Black Broadway: From non-winners of one to the Breeders Crown
October 21, 2015,by Ellen Harvey, Harness Racing Communications
Freehold, NJ — Trainer Mike Eaton and his partner, retired bank inspector Robert McHugh, went to the Tattersalls Mixed Sale at The Meadowlands on Aug. 2 with their usual business plan in mind. Buy horses for about $10,000 and compete in claiming races at their home track, Plainridge Park Casino in southeastern Massachusetts.
That plan was working fine until suddenly, Eaton and McHugh had a stakes filly on their hands.
John Sanucci photo
Black Broadway, with co-owner Robert McHugh, will make her next start in Saturday’s Breeders Crown for 2-year-old filly trotters.
Black Broadway, third in her Breeders Crown 2-year-old filly trot elimination race on Oct. 16, starts from post eight in the $600,000 final this Saturday at Woodbine Racetrack with Brian Sears driving. She is 15-1 on the morning line.
“I bought her at the Meadowlands Sale, the beginning of August and I paid $9,000,” said Eaton. “She showed two race lines, one a break and one qualifying a mile in 2:01.2. She looked OK, real good breeding, good legs and she had a hematoma on her left side, but it didn’t seem to bother her.
“We picked out about 35 horses to bid on and she was number three in the sale. We got her for $9,000 and we were thrilled with her. We thought we’d get more, but then the prices started going up and she was the only one we came home with.
“When we got home, I got (former trainer) Jim Campbell’s number and gave him a call. She hadn’t been out (to race) in 30 days and I asked him what she was up to. He said she qualified and then got cast (wedged with legs against a wall of her stall and unable to get up) and he thinks that’s how she got the hematoma. So she wasn’t up to anything and it (the hematoma) was way bigger than it is now.
“I started jogging her and it never bothered her, kept going down and you can hardly notice it now. I was surprised how good she trained down. Before I qualified her (on Sept. 24 at Plainridge), I trained her in a race bike in 1:59.
“I was shocked how good she was. I wasn’t expecting that much. I was just hoping she’d work her way up in the ranks at our local track (Plainridge Park Casino). I knew she was eligible to all those stakes and when I was training her down, I thought, “Oh my.
“Then she actually qualified in 1:57(.1) and I looked up who the best 2-year-old fillies were and it was Broadway Donna going in 1:55. At the time I thought, ‘I’m not too far away from her.’
“She’s Pennsylvania bred, so I thought I’d try Pocono for her first purse start (on Sept. 30). She drew the eight hole and a guy I know from Maine, Jason Bartlett, I had him drive her. She won in 1:56.2 and it was a windy, cold night. I said to Jason that the best one in the country can go 1:54. He said he thought she could have gone 1:54 tonight. I said, ‘Jason, I hope you’re not kidding, because there’s a lot of stakes coming up.’
“We’re thinking she could be one of the best, I’m wound up. We put her back in the same race at Pocono (on Oct. 7) and she drew the nine and won again (in 1:56). I asked Jason if we put her in the Breeders Crown would he come. He said to get the best possible driver and if you get in the final, put them down first and me second and we’ll be rooting for her.
“The hematoma is 95 percent gone. If I didn’t tell you about it, you’d never notice it. Jim Campbell got her ready to go and I just happened to get lucky. Things went my way. I just hope I don’t screw up.
“I’m stabled on a farm with her, only one exit from the track, with only about 20 horses. It’s nice and quiet, but when she goes to the racetrack she knows, she grabs on more and more. She gets a little bit racy. Other than that, she’s got a great personality and is calm in the barn.
“She went from non-winners of one to the Breeders Crown eliminations in three starts. We usually deal in claimers and give around $10,000 for a horse, so this is huge for us. I’ll be doing a cartwheel (if she wins).”
Eaton quickly backed down from that promise.
“I’m a 200 pound guy. If I had three people helping me, I couldn’t do a cartwheel.”
$600,000 Breeders Crown 2-year-old filly trot
Post-Horse-Driver-Trainer-Line
1-Tymal Tempest-Jack Moiseyev-Ervin Abdulov-30-1
2-Dewdle All Day-Chris Christoforou-R. Dustin Jones-30-1
3-Womans Will-Andy Miller-Julie Miller-12-1
4-All The Time-Yannick Gingras-Jimmy Takter-7-5
5-Haughty-Dave Palone-Jimmy Takter-3-1
6-Magical Wonder-Chris Christoforou-John MacMillan-20-1
7-Kathy Parker-Johnny Takter-Jimmy Takter-12-1
8-Black Broadway-Brian Sears-Mike Eaton-15-1
9-Emoticon Hanover-Sylvain Filion-Luc Blais-20-1
10-Caprice Hill-Tim Tetrick-Tony Alagna-2-1
- Breeders Crown ‘Gleam’ in Takter’s eyes (Monday, October 19, 2015)
Jimmy Takter made his first appearance in the Breeders Crown in 1986, but it was seven years before he got to hoist a trophy. Takter, who trains and sometimes also drives, had two second-place finishes and one third-place effort in eight championship starts before driving Gleam to victory in the 1993 Breeders Crown for 2-year-old female trotters at Florida’s Pompano Park.
