by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications
Freehold, NJ — Ron Burke will send high-profile stars Hannelore Hanover and Southwind Frank into Breeders Crown action this weekend, but neither horse will be in the event the trainer considers the most important to his stable.
Burke, who has 17 horses spread throughout nine of the dozen Breeders Crown races at the Meadowlands, considers Saturday’s $500,000 final for 3-year-old male pacers integral to a successful weekend. Burke has four horses in the event, led by one of last week’s elimination winners, Check Six.
Check Six, the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes champion, has won nine of 19 races this year and earned $801,415. The son of 2008 Breeders Crown champ and Horse of the Year Somebeachsomewhere, Check Six captured his elimination by 1-1/4 lengths in 1:50.3. He is joined in the final by stablemates Fine Diamond, Fernando Hanover, and Manhattan Beach.
“To me that’s the most important race for my barn,” said Burke, who has won nine Breeders Crown trophies in his career as a trainer and five as an owner. “We’ve got four of us in there; we need to do well out of that group. I think we can do good there. The horses all seem to be sharp.”
Check Six will start from post two. Western Fame, the other elimination winner, will leave from post one and Racing Hill, who finished fourth in Check Six’s elim but is a multiple-stakes-winner of $1.33 million this season, is in post five.
“I love his spot,” Burke said. “He was good. It’s just that once in a while he throws a dud in, and I’m just hoping it’s not this week. But I love his spot. It’s a huge spot for him. He has the chance to go over a million dollars. There are so many things he could do for himself and his career by putting in a good performance here.”
Fernando Hanover, who was second by a nose to Western Fame in his elimination, and third-place finisher Manhattan Beach drew posts eight and nine, respectively, in the 10-horse field. Fine Diamond, who was fifth in Check Six’s elim, will start from post four.
“The two who drew eight and nine have raced before very well from far back, it’s kind of been their style anyhow,” Burke said. “When there’s not a definite favorite, that’s usually when you see more action and movement, and that leads to you being able to race from the back.”
In other Breeders Crown races, Burke’s Hannelore Hanover is the 8-5 morning line favorite in Friday’s $250,000 Mare Trot. The field includes three past Breeders Crown champions — two-time winners Bee A Magician and Shake It Cerry plus defending champion D’One.
Joining Hannelore Hanover in the race from the Burke Stable is Classical Annie.
Hannelore Hanover has won 15 of 18 starts this year and earned $896,111. She heads to the Breeders Crown off a seventh-place finish against male rivals in the Oct. 15 Yonkers International Trot. She started from post one and went off stride in the first turn.
“That was her first start on a half-mile track and maybe the rail was the worst spot for her,” Burke said. “She kind of just didn’t make the turn. With the rail, you need to make a hard left and she just didn’t get it. It doesn’t bother me whatsoever. She trained great this week. She moves back to the Meadowlands, which she loves. I expect that she will race well.”
Southwind Frank is a returning Breeders Crown champion, having won the 2-year-old male trot last year on his way to the division’s Dan Patch Award. This year Southwind Frank finished third in his elimination behind Sutton and Marion Marauder, but was beaten by only a head. Bar Hopping won the other elimination for Saturday’s $500,000 final.
A son of two-time Breeders Crown champion and 2009 Horse of the Year Muscle Hill, Southwind Frank has won six of 13 races this year and earned $1.05 million. He has been beaten by a neck or less in four races, including the Hambletonian and Kentucky Futurity, where he suffered a flat tire.
“We’re back to the drawing board on his gait a little bit, but usually in the final he gets it together and he should be good,” Burke said. “I have a good feeling about this week that we can have him ready to go. There are four horses — him, Sutton, Marion Marauder and Bar Hopping — that so far are a step above the other ones. We’ll see come this week. It’s a good group of trotters.
“Overall this year has been a disappointment because I really do believe he’s the best horse. He wasn’t right at the right times and (Marion Marauder) was right at the right times. I’d like to keep working through his problems and at least prove one more time that this horse is a champion and deserves to be considered that.”
Burke sends three horses into Saturday’s $600,000 Breeders Crown for 2-year-old male pacers — Miso Fast, Normandy Beach, and Filibuster Hanover. Miso Fast finished second to Huntsville in his elimination and Normandy Beach was second to Downbytheseaside in his elim. Filibuster Hanover finished fifth in Downbytheseaside’s race, but Burke is hopeful the Somebeachsomewhere-sired colt can improve starting from post No. 1 in the final.
Filibuster Hanover, who is a half-brother to Fernando Hanover and whose family includes Breeders Crown champion Galleria, has won only two of 11 races this year but defeated Huntsville in one and Downbytheseaside in the other.
“I know he pulled one of his clown moves the other day trying to go out the third turn at the Meadowlands, but I like him,” Burke said, referring to Filibuster Hanover drifting wide around the final turn and falling back to last place before rallying to grab the last qualifying spot for the final. “But he’s now got the rail, where we can be very aggressive with him. He was very good at Lexington when we did that.
“That horse can pace with any horse I have. He’s a fast horse, he’s just very inconsistent. I’m just hoping this week he trends the right way. He’s in a great spot and I think he really could surprise.”
Burke also has multiple horses in Saturday’s $600,000 Breeders Crown for 2-year-old male trotters and Friday’s $250,000 Mare Pace.
What The Hill, another son of Muscle Hill, finished second to world champion Walner in his elimination for the 2-year-old male trot, but has enjoyed success at the Meadowlands, winning this year’s New Jersey Sire Stakes championship and Peter Haughton Memorial there.
