Hightstown, NJ – The fastest male and female 2-year-old trotters of the season, not to mention among the quickest of all time in their respective divisions – colt Mr Big Spender and filly Southwind Chaska – will look to continue their winning ways Friday when they compete in Breeders Crown eliminations at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Mr Big Spender heads to his elim, the first of two $25,000 (USD) divisions for the freshman boys, off a 1:51.2 victory in a division of the Bluegrass Stakes on Sept. 25 at The Red Mile. That time is the fastest of the season for a 2-year-old trotter and tied for the second-fastest ever by a 2-year-old male trotter.
Southwind Chaska, who brings a three-race win streak to her elimination, the first of two $25,000 splits for the freshman fillies, captured a division of the Bluegrass in 1:51.4. That clocking is tied for the fifth fastest by a rookie trotting filly in history.
All of the Breeders Crown eliminations for 2-year-olds will be held Friday at Woodbine Mohawk Park, with the elims for horses ages 3 and up taking place Saturday. Racing begins at 6:35 p.m. (EDT) both nights.
Fourteen 2-year-old male trotters were entered in the Breeders Crown, and 13 will compete in the eliminations. The top four finishers from each elim plus the fifth-place finisher with the highest earnings as calculated by Standardbred Canada will advance to join Apex in the $700,000 final on Oct. 24 at Mohawk. Apex, as the winner of the Peter Haughton Memorial (Grade 1), went directly to the final.
Mr Big Spender is the 9-5 morning-line favorite in his elimination. Mike Wilder will drive the son of Captain Corey-Reilly K for trainer Norm Parker and owners Bart and Todd Brice. The colt has hit the board in eight of 10 races, winning six and earning $191,633. His only finishes outside the top three came when he went off stride, including in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes final on Sept. 5. But he rebounded a week later with a third-place effort in the Peter Haughton Memorial before uncorking his near-record mile in the Bluegrass.
“Every race, even when he made the breaks, I didn’t get down on the horse because he’d always answered for us,” Parker said. “He raced really well in the Haughton. Mike was careful because he’d made the break the week before, but in the end we knew he was gaining on them at the wire, so we felt really good. We drew bad in the Bluegrass (post eight), but he went an awesome race.”
In the Bluegrass, Mr Big Spender was a parked-out third in a :26.3 opening quarter, got the lead on the way to a :54.4 half, ended up in the pocket going to three-quarters in 1:23.3, and then battled between rivals in the stretch to get up for a nose triumph over Nix Nacken.
“It reaffirmed to me that he really is the horse I think he is because he fought so hard in the stretch,” Parker said. “So, that was impressive. We won in 1:51.2, but there were four horses right across the track with us. It was like any one of those horses could have won the race, and we happened to be the one that got our nose in front.
“I’m proud of him and it leads us to this week. The speed is there. The time only shows you can do it, but it doesn’t make you any different than a lot of the other horses. They’re all there. Each week is a new week. But he’s a pretty special horse to be able to do it, that’s what it comes down to. And I’m even more proud of his consistency. Six wins is a lot of wins and there weren’t any easy races. He’s answered when we’ve asked him, and I’m hopeful for another similar-type race (Friday).”
Mr Big Spender was a $57,000 purchase at the 2024 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale.
“The Brices have horses out of this whole family, so that’s why we bought him,” Parker said. “From the time we broke him, he was always a levelheaded, easy horse to be around, and that was a pleasure.”
Parker will be making his first trip to a Breeders Crown since 2018, and everyone involved with Mr Big Spender is looking forward to the experience.
“I’m anxious and excited,” Parker said. “I’ve been able to race in some of these races at times, but maybe never had the feeling that I have now where you have a horse you feel like has a good chance. You’re going up there with the idea that it’s not hopefully to pick up pieces, you’re hopefully going up there to do some good.
“That’s where you want to be. That’s what you buy them for. I know the Brice brothers are really excited. Everybody in the barn is excited. We’re all happy. It’s fun. That’s what we work for. We’re going to give it our best shot.”
SOUTHWIND CHASKA IMPRESSES TRAINER OSCARSSON
Twenty 2-year-old trotting fillies were entered in the Breeders Crown, and 19 will compete in the eliminations, with the top four finishers from each elim plus the fifth-place finisher with the highest earnings as calculated by Standardbred Canada advancing to join Atlantic Summer in the final. Atlantic Summer, as the winner of the Jim Doherty Memorial (G1), went directly to the final.
Southwind Chaska is the 2-1 second choice in her elimination. She will leave from post three with Tim Tetrick driving for trainer Jim Oscarsson, whose Oscarsson Racing Stable co-owns the filly with John Cummins. The daughter of Tactical Landing-Southwind Chai has hit the board in all eight of her races this season, with six victories, and banked $237,625.
“She’s done a good job this year,” Oscarsson said. “When I started to train her in Florida, she was nice. She never did anything wrong; she just followed everybody and did her work. It’s the same now when she trains, she just does whatever we ask. But she’s a different horse when she races. She’s a little lazy when I train her, but when she comes up behind the gate, she’s a real racehorse.”
Southwind Chaska is a head from being undefeated in her past five starts dating back to Aug. 29. After a second-place finish in the New Jersey Classic for 2-year-old trotting fillies on Sept. 5 at The Meadowlands, she won a division of the Kindergarten Classic Series at The Big M followed by two triumphs at The Red Mile. She captured her Bluegrass start in 1:51.4 and a week later scored in 1:52.1 in a division of the International Stallion Stakes.
“Both races (at The Red Mile) were very good,” Oscarsson said. “I was impressed. I didn’t know if she would go so fast two weeks in a row. But she did it, and afterwards, she was great. She’s a strong horse.”
Southwind Chaska was purchased for $15,000 at the 2024 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale.
“I like Tactical Landing, and she had Chapter Seven (as the sire of) the dam,” Oscarsson said. “She was not so big, but she looked strong. Everything looked good with her, in my opinion. I liked her from the first time I saw her.”
Oscarsson drove Southwind Chaska in her only qualifier, in June, and then handed the lines to Tetrick for her races.
“Tim liked her directly,” Oscarsson said. “I’m happy. He’s handled her very good and taken care of her, nice trips and everything. “I think she has a good mentality. She knows what to do and she likes to race. Tim can do whatever he wants with her. If you go behind a helmet, she can go very fast when she comes out; she likes that. But she is a complete horse, she can go anywhere.”