Cranbury, NJ — Four horses supplemented Monday (Oct. 14) to the Breeders Crown at Woodbine Mohawk Park. The wide-open sophomore pacing colt landscape and a sparkling performance in the Ontario Sire Stake 3-year-old filly pace Super Final triggered three supplements to those respective divisions. Trotting mare Custom Cantab will also start in the $300,000 Breeders Crown Mare Trot via the supplemental entry route.
Today at noon was also the deadline for world champion Bold Eagle, the lone foreign classic invitee to declare, and his connections have entered him in the $500,000 Breeders Crown Trot for Saturday (Oct. 26).
The connections of Century Farroh and Southwind Ozzi each anted up $62,500 to enter the $500,000 Breeders Crown Colt Pace, as did the owners of filly pacer Boadicea.
Southwind Ozzi has staked a claim to divisional leadership with a seasonal bankroll of $804,435 and recent wins in the Little Brown Jug and Adios. The son of Crown champion Somebeachsomewhere was recently beaten a head in Lexington by Dancin Lou in 1:49.4, but a qualifier at Freehold in 1:56.2 satisfied trainer Bill MacKenzie that a supplement was justified.
“He was just fine,” stated MacKenzie, who trains for owners Vincent Ali Jr. and Alma Iafelice, when he dropped off the check after the qualifier at Freehold Raceway. “Basically a training mile.”
Century Farroh, who has raced primarily in Ontario, and like Southwind Ozzi did not race in the Breeders Crown as a 2-year-old, has also racked up an impressive record for trainer Ian Moore and owners Ratchford Stable NS. Though he was third, beaten a length in his last start, the Ontario Sire Stake Super Final, which saw a mad dash to the wire and an upset win by B Stoney, Century Farroh has picked up $573,570 this year and certainly earned a start in his divisional Crown event.
Boadicea, a sophomore daughter of Crown champion Big Jim, crushed foes with a 1:49.2 mile in her Ontario final at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Saturday. Her record of 11 wins in 18 lifetime starts and her sharp recent form for trainer Bill Budd and an exuberant group of Lawrence Stable owners saw her supplemented for $62,500 to the $500,000 3-year-old filly pace. She will face defending divisional and Crown champion Warrawee Ubeaut among others.
Custom Cantab, a 4-year-old daughter of Mr Cantab, surged past the million dollar earnings mark for trainer Chris Beaver with a second place finish in the $250,000 Harry Harvey Trot to male trotter Mission Accepted. Her ownership of Beaver, Donald Robinson and R.B.H. Ventures will pay $31,250 to start her in the $300,000 Mare Trot.
Last, but the farthest from least, is foreign invitee Bold Eagle. The 8-year-old son of Ready Cash-Reethi Rah Jet has won 45 times against the toughest of European competition and banked more than $5 million. He has been invited three times to the Breeders Crown, and his racing schedule and the travel conditions finally aligned for Bold Eagle to ship to Canada for the Crown. He is the first foreign classic winner to accept an invitation since Commander Crowe came triumphantly to the Meadowlands in 2014.
Foreign invitees must make up the same schedule of payments as eligible horses and pay the starting fee, but advance directly to the final if there are eliminations, and are placed in the open post position draw. With current driver Bjorn Goop unavailable due to a racing conflict, Hall of Famer Brian Sears has been tapped to drive the European champion.
Regular entries for all eligible Breeders Crown trotters and pacers are due by 10:30 a.m. Tuesday (Oct. 15) at the Woodbine Mohawk Park race office.
The contestants for the 12 Breeders Crown finals will be determined through elimination races, if needed, this Friday and Saturday night at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Eliminations for all 2-year-old events will be raced on Friday (post time 7:50 p.m.) and eliminations for all 3-year-old and up events will be Saturday (post time 7:10 p.m.).
Elimination winners, in an order determined by lot, draw for inside post positions 1-5 for the finals.
The $6 million Breeders Crown finals will be raced on Friday (Oct. 25) — all 2-year-olds — and Saturday (Oct. 26) — 3-year-olds and up — with an early post time of 7 p.m. (EDT) both nights.
For more information go to www.Hambletonian.com or https://woodbine.com/mohawk/events/breeders-crown/.