“He was super last week,” Burke said. “He came back to the Meadowlands and it seems to be his track. He really likes it. I know Walner, everyone thinks it’s a given, but our horse can trot. If we get away in the right spot we’ll at least make it a race.”
Joining What The Hill in the race from the Burke Stable is Snowstorm Hanover, who finished fifth in his elimination, which was won by Sortie.
In the Mare Pace, Burke has Sassa Hanover and Skippin By. The 4-year-old Rock N Roll Heaven-sired Sassa Hanover has four wins in 22 races this season, but two of the victories came in her last three starts. Lady Shadow is the 8-5 morning line favorite.
“She was super last week and trained out of her mind,” Burke said about Sassa Hanover, who has earned $1.06 million in her career. “She’s finally starting to show what we thought too. Maybe she just had the 4-year-old blues. I do have a good feeling about her. She really is coming back around.
“Lady Shadow is a freak when she’s good, but she’s not a hundred percent that you can count on her every week. I’ve got to hope for her to be not as good and I’ve got to hope for my horse to be better.”
Rounding out the list of Burke starters in the Breeders Crown are Crazy Wow in Friday’s $500,000 Open Trot, All Bets Off in Friday’s $421,000 Open Pace, and Rockette in Saturday’s $600,000 2-year-old filly pace.
For Friday’s complete Meadowlands/Breeders Crown card, click here.
For Saturday’s complete Meadowlands/Breeders Crown card, click here.
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- Changes in routine get Lady Shadow back to the winner’s circle (Monday, October 24, 2016)
After looking like a mere shadow of herself two weeks ago, this lady appears to be back in form entering the $250,000 Breeders Crown Mare Pace final Friday night at the Meadowlands. Lady Shadow, an O’Brien Award winner in Canada at ages 3 and 4, entered the Oct. 9 Allerage Mare Pace in Lexington with eight firsts and a second in her previous nine races before finishing eighth. After some tweaks by trainer Ron Adams, Lady Shadow rebounded last Friday to win her Breeders Crown Mare Pace elimination by 7-3/4 lengths in 1:48.4 over a track rated “good” because of rain.
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Tori Hanover began her career with a bang, but not in the best sense of the phrase.
- Per Henriksen seeks fourth Breeders Crown title with Muscle Hustle (Tuesday, October 25, 2016)
Trainer Per Henriksen is old enough to know that you’re never too old to take a shot in the Breeders Crown. The 70-year-old native of Norway, who is based out of Norwood, Ontario, is back in this year’s Breeders Crown presented by Mullinax Ford at the Meadowlands in New Jersey on Saturday night (Oct. 29), seven years since he last raced in the championship event.
- Bee A Magician seeks third Breeders Crown title on Friday (Wednesday, October 26, 2016)
Several months ago it might have seemed a long shot to see Bee A Magician in the Breeders Crown, but now that she’s there she is one of the favorites. Bee A Magician, who didn’t race competitively for nearly five months because of a tendon injury, is the 2-1 second choice in Friday’s (Oct. 28) $250,000 Breeders Crown Mare Trot at the Meadowlands. Hannelore Hanover, who has won 15 of 18 races this season, is the 8-5 morning line favorite.
- Smedshammer duo aim for Breeders Crown glory (Wednesday, October 26, 2016)
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- Father-son team looks to zero in on Breeders Crown with Shamballa (Wednesday, October 26, 2016)
It’s been a great year for Rick and Scott Zeron and what would make it even better is winning a Breeders Crown race, something the father-and-son have yet to do in their illustrious careers.
- Downbythesesaside seeks to cap his stroll on the shore with a Crown (Friday, October 28, 2016)
Nearly any conditioner who bears the responsibility of preparing a world champion for what could be a defining moment in his career normally discusses the merits of his colt. In typical Brian Brown fashion, however, he reveals why Downbytheseaside may not be the horse posing for pictures in the Meadowlands winner’s circle on Saturday (Oct. 29) after his performance in the $600,000 Breeders Crown final for 2-year-old pacing colts and geldings.
- McIntosh and Campbell look for more Breeders Crown magic (Thursday, October 27, 2016)
Forget about holiday protocol, Bob McIntosh is jumping right over Halloween and American Thanksgiving. “It will be a little bit of Christmas if we get the right trip,” said McIntosh, referring to his horse L A Delight in Saturday’s (Oct. 29) $500,000 Breeders Crown for 3-year-old female pacers at the Meadowlands.
- VIP Stable syndication flourishing (Thursday, October 27, 2016)
Pennsylvania Sire Stakes champion Giveitgasandgo is certainly creating his own VIP experience leading up to this weekend’s Breeders Crown. Trained by John Butenschoen, Giveitgasandgo had won seven straight races prior to finishing third in last week’s Breeders Crown eliminations, in which he qualified for the $600,000 2-year-old colt and gelding trot final this Saturday (Oct. 29) at the Meadowlands.
- “This is what it’s all about” (Friday, October 28, 2016)
Jimmy Takter needs few words to sum up tonight’s Breeders Crown Open Pace at the Meadowlands, which features a continuation of the rivalry between Takter’s Always B Miki and George Teague Jr.’s Wiggle It Jiggleit. “This,” Takter says, “is what it’s all about.”
- Sir John F may turn into Mr. Holland’s opus in Breeders Crown freshman trot (Friday, October 28, 2016)
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