As the Breeders Crown hits 25 years of championship finals, the race that many harness racing fans most vividly recall from the series was the 1990 Breeders Crown Final for two-year-old colt pacers at Pompano Park.
The race set up as a classic grudge match pitting divisional heavyweights Artsplace and Die Laughing head-to-head. With John Campbell setting Artsplace on the front, the lead duo showed no mercy to a first-up Richie Silverman and Die Laughing through torrid fractions of :26.2 and :53.2
Die Laughing, as most horses would, started to fade after that hot first half as Artsplace continued to motor uncontested through three-quarters in 1:23 as the pacesetters started to open up some serious daylight on the field. Down the stretch, with Campbell sitting motionless in the bike, Artsplace stunned the racing world with an eight-length win in 1:51.1 - the fastest mile ever by a two-year-old regardless of track size.
More recently, the performance that turned the most heads at the Meadowlands in 2007 was the 12-plus length spanking that Campbell and the phenomenal Snow White handed the freshman trotting fillies.
With eight championship finals set for Saturday, Trot Insider is opening the floor to you and asking for your favourite Breeders Crown moments.
In addition, SC blogger Dean Hoffman is asking who you think will win this Saturday's finals. Post your picks on Dean's blog by clicking here.
Glow Softly's win in the 3
Glow Softly's win in the 3 year old filly pace at Garden State in 1986 plays in my head like it was yesterday. An amazing drive by Ron Waples, starting on an outside post went for the lead and then got shuffled back through the field as the flow quickened. By the top of the stretch, Glow Softly was at the back of the pack. Waples took her to the outside and she started picking them off one by one and was flying at the end to win by a nostril....at 32-1. I didn't have a nickel on the race but it was absolutely thrilling. I just noticed on a Breeders Crown website that Mr. Waples has had the most winners at long odds (4 at over 20-1 I think). What a great driver; one of the best ever.
Favorite Breeders Crown
Favorite Breeders Crown Moments, No. 2
The date was October 30, 1987, at Rosecroft Raceway in Oxon Hill, Maryland, site of the Breeders Crown 2-year-old colt pace featuring heavily favored Camtastic and the Woodrow Wilson winner, Even Odds.
But I was nowhere near there. I lived in an apartment in Freehold, New Jersey, but was more often at my parents' small apartment on West 63rd street in Manhattan, or their country place near Walker Valley, N.Y., about half an hour from Monticello.
The Breeders Crown races were carried on the young ESPN network back then, generally on Fridays. I was in Walker Valley that day, planning to watch the race from Manhattan -- the apartment had cable TV, the country house didn't -- and I departed Walker Valley sometime in the early evening for the hour and a half trip to the city.
But there was traffic, lot's of traffic. Making it all the way to Manhattan in time to see the show was looking very dicey, then it was looking out of the question. I had one possible chance to see the Crown, and even that was a longshot ... I had to find someplace public that had cable TV, in a hurry, then convince someone there to let me watch.
I spied a hotel on Route 17 in Bergen County, I think it may've been a Ramada Inn, and I stopped in and went into the bar.
"Hi. My name is Pete, I'm a sports writer, and I need to see a horse race that's coming on soon on ESPN. Can I watch it here?" I asked the bartender.
"I wish I could help you, but we don't get ESPN here at the bar. Only the TVs in the hotel rooms receive that signal," he said.
So I looked for the hotel manager, and screwed up a headful of nerve to ask him what I asked him: "Hi. My name is Pete, I'm a sports writer, and I need to see a horse race that's coming on soon on ESPN. Can I watch it in one of your rooms?"
He sized me up, and didn't say anything for a minute. Then, apparently figuring any story that crazy might just be true, he took a chance on me. He grabbed a key from the rack of room keys, walked me down a long hall, opened the door, and let me sit on the edge of a bed. He turned on the TV, just as the Crown show was starting, and warned me to clear out as soon as it was over. And then he said one more thing.
"Don't touch anything, and don't use the bathroom."
So I did get to see the race, won by 1-to-5 Camtastic and Bill O'Donnell in 1:56.2 over longshots Nuclear Nightmare and Even Odds.
I tried to find that manager afterwards to thank him, but perhaps his shift had ended and he'd gone home.
So to that nameless hotel manager, wherever he is, I say thanks very much. You did a good thing, and I saw the race I needed to see.
And I didn't use the bathroom.
