With aptness of the season

The 30^th-anniversary of the Breeders Crown approached with nostalgia and pride. There were many names to drop in the history of a series that many of us have espoused for three decades. Still, what went through my mind was how much of the 30^th season appeared irrecoverable by fans and journalists.

So much had changed for so many horses and horsemen by November as the season stretched the limits of perceived time. By the Breeders Crown finals at the Meadowlands, it became evident that many insiders and fans had forgotten the characters that set this season afire at one time or another. Who knew at the beginning of January that such high-profiled people and equines were only to sparkle temporarily?

For instance, by November it was forgotten that Ake Svanstedt rose to superstardom and stayed in the limelight into deep summer. His transatlantic trotter Sebastian K became the fastest trotter of all time. Ake raced Centurion Atm to become the winter-book favorite for the 2015 Hambletonian. Your So Vain, another Ake star, came on the scene and won the initial Hambletonian Maturity.

Sebastian K didn’t supplement to the “Crown” because he couldn’t keep up the monstrous miles. Your So Vain went to the Crown but finished last in the Open Trot final. Centurion Atm didn’t make the frosh-colt-trot final and lost his status as winter-book favorite.

There were other trials that ended badly. In fact, there was one that began and ended badly—it’s the story of He’s Watching. The anticipated launch of his sophomore season disappointed all the forecasters of his glowing season when his first race on his home turf at Yonkers was a debacle. Then he showed promise and then he peaked with a Meadowlands Pace win that his supporters would not believe occurred because so much went wrong for the rest of the better colts in that field.

One of those was Always B Miki, who went on to win and earn respect but the the praise for Hes Watching ensued. Then, Hes Watching began watching all others leave him in the dust, losing and looking terrible losing. He rested and then faced a Crown elim. But by then, Always B Miki ruled and Hes Watching looked at the end of his season, unable to make the Crown final.

By Crown time, Always B Miki was being touted as the division winner and supplemented to the series. His Crown elim victory was a mere complement to already having beaten the best. Then, suffering a pastern fracture, he was scratched from the final. Earlier that day, Limelight Beach, who awoke to win the Little Brown Jug and also won his Crown elim, also bowed out.

As well, Colors A Virgin, who emerged from the Midwest to win the Jugette and came to the Crown supplemented, was looking to win the soph-filly pacer title but she couldn’t overcome a natty trip in the Crown final. It may turn up to be a blemish on her fine record.

What about Shake It Cerry? Sure, she was the Crown favorite but after she blew the Hambletonian Oaks, people stampeded to support Lifetime Dream, who defeated her in the “Oaks.” This abandonment was absurd. By Crown time, Shake It Cerry was finally getting the respect she never should have lost.

This leaves us with the most outrageous disregard of the season—turning away from Father Patrick. The sudden splurge of support for Nuncio is still a mystery. There should never have been such a turnaround, one that made the press shout “redemption” when Father Patrick won the Crown final. Father Patrick had nothing to redeem—he was always tons better than Nuncio before and after Takter got hold of him.

The public, however, forgot the rest of this season. It awarded Nuncio greatness, when two of the four races he won from Father Patrick were circumstantial because Father Patrick galloped instead of trotting. Let’s mention, too, who we have forgotten here—Trixton. He won the Hambletonian over Nuncio and as good as he got he never defeated Father Patrick.

All of that and plenty more contributes to the contents of harness racing’s 2014, a season that clouded the perspectives of many bettors and journalists. In Shakespeare’s “Cymbeline,” the queen suggests we have “aptness of the season,” a disposition that behaves with appropriateness. In 2014, too many bettors and journalists were apt to act through bias and betrayal, which is just plain dumb.

(photo by Ray Cotolo)
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Thank you for following the major Breeders Crown hopefuls on their road to the November Breeders Crown at the Meadowlands by visiting the Breeders Crown Countdown blog and the TwinSpires harness blog weekly. Archived reports can be found at the Hambletonian Society web site.

Takter's top duo rule futurities

For the first time, the historic Kentucky Futurity will make more history, as the soph-colt trot will be held in a single mile--a first for the event.

Only nine colt trotters have been entered for the $435,000 event on Sunday, Oct. 5, at The Red Mile.

The Filly Futurity will also be on the program.

The main event for the glamour-boy trotters leaves little room for handicapping or betting, as Father Patrick takes on the other eight:

Dasyuk, Dee Dee's Hitman, Hillustrious, Il Sogno Dream, Lightning Force, Martiniwithmuscle, Mr Lindy and Nuncio.

