Saturday Breeders Crown elims drawn at Big M

Wednesday, October 16, 2024

Harness racing’s No. 1-ranked horse, Twin B Joe Fresh, will start her pursuit of a Breeders Crown from post 10 when she competes in Saturday’s (Oct. 19) lone Mare Pace elimination at the Meadowlands. First-race post time Saturday is 6:20 p.m. (EDT).

Twin B Joe Fresh will be among the 98 horses ages 3 and up competing in elims Saturday. In addition to the single Mare Pace elimination, the Meadowlands will host two $25,000 elims each for 3-year-old male and female pacers, 3-year-old male and female trotters, and older male pacers. The Open Trot and Mare Trot went straight to finals.

All finals for horses ages 3 and up will be Oct. 26 at The Meadowlands, one night after the 2-year-olds take center stage. Elimination winners, in an order determined by lot, will draw for post positions one through six in their respective finals. All other finalists will be placed in an open draw for the remaining post positions.

The top eight finishers in the Breeders Crown Mare Pace elimination will join bye recipients Silver Label and Strong Poison in the final. In Saturday’s remaining elims, the top five finishers from each will advance to their respective finals.

Twin B Joe Fresh has won nine consecutive starts for trainer Chris Ryder since beginning her season with a second-place finish against male rivals in a conditioned race. Her victories include the Dayton Distaff Derby, Roses Are Red Stakes, Milton Stakes, Lady Liberty, Dorothy Haughton Memorial, and Perfect Sting Stakes. She has spent 14 consecutive weeks at No. 1 in the Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll.

Among the remaining mares in the elim is two-time Breeders Crown champion Sylvia Hanover from the stable of Mark and Shawn Steacy. She will leave from post four.

The eliminations for 3-year-old male pacers feature Little Brown Jug, Adios and Max C. Hempt Memorial winner Captain Albano, trained by Noel Daley and ranked No. 4 in the Top 10 poll, and North America Cup and Ontario Sires Stakes champion Nijinsky, trained by Anthony Beaton and ranked No. 6. The group also includes returning Breeders Crown champ Gem Quality, another Ryder trainee.

Captain Albano is in the first elimination; Nijinsky and Gem Quality are in the second.

Hambletonian champion Karl, also a returning Breeders Crown winner, leads a group of 17 horses in the elims for 3-year-old male trotters. The Nancy Takter trainee is ranked No. 5 in the Top 10.

Among other hopefuls are Daley-trained Kentucky Futurity and Earl Beal Jr. Memorial winner Sig Sauer, Åke Svanstedt-trained Canadian Trotting Classic winner Amazing Catch, and Mark Etsell-trained Goodtimes winner Highland Kismet. Sig Sauer is ranked No. 8 in the Top 10.

Karl and Highland Kismet are in the second elimination; Sig Sauer and Amazing Catch are in the first.

Returning Breeders Crown winner and Hambletonian Oaks champ Warrawee Michelle, trained by Svanstedt, is among the 20 horses in the elims for 3-year-old female trotters. The group features 12 Grand Circuit winners, including Svanstedt-trained Elegantimage winner French Champagne, John Butenschoen-trained Kentucky Filly Futurity champ R Melina, and Lucas Wallin-trained 2023 Dan Patch Award recipient Soiree Hanover.

Warrawee Michelle, Soiree Hanover and R Melina meet in the second elim. French Champagne is in the first.

Eighteen fillies were entered in the event for 3-year-old female pacers, including returning Breeders Crown winner My Girl EJ, trained by Ron Burke. The group also includes fellow multiple Grand Circuit winners Caviart Belle, trained by Takter; Its A Love Thing, trained by Dave Menary; and Rocket Deo, trained by Brett Pelling. Its A Love Thing’s victories include the Fan Hanover Stakes.

My Girl EJ is in the first elimination. Caviart Belle, Its A Love Thing and Rocket Deo meet in the second.

Returning Breeders Crown champ Bythemissal, another Burke trainee, is among 17 horses in the Open Pace. The group also includes Andrew Harris-trained multiple Grand Circuit winner Abuckabett Hanover, Linda Toscano-trained Canadian Pacing Derby winner It’s My Show, and Larry Stalbaum-trained Sam McKee Memorial winner Rocknroll Runa A.

Bythemissal and It’s My Show are in the first elim; Abuckabett Hanover and Rocknroll Runa A are in the second.

All 3-year-old finals plus the Open Pace and Open Trot finals will go for $600,000. The Mare Trot final will have a purse of $496,000 because of two supplements, and the Mare Pace final will go for $400,000.

For Saturday’s complete entries, click the following link: Saturday Entries – Meadowlands.