by Rich Fisher, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent
Trenton, NJ — Trond Smedshammer is going against his philosophy not once, but twice this week.
So far, it seems to be working out.
Smedshammer has qualified two Purple Haze Stables horses for the $600,000 Breeders Crown for 2-year-old filly trotters, as Chezatter and Hillarmbro will both compete in this Saturday’s final at the Meadowlands.
“We usually don’t race 2-year-olds at this time of year, but this filly has been good all year,” Smedshammer said of Chezatter. “Hillarmbro is just good. She’s not as experienced as Chezatter, but she’s good. The breed has changed a little bit the last few years; they get to their speed so quickly.”
Chezatter, a filly by Explosive Matter out of the Malabar Man mare Chez Lucie, has hit the board in nine of 10 starts, with four firsts and four seconds. She has won $175,062 and has had David Miller in the sulky for eight of her last nine races. Smedshammer has driven her other races.
“This filly is very talented, so I didn’t see a reason not to give her a chance,” Smedshammer said.
In the Oct. 21 Breeders Crown elimination. Chezatter sprinted from the pocket down the stretch to overtake Ariana G for first place in a career best 1:53.4. Smedshammer was not surprised at her late burst.
“Not with that kind of trip,” he said. “I thought if their positions were reversed in the Doherty, she might have gone by then (in a second-place finish). She just loves to chase down horses. She’s been good all year.”
Hillarmbro, a Muscle Hill filly out of the Dream Vacation mare Armbro Emma, has not been good all year, but has certainly come on strong after the first month. Her first two races produced one fourth, but she won her next three, took second in Bluegrass and International Stallion Stakes divisions at Lexington, and was third in her Breeders Crown elimination. The filly has earned $50,187.
“She just needs to learn a little bit,” said Smedshammer, who has been Hillarmbro’s only driver.” She’s gotten a little bit too aggressive. She wants to beat horses, but she wants to beat them right away. She’s got to learn to cool down a little bit.”
Smedshammer said he was happy with her in the elimination, despite the face she did not steer completely straight in the stretch.
“I had to keep checking her a little bit and it was tough for me to go by,” he said. “But she had a lot of trot and she’ll be good (in the final).”
Thats All Moni was the other elimination winner, even lthough driver Tim Tetrick didn’t feel the race worked out the way he thought.
“But that’s horse racing,” Tetrick said. “She’s got enough talent to go with anybody. She just has to get the right trip. I think she’s going to get better every start.”
Trained by Jimmy Takter, Thats All Moni is a daughter of Cantab Hall out of the Pine Chip mare Mom’s Millionaire. She has hit the board in each of her 10 career starts with five wins and earnings of $220,773. She lowered her mark to 1:54.1 with the Breeders Crown elimination victory.
Another driver who didn’t get the elimination race he was expecting was Charlie Norris, who managed to get a game Treviso into the final when she finished second to Thats All Moni.
“I had to use her pretty hard in the second quarter to get to the lead, but she hung in there,” said Norris, also the horse’s trainer. “It wasn’t much of a last quarter, but being off a couple weeks, she fought back at the wire. She raced really well, I thought.”
By Muscle Massive out of the Taurus Dream mare Valbonela, Treviso has won five of 10 starts with two seconds and a third for $149,569. She won divisions of the Bluegrass and International Stallion Stakes before taking second in her Breeders Crown elimination.
“She was very good in Lexington,” Norris said. “She’s minding her manners now and she seems pretty good. I re-rigged her a little bit and she seems to be fine. She’s driving two fingers in the race. I couldn’t ask for anything more, she’s absolutely perfect to drive.”
In looking at the final, Norris is cautiously optimistic.
“Both of Trond’s fillies are tough, they’re on top of their games,” he said. “Jimmy (Takter) has got a couple nice fillies (Thats All Moni and Ariana G). It’s tough. It’s going to depend on the draw and the first three-eighths of a mile.
“I feel really good going into the final. She trained good the last few weeks and hopefully we can get one more good week out of her.”
For Friday’s complete Meadowlands/Breeders Crown card, click here.
For Saturday’s complete Meadowlands/Breeders Crown card, click here.
For more information go to www.Hambletonian.com or www.playmeadowlands.com. Follow Breeders Crown news and updates on Twitter @Breeders_Crown, using #BCrown16 and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BreedersCrown. Fans can also go to http://harnessracingfanzone.com/, the Place for Harness Racing Fans to See, Share, Connect and Play.
- Sisters take aim at ‘Crown-ing’ achievements (Wednesday, October 19, 2016)
Ariana G and All The Time have taken different paths to this weekend’s Breeders Crown eliminations at the Meadowlands Racetrack. Marvin Katz, who with Al Libfeld bred and owns both filly trotters, is simply grateful for the opportunity to see the sisters in action together again. If both fillies win their respective Breeders Crown finals, it would mark the first time in the history of the series that full siblings claim trophies in the same year.
