Merriman hopes Crown win is in the cards
October 27, 2017,by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications
Ken Weingartner
Freehold, NJ — Aaron Merriman got Dealt A Winner and will try to play a winning hand in Saturday’s (Oct. 28) $421,000 Breeders Crown Open Pace at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino.
Dealt A Winner and Mach It So each won an elimination last week, with David Miller driving both. Miller will drive Mach It So in Saturday’s final, so Merriman was called upon to drive Dealt A Winner.
A 5-year-old gelding, Dealt A Winner is the 3-1 morning-line favorite, with Mach It So next at 7-2.
The 39-year-old Merriman has appeared in one Breeders Crown final in his career, finishing fourth with 3-year-old female trotter Classical Annie in 2015. Merriman tops the sport with 891 wins this year, leading second-place George Napolitano Jr. by 356 victories. He is the first driver in history to win at least 800 races in four consecutive years.
Merriman has driven Dealt A Winner three times in his career and finished second with the gelding in September’s Dayton Pacing Derby.
Dean Gillette photo
Dealt A Winner won his Breeders Crown elimination in 1:49.3.
“It’s pretty cool,” Merriman said about getting the drive for the Breeders Crown. “He’s raced well for me each time I’ve raced him. He is a little bit funny, but I’ve been first over with him a couple times and he’s really hung in there against really good horses.
“It’s definitely been a wide-open free-for-all year, so that helps my chances, as well as having that familiarity with him. You just try to give the horse the best possible trip, the best shot to win, and that’s it.”
Dealt A Winner has won back-to-back starts heading to the Breeders Crown final. He has won five of 16 races this season, including the Allerage Farms Open Pace and Roll With Joe Stakes.
Mark Silva, who won two Open Pace titles with Boulder Creek in the mid-2000s, trains Dealt A Winner for owner Jeff Snyder. Snyder has won three Breeders Crown finals.
Dean Gillette photo
Double-millionaire Mach It So has won four of 22 starts this year.
Mach It So, owned by Bamond Racing, has won four of 22 starts this year, including the William R. Haughton Memorial. Trainer Jeff Bamond Jr. is looking for his first Breeders Crown trophy, but Bamond and his father have won four times as owners.
The race also features McWicked, who won a Breeders Crown trophy at age 3 in 2014, as well as stakes-winners Sintra, Keystone Velocity and All Bets Off.
All Bets Off won the Hoosier Park Pacing Derby last month. He starts from the outside, post No. 9, in the Breeders Crown final.
“It’s going to be a tough spot for him, but he’s the one horse of mine that can overcome almost anything,” All Bets Off’s trainer Ron Burke said. “That will be a good race. There will be a lot of action in it, so hopefully he can pick them up late.”
Hoosier Park, located in Anderson, Ind., is hosting the $6 million Breeders Crown for the first time. The finals for female pacers and trotters are Friday night and the finals for male pacers and trotters are Saturday. Racing begins at 6 p.m. (EDT) both nights.
“To have the Breeders Crown in the Midwest is cool,” Merriman said. “It’s been a really long time since Midwest racing has had anything like this and it’s great to get the opportunity. Applause for Hoosier Park management for bringing the Breeders Crown here and doing such a great job with it.”
Following is the field for Saturday’s Breeders Crown Open Pace.
PP-Horse-Driver-Trainer-Line
1. Sintra-Jody Jamieson-Dave Menary-5/1
2. McWicked-Brian Sears-Casie Coleman-9/2
3. Dealt A Winner-Aaron Merriman-Mark Silva-3/1
4. Split The House-Brett Miller-Chris Oakes-10/1
5. Mach It So-David Miller-Jeff Bamond Jr.-7/2
6. Keystone Velocity-Dan Dube-Erv Miller-8/1
7. Manhattan Beach-Sam Widger-Walter Haynes Jr.-30/1
8. Rock N’ Roll World-John DeLong-Jeff Cullipher-30/1
9. All Bets Off-Matt Kakaley-Ron Burke-8/1
10. Missile J-Tim Tetrick-Scott DiDomenico-12/1
Missile J starts in the second tier behind Sintra.
