Cranbury, NJ — The Breeders Crown events for Standardbred 2-year-olds lured 66 into the entry box across the four divisions, spurring a total of seven eliminations for Friday’s (Oct. 21) card at Woodbine Mohawk Park to determine the finalists for the altogether $2.4 million freshman championship finals.

Freshman trotting colts and geldings begin proceedings in race two with their first elimination, which gathers nine behind the gate. William Wellwood Memorial champ Winners Bet will look to regain his stride from a break in the Mohawk Million when the Domenico Cecere starter leaves from post nine.

Mohawk Million winner Oh Well fronts the nine aligning for the second 2-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Trot elimination, carded as race four. The Marcus Melander trainee competes against eight others, including one trained by his brother, Mattias, in Dire Straits, who starts from post seven.

Oh Well, pictured winning the 2022 Mohawk Million, leads the second Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Trot elimination.

Local star Sylvia Hanover leads the first of two eliminations for the 2-Year-Old Filly Pace, going as race three. Shawn Steacy trains the winner of the She’s A Great Lady, who will have six competitors on the wings, including Ohio Sires Stakes champ McSeaside, who starts from post seven. Proud Mary, Caviart Davia and Horizontal will all try and grab vengeance on Sylvia Hanover following their defeats in the She’s A Great Lady final.

Elimination two for the freshman pacing fillies pins eight on the gate. Kentucky standout Strong Poison escapes Twin B Joe Fresh, but lands post eight against a group which includes royally-bred Bellisima Hanover, She’s A Great Lady runner-up Charleston, and Nick Gallucci’s star 2-year-old Savethelastdance, the last of whom will look to rebound following a loss in the Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final.

A single 10-horse elimination goes to gate for the 2-Year-Old Filly Trot. Åke Svanstedt trainee Special Way will look to continue to separate herself from her peers as she puts a five-race win streak on the line from post five. Her competition includes Walner Payton, who finished second to Special Way four times in her last five starts; and Mambacita, who enters from back-to-back victories in Grand Circuit stakes at the Red Mile.

The 2-year-old pacing colts and geldings wrap the evening’s elimination action, starting with their first of two in Race seven. The 10-horse affair places Metro Pace runner-up Save America with the outermost draw as he ships north off consecutive second-place finishes. The field also gathers Lyons Surfing, fresh from a 1:50.1 win in the Bluegrass Stakes, and Elevation Pace winner Ervin Hanover, among others.

Metro Pace winner Stockade Seelster will also have to overcome post 10 in the second 2-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Pace elimination, slated as race nine.

Stockade Seelster, winner of the Metro Pace, is tasked with a post-10 dispatch in his Crown elimination for rookie male pacers. New Image Media photos.

The Dr. Ian Moore trainee has just one loss on his nine-race card this season and will face another near-perfect rival in Combustion, who has five wins from six starts and ships from Lexington off a 1:49.3 effort. Metro Pace elimination upsetter Tip Top Cat also competes, along with Lexington upsetter Mamba and Handlelikeaporsche, the latter of whom put forth back-to-back power efforts at the Red Mile.

In the eliminations for the 2-Year-Old Filly Pace and 2-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Pace, the top five finishers from each will advance to their respective $600,000 finals next Friday (Oct. 28).

Both trotting freshman events have guaranteed starters as a part of the “Win And You’re In” bonus for winning the Jim Doherty Memorial and Peter Haughton Memorial on Hambletonian Day. Jim Doherty winner Instagram Model received a bye along with Righteous Resolve, to make just the top eight finishers in the 2-Year-Old Filly Trot elimination eligible to the final. Peter Haughton winner Kilmister received a bye to the 2-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Trot, making only the top four finishers from each elimination and the fifth-place finisher with the highest seasonal earnings (as compiled by Standardbred Canada and including elimination earnings) eligible for the final.

First-race post time for the Friday card is 7 p.m. (EDT).

Visit the Hambletonian/Breeders Crown website or the Woodbine Mohawk Park website to keep up on Breeders Crown news and information.