Barring another strange Hambletonian-like incident--the odds of that are long--Father Patrick has no worries about beating this group, even Dasyuk, who beat him by a hair once this year.

The fillies may not offer more action, either.

Their futurity, also a single mile, features:

Chivaree Hanover, Heaven's Door, Highest Peak, Scream And Shout, Shake It Cerry, Vanity Matters and Yoga.

Yoga is a late-developing gal that shares the Jimmy Takter tag with Shake It Cerry.

Heaven's Door has been competitive with "Cerry" and others in the division.

Mr Lindy will go a good mile against Cerry but she is hard to back as an upset.

Scream And Shout has awoken a bit and may be second best here if she puts her all into it.

So we are left, again, with the two Takter giants, Father Patrick and Shake It Cerry. Post position won't matter and neither will drivers (Cerry's driver Ron Pierce is always saying after she wins that he just goes along for the ride).

The futurities may break speed records for either of the top two but the stakes won't make history for public opinion: the top two are the tops.

Grand Circuit events highlight youngest divisions

Friday, Aug. 29, and Saturday, Aug. 30, Mohawk offers the lucrative Grand Circuit Champlain stakes for freshmen and the Simcoe stakes for sophomores, including many “Crown” eligibles looking to increase their bankrolls, as well as we are looking for races to wager and increase our betting bankrolls. We will always lean on “Crown” eligibles in these fields. (e)after horse’s name represents eligibles

Let’s look at Friday’s offerings:

The beloved Designed To Be (e) meets five others in the $103.845 Simcoe for soph-filly trotters and will be a prohibitive choice. There is good cause to back Scream And Shout (e), another Jimmy Takter gal who is on the improve.

The $124,621 Champlain for frosh-colt trotters is next. The frosh nominees are aplenty in general and this field has seven of 10. Trainer Jonas Czernyson has been sending green ones out with success and here he has the Muscle Hill colt Aldebaran Eagle (e), who should get overlooked as Habitat (e) will take in way too much dough.

Another Champlain for the frosh-trot colts with the same purse goes next. French Laundry has been good for Takter but he is not a nominee. Wheels Ah Smokin (e) comes from the Chuck Sylvester barn. The Muscles Yankee kid is looking like Chuck is aiming big with him and he should be a weak (good to bet) second choice.

Friday’s stakes stop with the soph-filly trot Simcoe for $105,344. The money will pour in for Lifetime Pursuit (e) but we have our eye on Demanding Sam (e) who could topple the tote board with a good trip, especially if Takter’s other filly, Donatella Hanover (e) goes for her stable mate’s throat.

Saturday’s Metro Pace program (see TwinSpires blog), starts with a $207,689 Simcoe for soph-filly pacers. Last year’s frosh champ Uffizi Hanover (e) has been trying to pump up her soph credits and Precocious Beauty (e) has found some life in her stride recently but all in all this is a tightly knit bunch. An outside contender, Nat A Virgin (e), an Indiana-bred by speedy Always A Virgin, seems to have enough talent to take on this group, being too good any more for the Indy crowd.

The $218,076 Simcoe for glamour-boy trotters marks the return of Trixton (e). The Hambletonian winner that took full advantage of Father Patrick’s galloping display, will be a dead-on choice here but he could be ready for a smack in the ego if Il Sogno Dream continues to grow stronger. This is a good time to test Trixton with a colt outside of the Takter universe; this mile could result in some nifty profits.

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Follow major BC hopefuls on their road to the November Breeders Crown at The Meadowlands with the Breeders Crown Countdown blog and the TwinSpires harness blog weekly, with archived reports on the results at the HambletonianSociety web site.

Quantum of mediocrity

The 2013 Breeders Crown finals hosted a herd of horses that were arguably more talented than many casts of equine characters in the past decade, maybe longer. As well, the grand total of talent was headed by a quartet of horses that rose above the remarkable cache of competitors.

The Four Horses of the Apocalypse, so to speak, are Captaintreacherous, I Luv The Nitelife, Father Patrick and Bee A Magician. They ruled over exceptional fields in their divisions, putting them on a near-legendary plane. Indeed, if horses, like people, can be measured by the company they keep, these four particular heroes and heroines are superlative examples of the breed, no less their individual divisions.

All you need to do is spotlight the great horses that lost and not just in the four divisions represented by the “Four Horses.” Peruse your program again and imprint the names of these steeds into your brain for future support at the windows, as well as for what they may contribute to the bloodline.

