Soph trotters go straight to Crown finals
November 18, 2008,by Moira Fanning, publicity director, The Hambletonian Society
Cranbury, NJ — A crowded entry box forced eliminations in every division but the sophomore colt trotters for the $4.9 million Breeder Crown finals on Sat. Nov. 29, at The Meadowlands Racetrack, East Rutherford, NJ.
Only 10 trotters chose to face the divisional dominator, Deweycheatumnhowe. The Breeders Crown conditions allow for only one trailer in a final, and all 11 entered will advance to the $500,000 final on Nov. 29. An open draw will be held later in the week. Trained and driven by Ray Schnittker, Deweycheatumnhowe is also the defending Crown champion, and a Crown win would put him in elite company. In 24 years of Breeders Crown events, only Mack Lobell (1987) and Malabar Man (1997) won consecutive Crown titles as 2 and 3-year-olds. They both were also Hambletonian winners, as is Deweycheatumnhowe.
The field of trotters in alphabetical order is as follows: Broadway Marquis, Celebrity Secret, Clerk Magistrate, Cloud Casino, Crazed, Deweycheatumnhowe, Holiday Credit, In Focus, John Paul’s Legacy, Make It Happen, and Napoleon.
Information on the other Crown divisions will be forthcoming.
- Somebeachsomewhere goes straight to Breeders Crown Final (Wednesday, November 19, 2008)
Twelve of the top pacing colts in the nation entered the $500,000 Breeders Crown event for their division, forcing a single ten-horse elimination.