Hoosier Park, in conjunction with Roberts Communications, will offer live steaming and replays of the Breeders Crown races at www.hoosierpark.com/racing/2017breederscrown/.
- Mach It So and Dealt A Winner capture Crown Open Pace elims (Saturday, October 21, 2017)
In a topsy-turvy season for the older male pacers, the main consistent factor in the division’s two $25,000 Breeders Crown eliminations was driver David Miller, as the leading active sulky-sitting money leader handled both winners, Dealt A Winner and Mach It So.
- Breeders Crown ‘everything you could dream about’ for Pink Pistol’s owners (Monday, October 23, 2017)
Seven years ago, horse agent Pete Shody saw a 4-year-old female trotter named August Revenue win by nearly 10 lengths in 1:54 at Pocono and called her owners to see if the mare was for sale. She was not, he was told, because she was going to be bred. But Shody did not forget about her. Five years later, the Ontario-based Shody came across a 2-year-old female trotter for sale online for $6,000 Canadian. Her name was Pink Pistol and she was a daughter of August Revenue. Shody was interested immediately. After checking out the Cantab Hall-sired filly, he convinced his wife, Sharon Cameron, and several partners to buy her. On Friday, she will compete in the $250,000 Breeders Crown Mare Trot at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino in Indiana.
- Darlinonthebeach is ‘coming into form’ heading into Breeders Crown (Monday, October 23, 2017)
Darlinonthebeach can end a lot of frustration and take care of some unfinished family business with a good trip this Friday (Oct. 27). Trainer Nancy Johansson’s horse is 3-1 on the morning line for the $250,000 Breeders Crown Mare Pace at Hoosier Park. Darlinonthebeach won the first of two eliminations this past Friday in 1:49.3, while race favorite Nike Franco N (2-1) won the second elimination in 1:51.2.
- Magee shifts from Breeders Crown winner to judge (Monday, October 23, 2017)
Once a harness driver, always a harness driver. For someone with nearly 12,000 race wins and more than $100 million in earnings, that statement would have to be spot-on, no? Not for Dave Magee, whose highly successful driving career on the Chicagoland circuit has now seen him transition to an associate judge at Indiana’s Hoosier Park, a position enhanced by the fact that Magee had a nearly four-decade career in the bike.
- Caviart Ally looks to rebound in Breeders Crown final (Tuesday, October 24, 2017)
After letting a lead slip away in her elimination, Caviart Ally will try and be a little less zealous and a lot more powerful down the stretch in Friday’s $500,000 Breeders Crown final for 3-year-old female pacers at Hoosier Park.
- JL Cruze, Pasithea Face S scratched from Breeders Crown (Tuesday, October 24, 2017)
JL Cruze, a winner of $364,974 this year, who finished third in his Breeders Crown elimination at Hoosier Park on Saturday (Oct. 21) and drew post position two for the $526,250 Open Trot final, was scratched today with a slight injury.
- Final fields drawn for Friday, Saturday Crown events (Tuesday, October 24, 2017)
Post positions for the final four Breeders Crown races were drawn Monday night (Oct. 23) along with induction ceremonies for the Indiana Horse Racing Hall of Fame at Hoosier Park. Hannlelore Hanover drew post 4 in the Open Trot final.
- Indiana connections looking to cement local legacy in 2017 Breeders Crown (Wednesday, October 25, 2017)
When the Breeders Crown kicks off Friday night (Oct. 27) at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino, Indiana’s breeding program will be represented by 10 entries in the 12 championship races. Two of those Indiana-sired starters hail from a partnership that was formed just last winter when trainer Jamie Macomber was connected with Z Tam Stables through Hoosier horseman Wilbur Eash. Now, the connections of sophomore pacers Beckhams Z Tam and Carol’s Z Tam are hoping dreams can come true this weekend.
- Breeders Crown finals in Grand Circuit spotlight (Wednesday, October 25, 2017)
The 12 Breeders Crown championship events at Hoosier Park will be front and center in the Grand Circuit spotlight this week.
- Post Time Special: All Bets Off (Wednesday, October 25, 2017)
With a mark of 1:48.2 set at Rosecroft Raceway at the age of 5, 27 wins from 100 starts and 63 in-the-money finishes and $2,836,082 in lifetime earnings, it’s safe to say that All Bets Off oozes class as a racehorse.
