Breeders Crown races lead busy Grand Circuit weekend
October 22, 2015,by Paul Ramlow, publicity director, The Grand Circuit
This Week: Breeders Crown finals, Woodbine Racetrack, Rexdale, Ont.; Kindergarten Series, Vernon Downs, Vernon, N.Y.; and Circle City and Madison County, Hoosier Park, Anderson, Ind.
Schedule of events: 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. For Breeders Crown entries, click on this link.
Vernon Downs will host the final preliminary leg of the Kindergarten Series for 2-year-old colt and filly trotters on Friday (Oct. 23). There will be two $10,000 divisions for the colts and two $10,000 divisions for the fillies.
Hoosier has Grand Circuit action on both Friday and Saturday. Friday features eight Circle City races for 3-year-olds with two divisions each in the $93,500 filly trot, the $90,300 colt pace, the $86,000 colt trot and the $65,600 filly pace. Saturday will feature Madison County events for 2-year-olds of both sexes and gaits. There will be two divisions in the $78,500 filly trot and $75,200 colt trot and single divisions in the $77,300 filly pace and $76,700 colt pace.
Complete entries for the Vernon and Hoosier Park races are available at this link.
Last time: Breeders Crown eliminations were in the spotlight this past weekend at Woodbine as 13 contests were raced at the Toronto area oval.
New Image Media photo
Freaky Feet Pete won his Breeders Crown elimination by 1-1/4 lengths over Artistic Major in 1:49.4.
Freaky Feet Pete proved he didn’t need to take his racetrack with him to prove his talent. Racing for the first time outside of Hoosier Park, the Indiana-bred won convincingly in 1:49.4 Saturday night (Oct. 17) by 1-1/4 lengths in the first Breeders Crown elimination for 3-year-old colt pacers.
Fresh off his impressive victory against the mighty Wiggle It Jiggleit in a $220,000 Indiana Sires Stakes final exactly a week before at Hoosier, Freaky Feet Pete had proven himself at home. Breeder/trainer Larry Rheinheimer, whose wife, Mary Jo and son, Marty, own the colt by Rockin Image, supplemented the superstar for $62,500, feeling his horse deserved the chance to compete in the Crown. His victory in the $20,000 elimination stamps him as a serious contender going into the final.
Driver Trace Tetrick settled the colt into third, behind pacesetter Reverend Hanover, who set fractions of :27.1, :56 and 1:23. It was after the half-mile point that Tetrick began a first-over move and claimed control at the top of the stretch. He paced the mile into a steady wind with breathtaking ease. Artistic Major rallied late to overtake Reverend Hanover for second.
Tony Alagna-trainee Artspeak racked his 14th win of his 26-race career by surging off cover and nailing 3-5 favorite Wakizashi Hanover on the wire by a neck in 1:51.3 in the latter elimination. Competing for the interests of Brittany Farms, Marvin Katz, Joe Sbrocco, and In The Gym Partners, Artspeak pushed his lifetime earnings to $1.5 million. He was driven by Scott Zeron.
After staying put in the first-over position around the far turn, Always B Miki began to slide toward control and quickly roared by pacesetter State Treasurer en route to a three length victory in 1:49.4 in the second $35,000 Breeders Crown Open Pace elimination on Oct. 17.
Making his second start of the season for the interests of Bluewood Stable, Roll The Dice Stable, and Christina Takter, Always B Miki pushed his career earnings to $954,366. The 4-year-old horse by Always A Virgin, out of the Artsplace mare Artstopper, is trained by Jimmy Takter and was driven by David Miller.
Foiled Again, mired in one of his worst seasons when it comes to victories, turned the tables in capturing the first $35,000 elimination of the Breeders Crown Open pacing division as an 8-1 outsider.
The richest Standardbred of all time, Foiled Again entered the contest with nearly $7.2 million banked throughout his storied career, but this year had just one victory in 17 starts prior to Saturday night. Driver Yannick Gingras waited until the :54.2 half had been clocked before setting Foiled Again to the outside. The gelding knew exactly what to do as he grinded his way up to the leader through a 1:22.1 three-quarter clocking and then shifted into high gear in the homestretch, scoring quite safely in 1:50. The victory was number 85 in the career of Foiled Again, trained by Ron Burke for owners Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi and JJK Stables.
Complete recaps of all the races are available at the Grand Circuit website.
Grand Circuit Standings: In 2015, the Grand Circuit leaders in three categories (driver, trainer and owner) will once again be tracked on a points system (20-10-5 for the top three finishers in divisions/finals and 10-5-2 for the top three finishers in eliminations/legs). Winbak Farm is the sponsor for the 2015 Grand Circuit awards.
Here are the leaders following the past week’s action:
Drivers: 1. Yannick Gingras – 1,285; 2. David Miller – 938.5; 3. Tim Tetrick – 846; 4. Brett Miller – 581; 5. Brian Sears – 531.
Trainers: 1. Ron Burke – 1,537; 2. Jimmy Takter – 1,245; 3. Tony Alagna – 542.5; 4. Jeff Bamond Jr. – 330; 5. Ake Svanstedt – 311.
Owners: 1. Burke Racing – 347.8; 2. Weaver Bruscemi – 300.85; 3. Bamond Racing – 265; 4. Christina Takter – 197.55; 5. Marvin Katz – 177.6.
Looking ahead: Grand Circuit action will take place next weekend at Hoosier Park and Vernon Downs. Hoosier will host five Grand Circuit events, led by the Monument Circle for 3-year-old pacing males. Vernon will host the Kindergaten finals and consolations for the 2-year-old trotters.
- 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).
- Black Broadway: From non-winners of one to the Breeders Crown (Wednesday, October 21, 2015)
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.
- 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.
- 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.