- Chezatter and Thats All Moni take Crown elims (Friday, October 21, 2016)
Yielding to Ariana G for the pocket in the backstretch, Chezatter, a filly by Explosive Matter out of the Malabar Man mare Chez Lucie, sprinted out of the pocket in the stretch, advancing to a 1:53.4 victory in the first of two $20,000 Breeders Crown eliminations for 2-year-old trotting fillies on Friday (Oct. 21) at the Meadowlands
- Changes in routine get Lady Shadow back to the winner’s circle (Monday, October 24, 2016)
After looking like a mere shadow of herself two weeks ago, this lady appears to be back in form entering the $250,000 Breeders Crown Mare Pace final Friday night at the Meadowlands. Lady Shadow, an O’Brien Award winner in Canada at ages 3 and 4, entered the Oct. 9 Allerage Mare Pace in Lexington with eight firsts and a second in her previous nine races before finishing eighth. After some tweaks by trainer Ron Adams, Lady Shadow rebounded last Friday to win her Breeders Crown Mare Pace elimination by 7-3/4 lengths in 1:48.4 over a track rated “good” because of rain.
- Alagna on Tori Hanover and his nine Breeders Crown finalists (Tuesday, October 25, 2016)
Tori Hanover began her career with a bang, but not in the best sense of the phrase.
- Per Henriksen seeks fourth Breeders Crown title with Muscle Hustle (Tuesday, October 25, 2016)
Trainer Per Henriksen is old enough to know that you’re never too old to take a shot in the Breeders Crown. The 70-year-old native of Norway, who is based out of Norwood, Ontario, is back in this year’s Breeders Crown presented by Mullinax Ford at the Meadowlands in New Jersey on Saturday night (Oct. 29), seven years since he last raced in the championship event.
- Breeders Crown 3-year-old colt pace is ‘most important race’ for Burke (Wednesday, October 26, 2016)
Ron Burke will send high-profile stars Hannelore Hanover and Southwind Frank into Breeders Crown action this weekend, but neither horse will be in the event the trainer considers the most important to his stable. Burke, who has 17 horses spread throughout nine of the dozen Breeders Crown races at the Meadowlands, considers Saturday’s $500,000 final for 3-year-old male pacers integral to a successful weekend. Burke has four horses in the event, led by one of last week’s elimination winners, Check Six.
- Bee A Magician seeks third Breeders Crown title on Friday (Wednesday, October 26, 2016)
Several months ago it might have seemed a long shot to see Bee A Magician in the Breeders Crown, but now that she’s there she is one of the favorites. Bee A Magician, who didn’t race competitively for nearly five months because of a tendon injury, is the 2-1 second choice in Friday’s (Oct. 28) $250,000 Breeders Crown Mare Trot at the Meadowlands. Hannelore Hanover, who has won 15 of 18 races this season, is the 8-5 morning line favorite.
- Father-son team looks to zero in on Breeders Crown with Shamballa (Wednesday, October 26, 2016)
It’s been a great year for Rick and Scott Zeron and what would make it even better is winning a Breeders Crown race, something the father-and-son have yet to do in their illustrious careers.
- Downbythesesaside seeks to cap his stroll on the shore with a Crown (Friday, October 28, 2016)
Nearly any conditioner who bears the responsibility of preparing a world champion for what could be a defining moment in his career normally discusses the merits of his colt. In typical Brian Brown fashion, however, he reveals why Downbytheseaside may not be the horse posing for pictures in the Meadowlands winner’s circle on Saturday (Oct. 29) after his performance in the $600,000 Breeders Crown final for 2-year-old pacing colts and geldings.
- McIntosh and Campbell look for more Breeders Crown magic (Thursday, October 27, 2016)
Forget about holiday protocol, Bob McIntosh is jumping right over Halloween and American Thanksgiving. “It will be a little bit of Christmas if we get the right trip,” said McIntosh, referring to his horse L A Delight in Saturday’s (Oct. 29) $500,000 Breeders Crown for 3-year-old female pacers at the Meadowlands.
- VIP Stable syndication flourishing (Thursday, October 27, 2016)
Pennsylvania Sire Stakes champion Giveitgasandgo is certainly creating his own VIP experience leading up to this weekend’s Breeders Crown. Trained by John Butenschoen, Giveitgasandgo had won seven straight races prior to finishing third in last week’s Breeders Crown eliminations, in which he qualified for the $600,000 2-year-old colt and gelding trot final this Saturday (Oct. 29) at the Meadowlands.
- Breeders Crown win would be sweet “revenge” for Durham (Thursday, October 27, 2016)
It is with a sense of emotion that Jeff Durham is going into the Breeders Crown for the first time following the passing of his father, who was instrumental in his career, earlier this month. His father, Jack, had been in failing health the last 10 years and passed away at the family home in Omemee, a couple hours east of Toronto ON. He was 71.
- “This is what it’s all about” (Friday, October 28, 2016)
Jimmy Takter needs few words to sum up tonight’s Breeders Crown Open Pace at the Meadowlands, which features a continuation of the rivalry between Takter’s Always B Miki and George Teague Jr.’s Wiggle It Jiggleit. “This,” Takter says, “is what it’s all about.”
- Sir John F may turn into Mr. Holland’s opus in Breeders Crown freshman trot (Friday, October 28, 2016)
Veteran trainer Herb Holland is happy to be a member of harness racing’s dream team.