- Manchego aims for historic Breeders Crown victory (Wednesday, October 25, 2017)
Manchego will put her perfect record on the line in Friday’s $600,000 Breeders Crown for 2-year-old female trotters at Hoosier Park and a victory there would be historic. None of the previous 33 winners of the event for 2-year-old female trotters has been undefeated.
- Elimination winners hope to continue success in Crown final (Wednesday, October 25, 2017)
After watching their 3-year-old male trotters win two of the three $25,000 Breeders Crown eliminations last weekend, trainers Frank M. Antonacci and Domenico Cecere will look to continue their success in Saturday’s (Oct. 28) $527,500 final at Hoosier Park. In the first elimination, International Moni posted a victory in 1:52.4, while Lindy The Great won the second elimination in 1:53.
- Rock N Tony providing connections with first Breeders Crown finalist (Thursday, October 26, 2017)
Owner Anthony Lombardi of Illinois finally has his first Breeders Crown finalist in sophomore pacing gelding Rock N Tony. Trained by Erv Miller for Lombardi and partner Rocco Ruffolo, the 3-year-old Rockin Image-Pandemonious gelding is peaking at the right time for a shot at Breeders Crown glory.
- Wrenn makes return to Breeders Crown (Thursday, October 26, 2017)
This weekend, Peter Wrenn returns to the Breeders Crown finals for the first time in 21 years. He hopes to create a few more memories in the event, which is Friday and Saturday nights at Wrenn’s home track, Hoosier Park Racing & Casino.
- Hannelore Hanover seeks large payday in Crown Open Trot (Thursday, October 26, 2017)
There could be numerous theories and reasons as to why Ron Burke is racing trotting mare Hannelore Hanover against the boys in Saturday’s (Oct. 28) $526,250 Breeders Crown Open Trot final at Hoosier Park. But the answer is simple and logical. The trainer pointed out that one reason overrides all the rest. Sounding like the Jerry Maguire of harness racing, Burke is thinking in terms of “Show me the money” when he notes the Open Trot purse is twice the size of the Mare Trot, which Hannelore Hanover won last year.
- Shnitzledosomethin is out to stamp himself as a superstar in Breeders Crown (Thursday, October 26, 2017)
He is no stranger to the sport’s marquee event, as owner Howard Taylor has collected four Breeders Crown trophies, but this year’s edition on Friday (Oct. 27) and Saturday (Oct. 28) at Hoosier Park could be scintillating for the Philadelphia resident. Shnitzledosomethin, one of five entries Taylor is involved with in this year’s edition, possesses the opportunity to not only redeem his sire’s second place finish in the 2010 Crown sophomore male pace, but to place himself firmly on center stage as a truly special horse.
- It’s “Obvious” Mark Steacy means business in Breeders Crown (Thursday, October 26, 2017)
Trainer Mark Steacy has only one starter in the 2017 Breeders Crown, but his history in these championship races makes Obvious Blue Chip an obvious horse to watch Friday night at Hoosier Park.
- Less is more for Fourth Dimension (Friday, October 27, 2017)
For Fourth Dimension, it was the classic case of addition by subtraction. Despite racing well enough in the preliminary legs to qualify for the New York Sire Stakes final at Yonkers, the freshman trotting colt was held out by trainer Marcus Melander. He felt Fourth Dimension had nothing left to prove in the Empire State and wanted to save him for the Breeders Crown. Removing the NYSS from the equation has paid off so far, as Fourth Dimension was a winner in last Saturday’s Breeders Crown 2-year-old colt and gelding elimination races at Hoosier Park. He enters Saturday’s final as the 5-2 favorite starting from the No. 4 post position.
- Luc Blais loaded for Breeders Crown trotting events (Friday, October 27, 2017)
Trainer Luc Blais is feeling good about the horses he has in this year’s $6 million Breeders Crown at Hoosier Park in Anderson, Ind., but there’s also a feeling of melancholy because he’ll be competing without his greatest horse, Intimidate. The 8-year-old gelding was retired earlier this year.