Hail the fallen, too. In the two-thirds of divisions free of fighting the Four Horses, commemorate the many off-the-board finishers that came to the Pocono Mountains to fight and fought, though the mile journey was not paved with gold for them. I hasten to drop names here, for to isolate one or two would insult the others.

Suffice it to say that Uffizi Hanover won the frosh-filly pace against eight fillies that were neither green nor weak. It was the same with Shake It Cerry; she toppled eight frosh trotters that each may have beaten any number of others the division offered this season.

Market Share’s Open Trot win excelled, also, in face of his competition. Luck Be Withyou’s win was lifted by the talents of eight others, as were the miles of Maven (mare trot), Shelliscape (mare pace), Spider Blue Chip (soph-colt trot) and Foiled Again (Open pace).

This was not a ruck of horses, this was a preternatural, communal caldron of horses in top condition, undaunted in their efforts even as Mother Nature placed physically severe conditions their hoofs. Not a one of them suffered the ignominy of being forgotten; each will most assuredly be heard from again in their next campaign level. 

 

So, to all of the equine participants and their human connections, we loudly applaud from the grandstands and the apron’s tack.

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Thank you for follow the Breeders Crown Countdown blog and the TwinSpires harness blog; archived reports on the season’s results appear at the Hambletonian Society web site and we thank the society for its appreciation of harness bettors everywhere. We hope to provide you another season of champions when the Breeders Crown returns, this time to the New Meadowlands, in 2014.

 

Stalwart seniors tough it out in four finals

This Saturday at Pocono Downs the Breeders Crown the older sets co-star in the dozen finals for the 2013 championship program. The main TwinSpires harness blog brings you here for the analysis of this quartet. Here are the fields, along with comments for each horse, followed by our two suggested top contenders not necessarily in order of preference.

$250,000 Mares Open Trot
Post - Horse
1 – Maven – She is the obvious public choice and has done best in her division all year.
2 - Check Me Out – Last season Maven could not keep up with this gorgeous gal. This season things have reversed, except her elim was a sign of maturity she hasn’t shown while trying to make her four-year-old season a success.
3 - Bax Of Life – She just cannot beat these under the usual circumstances and probably won’t tonight, either.
4 – Unefoisdanmavie – Her elim was super. She was second over, made up plenty of ground and closed to beat two inside of her.
5 – Dorsay – Her breaking issues were gone in the elim but she was short and that is disturbing.
6 - Real Babe – A suck-a-long type that should not cause much trouble.
7 - Beatgoeson Hanover – This one needs a trip and a speed duel in front, neither likely to accommodate her here.
8 - Cedar Dove – Few scenarios offer evidence she will win.
9 - Cowgirl Hall – She had promise but her elim was flat.
AE1 - Win Missy B – She showed a ton of speed coming back from a layoff, needed that race and could be considered but she most likely will not get into the race.
AE2 - Mystical Starlight – It would be luck to get into the race and she would need a lot more to win it.

Check Me Out; Unefoisdansmavie; Maven

$500,000 Open Pace
Post - Horse
1 - Clear Vision – He has gotten better as the season waned but won’t be the best in time to win this.
2 - Foiled Again – He won the elim strongly but his in-and-out form this season makes him vulnerable.
3 - Golden Receiver – He never regained the power he had at the beginning of the season and did not impress us in his elim but he has a history of surprising wake-up miles.
4 - Modern Legend – This guy could be peaking at the right time. He raced a tougher trip than the winner last week, passing three while closing to be best of the rest.
5 - Pet Rock – He is always in it and with the week off (from his bye) he could be the strongest when the smoke has cleared.
6 - Warrawee Needy – At best he was a contender all year and never a strong threat. One great race does not a season make, so to speak.
7 - Michaels Power – Why is he even in this race? He was never a first-notch contender.
8 - Bolt The Duer – He will strike when opportunity knocks and some other horse does all the work through the mile. That scenario will not present itself here.
9 - Sweet Lou – He fights and can win either way but it looks like he will be in traffic and that won’t do his talent any justice.
AE1 - Bettors Edge – There is little chance he will be in it and then he will have to rely on a speed duel to close.
AE2 - A Rocknroll Dance – What the hell happened to him last week? He may have emptied his tank of comeback fuel that got him back into the divisional picture late.