- Gingras hopes to stay on a roll in Breeders Crown (Tuesday, October 20, 2015)
Yannick Gingras will have nine drives in Saturday night’s 12 Breeders Crown finals at Woodbine Racetrack as he looks to continue his hot streak in harness racing’s championship event.
- Stage is set for Breeders Crown Saturday at Woodbine (Tuesday, October 20, 2015)
For the first time in three years, Woodbine Racetrack will again host the Breeders Crown, harness racing’s most spectacular evening, when 12 championship finals, offering $5.8 million U.S. in purse money, will be staged on Saturday (Oct. 24).
- Wellwood chasing first Breeders Crown title with Marion Marauder (Wednesday, October 21, 2015)
It’s a tough question to answer summing up a human or horse’s personality in one word but Paula Wellwood had no problem describing 2-year-old trotting colt Marion Marauder, who has had the misfortune of chasing Southwind Frank around the track frequently this season, with pinpoint accuracy.
- Connections are enjoying a great ride with Freaky Feet Pete (Wednesday, October 21, 2015)
Mary Jo Rheinheimer is not nervous. Not yet. But she will be. She always gets nervous when Freaky Feet Pete races. There is no word from Freaky Feet Pete how he feels heading into Saturday’s $531,250 Breeders Crown for 3-year-old male pacers. But if the colt does get nervous, it doesn’t affect his ability to win races. Twenty-four times in his career he’s gone to the starting gate, and 21 times he’s been first to the finish line.
- Creatine hopes to end year abroad with elusive Crown title (Wednesday, October 21, 2015)
There is no denying that the international flair of the Breeders Crown Trot has led to considerable intrigue over the past few editions and this year’s contest on Saturday at Woodbine Racetrack figures to be no exception. The small twist is that this year’s European “invader” is actually Creatine, a thoroughly blue-blooded American trotter.
- Surprise colt Dont Rush takes his shot at Crown trotters (Thursday, October 22, 2015)
Dustin Jones hopes no one can get shorty. Jones co-owns and trains two-time Ontario Sire Stakes champion Dont Rush, who is among the 11 horses in Saturday’s $500,000 Breeders Crown for 3-year-old male trotters at Woodbine Racetrack. The colt, nicknamed “Danny” after actor Danny DeVito, is 20-1 on the morning line but has already surprised people — beginning with Jones.
- Breeders Crown races lead busy Grand Circuit weekend (Thursday, October 22, 2015)
The 12 Breeders Crown championship events on Saturday night (Oct. 24) at Woodbine will be front and center in the Grand Circuit spotlight this week. Breeders Crown championship races will be held for 2-year-olds, 3-year-olds and older Standardbreds of both sexes and gaits.
- Howard Taylor sends eight into Breeders Crown championship night (Thursday, October 22, 2015)
He has owned more than 800 horses during his several decades of being involved in the sport, but Philadelphia attorney Howard Taylor still can’t quite wrap his head around the fact he has eight in-to-go for Saturday’s (Oct. 24) Breeders Crown races at Woodbine.
- Marquee match-up in Crown Open Pace (Thursday, October 22, 2015)
The comeback kid is ready to meet the kid who refuses to go away. Always B Miki and Foiled Again, the winners of last weekend’s Breeders Crown Open Pace eliminations, lead a field of 10 horses into Saturday’s $400,000 final at Woodbine Racetrack.
- Breeders Crown victory would be bittersweet for Hill family (Thursday, October 22, 2015)
Tom Hill and his family hope that this is the year they finally win a Breeders Crown race after coming close in previous editions. If fortunate to experience a Crown victory, it will come with bittersweet feelings. This year’s finals at Toronto’s Woodbine Racetrack take place on Oct. 24, the anniversary of a Hill family tragedy.
- ‘Cinderella story’ Frost Damage Blues heads to Crown final (Friday, October 23, 2015)
Bill Augustine is the proud owner — and you can underline the word proud — of a horse that is good for both of his businesses. In his harness racing world, Augustine’s Frost Damage Blues is going off at 12-1 at Saturday’s Breeders Crown championships at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto. In her first year of racing, the 3-year-old filly has earned $51,750 by winning her first seven starts in overnight competition at Saratoga, Yonkers and Pocono.
- Another white Standardbred for Tristan Sjoberg (Friday, October 23, 2015)
Owner Tristan Sjoberg will be watching Dupree in Saturday’s $600,000 Breeders Crown for 2-year-old male trotters at Woodbine Racetrack, but regardless of the horse’s performance he is already feeling out of this world. Sjoberg, who is among the owners of rare white pacing colt White Bliss, said this week via e-mail that he has bought another rare white horse — this one a filly trotter born on April 4, 2014 in Italy. The filly, bred by Sergio Carfagna in Assisi, is named Via Lattea, which translates to Milky Way.
- With two in Breeders Crown, Dubois believed in Infinitif (Friday, October 23, 2015)
There are 11 trotters entered in the $500,000 Breeders Crown for 3-year-old males on Saturday (Oct. 24) at Woodbine Racetrack. Most are by marquee stallions well known to aficionados of U.S. pedigrees. To have two starters — in a field of 11 — is an incredible achievement for Infinitif given that of the remaining nine trotters in the field, only two are not by Muscles Yankee, Muscle Hill and Donato Hanover, all Hambletonian winners and high-priced stallions.