by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications
Freehold, NJ — It took a year for owner Ken Jacobs to find a hole with Walner — and that was a hole in the wind.
Walner trotted a world-record 1:51.3 on Oct. 6 at Lexington’s Red Mile, a mark that came one year to the day after Jacobs purchased the colt for $90,000 at the Lexington Selected Sale. It was Walner’s fourth win in five races this season and established the horse as one of the top Breeders Crown 2-year-old male trotting contenders.
“I look for holes in horses,” Jacobs said about selecting Walner, a son of 2012 Horse of the Year Chapter Seven out of the O’Brien Award-winning mare Random Destiny, at last fall’s yearling auction. “When I can’t find a hole, those are the ones I’m interested in. And I try very hard to find a hole. There were no holes in (Walner) at all.”
On Saturday night, Walner will compete in the first of two Breeders Crown eliminations for 2-year-old male trotters at the Meadowlands Racetrack. He is the 3-1 morning line favorite, starting from post five in a 10-horse field with Tim Tetrick at the lines for trainer Linda Toscano.
Walner’s elimination also includes Peter Haughton Memorial and New Jersey Sire Stakes champion What The Hill, New York Sire Stakes champion Devious Man, Pennsylvania Sire Stakes champion Giveitgasandgo, and stakes-winners Dover Dan, New Jersey Viking, Long Tom, and Southwind Cobra.
“Isn’t that amazing?” Jacobs said. “It’s the luck of the draw. What are you going to do? I didn’t like the draw but it is what it is. We’ve got to beat them all anyway, so what’s the difference.”
Walner won two qualifiers at the Meadowlands before capturing his career debut in 1:55.4 in a division of the New York Sire Stakes at Vernon Downs. In his next start, at Saratoga, he went off stride in the first turn but stormed from more than 16 lengths back to win by 1-3/4.
He went off stride in his only loss, a division of the Kindergarten Series, but rebounded to win in the next round of the Kindergarten in 1:53.4 at the Meadowlands and then in 1:51.3 in a division of the International Stallion Stakes at Lexington. His 1:51.3 mile is the fastest in history for a 2-year-old male trotter and trails only filly Mission Brief’s 1:50.3 in the record book.
“I’ve been very cautious with him because I knew he was a really nice horse,” said Jacobs, who has received inquiries about selling the horse, but emphasized he is not for sale. “I’d like to have a horse in the Hambletonian next year, so I didn’t want to over-race him at 2. He’s a pretty awesome horse and we still don’t know how fast he can go. But we know he’s fast.”
Jacobs, the leading owner on the New York Sire Stakes circuit, is known for his successes with a number of pacers, including 2012 Breeders Crown champion and Dan Patch Award-winner Heston Blue Chip, but has bought more trotters in recent years. He won NYSS championships last year with trotters Jewels In Hock and Allerage Echo.
“I got into trotters a couple years ago,” said Jacobs, who said he bought four trotters and four pacers last year and has a similar plan this year. “I love to see a trotter trot. It’s different. I enjoy it. If I can get a horse in the Hambletonian, it will fulfill my goal. My bucket list, if you will. I’ve been lucky to reach so many of my other goals. This is a big goal for me.”
The second Breeders Crown elimination for 2-year-old male trotters finds stakes-winner Bill’s Man as the 3-1 morning line favorite, with Corey Callahan driving for trainer John Butenschoen.
Breeders Crown finals for older pacers and trotters will be held Oct. 28 at the Meadowlands and the championships for 2- and 3-year-old pacers and trotters will follow on Oct. 29.
Eliminations are unnecessary for the Breeders Crown Open Pace, Open Trot and Mare Trot, so those horses will advance directly to their respective finals. Eliminations for the Mare Pace and 2-year-old filly trotters will be Friday and eliminations for the remaining 2- and 3-year-old trotters and pacers will be Saturday, all at the Meadowlands.
Post positions for the Open finals will be drawn live Friday and posts for the 2- and 3-year-old finals will be drawn Saturday. Elimination winners draw for inside posts one through five for the finals.
For Friday’s complete card, click here.
For Saturday’s complete card, click here.
For more information go to www.Hambletonian.com or www.playmeadowlands.com. Follow Breeders Crown news and updates on Twitter @Breeders_Crown, using #BCrown16 and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BreedersCrown. Fans can also go to http://harnessracingfanzone.com/, the Place for Harness Racing Fans to See, Share, Connect and Play.
- Wiggle It Jiggleit supplements to Breeders Crown at The Meadowlands (Monday, October 17, 2016)
Defending Horse of the Year Wiggle It Jiggleit has been supplemented for $50,000 to the $421,000 Breeders Crown Pace, setting up another epic showdown with arch-rival Always B Miki, winner of last year’s Crown title for older pacers at Woodbine Racetrack.
- Breeders Crown fields set (Tuesday, October 18, 2016)
A total of 174 horses on Tuesday were entered for the $6.2 million Breeders Crown championships at New Jersey’s Meadowlands Racetrack, with harness racing’s top-ranked stars Wiggle It Jiggleit and Always B Miki leading the list as the battle for Horse of the Year hits the homestretch. It is the largest number of entries in five years.
- Record number of entries for Breeders Crown at Meadowlands (Tuesday, October 18, 2016)
The entries for the $6.2 million Breeders Crown events at The Meadowlands Racetrack saw an overflow 174 trotters and pacers in the entry box to qualify for the 12-race finals on Friday (Oct. 28) and Saturday (Oct. 29). This is the highest number of entries in the last five years.
- Breeders Crown eliminations in Grand Circuit spotlight (Wednesday, October 19, 2016)
The Grand Circuit heads to Meadowlands Racetrack this Friday (Oct. 21) and Saturday (Oct. 22) for Breeders Crown eliminations in nine divisions. Eliminations will not be required for the open pace, the open trot and the mare trot.
- Sisters take aim at ‘Crown-ing’ achievements (Wednesday, October 19, 2016)
Ariana G and All The Time have taken different paths to this weekend’s Breeders Crown eliminations at the Meadowlands Racetrack. Marvin Katz, who with Al Libfeld bred and owns both filly trotters, is simply grateful for the opportunity to see the sisters in action together again. If both fillies win their respective Breeders Crown finals, it would mark the first time in the history of the series that full siblings claim trophies in the same year.
- Roaring To Go is ready to reach for the Crown (Thursday, October 20, 2016)
With less than 72 hours to tick off prior to her appearance in a $20,000 elimination for the Breeders Crown 2-year-old filly pace on Saturday (Oct. 22) at Meadowlands Racetrack, trainer Kevin Lare thinks owner Frank Chick may be a bit weary of his weekly training updates in regards to Roaring To Go.
- Fields established for Breeders Crown events (Saturday, October 22, 2016)
The three Breeders Crown fields not requiring eliminations-both trotting events for older horses and one pacing event-were drawn first on Friday (Oct. 21) evening at the Meadowlands. The two Breeders Crown fields for 2-year-old trotting fillies and older pacing mares were decided after elimination events contested on the evening’s card.