-30-
Can this really be the 25th
Can this really be the 25th year of the Breeders Crown series? It all started with Workaholic's score in the freshman colt trot at the Red Mile in 1994, so I guess it is.
When did my sideburns get so grey? Where did the hair on top of my head go? I can't find my car. Who took my walker? Oh, it's right over here, next to the Metamucil. (A joke, it's a joke. I'm at least a year away from that!)
For build-up and drama, as well as a great field and a great race, my favorite Breeders Crown event is probably the 1984 3-year-old colt pace at The Meadows, from the very first year of the series. I had the privilege of covering that event, and it was and event, while working for the late, lamented Harness Horse magazine. That Crown, of course, was the race in which Dragon's Lair beat Broadway Express, and, oh yeah, the great Nihilator, who was third.
Dragon's Lair, who'd raced mostly in Pennsylvania to that point, was the "house horse," trained and driven by Pittsburgh native son Jeff Mallet. Dragon, a handsome black or brown horse, was the irresistible force to Nihilator's immovable object, and what sparks when they collided! Pershing Square won one elimination, and Nihilator beat Dragon in the other elim, in a then-world record 1:54.3. Dragon took the dramatic final before a big crowd, a loud, packed house that The Meadows rarely saw except for Adios afternoons.
Time for the mile was a brand new WR, 1:54.1. (Note to the young 'uns: that was pretty rapid in those days.)
Who can forget Jeff sarcastically "thanking" Lou Guida from the winner's circle, over the PA system, for bringing Nihilator to The Meadows (so Jeff could beat him). Jeff might've gotten carried away, just a little bit, by the moment.
There are photos around, and even a poster (I think), of the Crown party thrown after the races later that night, perhaps at the nearby Hilton which apparently isn't even a Hilton anymore. Jeff danced the night away, we all did. It was probably the racing highlight of Jeff's career.
Majestic Son beating
Majestic Son beating Glidemaster - wow.
My favorite was Valley
My favorite was Valley Victory at Pompano. My least favorite was Dragons Lair.
In reply to My favorite was Valley by billodonnell (not verified)
Bill, perhaps you can pull
Bill, perhaps you can pull off the upset on Saturday like Dragon Lair did to Nihilator. Thanks for the comment and best of luck to you with Feels Like Magic.
JP
There have been so many
There have been so many but.........how about Dragons Lair's upset victory over Nihilator in 1984 at The Meadows. a truly memorable race in the very first year of the Breeders Crown.
never ever will i forget the
never ever will i forget the great gallo blue chip pulling away by seven in 2000 to climax his 3 year old year. with track announcer frank salive calling him home as the pacer of the mileenium. my hat is off to the beach the best ive seen since gallo. oh yea waples was a trip at woodbine after his crown win on liberty balance. eternal camnaton coming back to beat wordly beauty in 2003 was also a classic.
I DON'T HAVE A PARTICULAR
I DON'T HAVE A PARTICULAR FAVORITE BUT I DO REMEMBER HOW MUCH I ENJOYED BREEDER'S CROWN WHEN ALL THE RACES WERE HELD AT ONE VENUE (SAME AS BREEDER'S CUP) AND TELEVISED. THOSE WERE THE DAYS!!!!!!
I haven't seen all the
I haven't seen all the Crowns, by any means,and the Artsplace 2yop at Pompano was awesome.
There have been many great efforts over the years - Nihilator, Staying Together, Grades Singing, Peace Corps, etc.
However, I think the one I remember most was King Conch and Bill Gale winning the 2yot in 199?
That was a monster effort and a world record at the time.
In reply to I haven't seen all the by Roundrev (not verified)
King Conch was awesome, no
King Conch was awesome, no question.
A few more to add to the list.
- Village Jiffy defeating Riyadh in the 1994 Breeders Crown for Aged Pacers at Freehold, when before the race Riyadh's trainer said he could leave from the parking lot and win.
- Liberty Balance winning the 2001 three-year-old colt trot at Woodbine and the ensuing exuberant end-zone style celebration from an ecstatic Randy Waples.
Trotters are my passion, but
Trotters are my passion, but I have to confess my 2 favorite Breeder's Crowns were 2 year old colt paces: Artsplace, and the slugfest between Nihilator and Dragon's Lair.
Both of the tapes still give me goose bumps. How fast would Artsplace have gone under ideal conditions???? How brave was Nihilator in defeat, when his connections knew he wasn't quite right???