup at Woodbine, ranks second in seasonal earnings with $809,032 while Metropolitan is third with $773,433. Meadowlands Pace winner Holborn Hanover is fourth with $751,749 and Cane Pace co-winner Western Terror is fifth with $597,005. Timesareachanging, who tops the division with $1 million in purses, wasn’t entered in the Breeders Crown.

Metropolitan, who spoiled Timesareachanging’s Triple Crown bid by winning the second jewel, the Messenger Stakes, was second to Geartogear in his Breeders Crown elimination. Geartogear has won four in a row and set an Ontario Sire Stakes record with a 1:50.1 victory at Mohawk on October 9.

The field for the Breeders Crown for three-year-old male pacers, in alphabetical order with listed drivers, follows. The purse is $555,000. The draw for that race and the three-year-old pacing fillies will be conducted at noon Tuesday at Woodbine. The media kit will be available Tuesday afternoon at www.hambletonian.org.

Armbro Baylor (Luc Ouellette), Geartogear (Ron Pierce), Holborn Hanover (George Brennan), Mantacular (Mike Lachance), Metropolitan (John Campbell), Quik Pulse Mindale (Tony Morgan), Panlubber (Ouellette), The Preacher Pan (Daniel Dube), Up Front Brad (Dave Palone) and Western Terror (Brian Sears).