by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications
Freehold, NJ — JL Cruze’s upset of Father Patrick in a division of the Graduate Series for 4-year-old trotters helped to vault the gelding into this week’s Top 10 in the Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll. JL Cruze, who has won 12 of 14 races this year and never been worse than second, won by a neck over Father Patrick in 1:51 and lands at No. 5 in this week’s rankings.
Also joining the Top 10, at No. 9, is 4-year-old gelding pacer Rockeyed Optimist, who captured a division of the Graduate Series for 4-year-old pacers last weekend at the Meadowlands. Rockeyed Optimist has nine victories and one second-place finish in 10 starts this season.
Otherwise, little changed in the Top 10, with idle 3-year-old male pacer Wiggle It Jiggleit remaining in the No. 1 spot, followed by Charlie Hill Memorial-winning 5-year-old female trotter Bee A Magician in second. Artspeak, another 3-year-old male pacer who was idle last week, moved to third as Father Patrick dropped to fourth.
Rankings based on the votes of harness racing media representatives on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.
HambletonianSociety/Breeders Crown Standardbred Poll: Week 4 –6/9/2015
|
Rank
|
Name (First Place Votes)
|
A/G/S
|
Record
|
Earnings
|
Points
|
Pvs
|
|
1
|
Wiggle It Jiggleit (24)
|
3pg
|
9-9-0-0
|
$135,742
|
315
|
1
|
|
2
|
Bee A Magician (4)
|
5tm
|
5-4-1-0
|
$270,735
|
300
|
2
|
|
3
|
Artspeak (5)
|
3pc
|
2-2-0-0
|
$60,000
|
219
|
4
|
|
4
|
Father Patrick (1)
|
4th
|
2-1-1-0
|
$89,062
|
191
|
3
|
|
5
|
JL Cruze
|
4tg
|
14-12-2-0
|
$183,638
|
153
|
—
|
|
6
|
Mission Brief
|
3tf
|
2-2-0-0
|
$62,500
|
132
|
5
|
|
7
|
|
3pc
|
3-3-0-0
|
$185,525
|
129
|
6
|
|
8
|
JK She’salady (1)
|
3pf
|
1-1-0-0
|
$15,525
|
84
|
8
|
|
9
|
Rockeyed Optimist
|
4pg
|
10-9-1-0
|
$153,525
|
79
|
—
|
|
10
|
Pinkman
|
3tg
|
2-2-0-0
|
$63,821
|
56
|
10
|
Also:Shake It Cerry (49); Doo Wop Hanover (42); All Bets Off, Radar Contact (25); JKEndofanera (22); State Treasurer (21); Habitat (15); Uncle Lasse (10); Canepa Hanover(9); Frau Blucher (7); Hurrikane Ali, Wakizashi Hanover (6); Ideal Cowboy (5);Bourbon Bay, Color’s A Virgin, P H Supercam (4); Domethatagain, Solar Sister(3); Split The House, Whom Shall I Fear (2); Crazy Wow, Let’s Drink On It,Modern Legend (1).