Modern Legend; Pet Rock; Golden Receiver

$300,000 Open Mares Pace
Post - Horse
1 – Rocklamation – We have been with her for all of her high-paying wins but we don’t feel this will be one of them.
2 – Anndrovette – She won off of a great trip and was one of the rare horses to close on the inside she but may not get such a journey this week.
3 - Economy Terror – She has been dull all season and was no bargain in the elim.
4 - Swinging Beauty – We liked her in the elim but she couldn’t get going in a great spot behind a duel so she seems no threat.
5 - Monkey On My Wheel – She was just nabbed by Anndrovette and deserves the call to be a few steps better than the others now. She was improving every week since coming back into action and may be looking at a strong winter campaign.
6 - Feeling You – She may be involved because she is good and you can toss out her elim but we don’t think she will win it.
7 – Shelliscape – There was never any real threat from her in this division.
8 – Camille – Her season appears over already, she makes no noise when the going is silent.
9 - Drop The Ball – She will get some action but may have to work too hard for her own good from this post.
AE1 - Krispy Apple – There is no worry she will upset if she gets in it.
AE2 - Ooh Bad Shark – This one has no bite, if you will excuse the pun.

Monkey On My Wheel; Rocklamation; Anndrovette

$600,000 Open Trot
Post - Horse
1 - Market Share – It looked early like the 2012 Hambo winner was going to dominate but it was a rash forecast. We don’t feel he is seasoned enough yet.
2 - Wishing Stone – This guy is always a threat and has beaten them all more than once.
3 - My MVP – There seems no argument that he would perform his best here and topple the likes of this group.
4 – Guccio – Perhaps next year he will be a dynamo but that scourge will probably not begin in this race.
5 – Intimidate – He appears ready to try another late-season stroll in the limelight but we think he is over his head.
6 - Mister Herbie – Can we ever toss out this monstrous guy who, though inconsistent as a winner, always finds a way to be in it.
7 - Arch Madness – The Red Mile rumbled from his performances and he has his favorite driver-trainer at the throttle. We expect a very big mile.
8 - Uncle Peter – The strength at the end of the mile will be with him and the 7 horse because they are simply in the best shape of the lot coming into this event.
9 – Sevruga – He may not care to be wide for two turns and once he puts in gear that is what he may have to tolerate to win.

Arch Madness; Uncle Peter; Mister Herbie

The Breeders Crown Countdown blog and the TwinSpires harness blog have presented this exclusive look at great betting races that included eligibles weekly. The archived reports on the results at the Hambletonian Society web site.

 

Young guns launch elim weekend at Pocono

This Friday, Oct. 11, at Pocono Downs the Breeders Crown elims for frosh filly trotters and frosh filly pacers each have a pair of divisions presented, as well as a single mile for the frosh colt trotters. In the multi-divisions the top four finishers return for the Oct. 19 finals, while the single heat offers the top seven a shot at the two byes.

The colt trotters will battle to meet Credit Fashion and Don Dorado in the final and Father Patrick, undeniable division leader, leads them. He makes his start from post 9 and may have only one serious contender in the returning-to-action Nuncio, who has chased him in major affairs over the summer. These two could explain the exacta, with a topple of “Patrick” if Nuncio has gotten a bit sharper and gets a step or two advantage here.

Next is a shot at another outsider, Demanding Sam. She is in from Canada and a Champlain winner there, coming from this circuit where she raced well against similar. She won’t win off the top but she will be close enough to shimmy up the open stretch if they get winded from fast early fractions, which looks the case.

The first filly pacer elim features a gal that may be headed for sophomore stardom. Ali Blue is a game youngster, making mature moves with an ability to quickly fix a mistake. She may be a good price here, getting post 7 and being on the outside of some others that will attract a few bucks.

The last of the filly double elim package should be an easy spin for Precocious Beauty. She gets the inside and has no reason not to win her eighth of nine starts. She has not been beaten since August.

There are no eliminations necessary for the $500,soph-filly pace or the  $600,000 Open Trot.

I Luv The Nitelife, the undisputed soph- filly pacing leader, will start from post 7 in her division’s final; Somwherovrarainbow leaves from post eight. Shebestingin, who on paced the fastest mile in history by a female pacer when she won a division of the Glen Garnsey Memorial in 1:47 at The Red Mile, drew post 5. 

 

The frosh filly trotters start off with a division that may spark a few opinions on which gal is best. We like the chances of Goddess, who won a Kindergarten Stakes easily from the outside three back and lost her next two with a few excuses. She will be the outside contender and worth the price we expect.

 

Follow the Breeders Crown at Pocono Downs here at the Breeders Crown Countdown blog and the TwinSpires harness blog weekly, with archived reports on the results at the Hambletonian Society web site.