The opening night of the 2023 Breeders Crown eliminations is now in the books, with driver Louis-Philippe Roy and trainer Luc Blais connecting for victories in both the elims for two-year-old filly trotters and two-year-old male trotters on Thursday, Oct. 19 at Harrah's Hoosier Park.
Blais and Roy doubled up in Breeders Crown elimination wins courtesy Peaceful Way winner Drawn Impression and upset winner Private Access.
Karl wins Crown elim for two-year-old male trotters
Karl and Yannick Gingras regained winning form in a powerhouse performance, capturing the first of two $25,000 Breeders Crown elimination for juvenile trotting colts and geldings in 1:54.
Karl started from post one and Gingras was not concerned with early speed, allowing Wild Ticket and Brian Sears to take control as the gates unfolded. Mr Bluebird and Åke Svanstedt also left and found a spot in the pocket with Dashing Danny spotted third into the first turn.
With an opening quarter cut in :28.1 for Wild Ticket, Karl and Gingras made an extended move to the lead and arrived there halfway home in :57.2. As the 1-10 betting choice, Karl rolled through three-quarters in 1:26 and then took off from the field as expected, rolling home in :28 to win for the sixth time in seven career starts for trainer and co-owner Nancy Takter. Mr Bluebird rallied to be a clear second with Greenspan unleashing a powerful stretch kick and closing in for third. Dashing Danny nailed the fourth spot right on the wire with early pacesetter Wild Ticket fading to fifth.
Bred by Crawford Farms, Karl, a son of Tactical Landing from the R C Royalty-sired dam Avalicious, is owned by Christina and Nancy Takter, Black Horse Racing, Crawford Farms and Bender Sweden Inc.
“He was super today,” said Nancy Takter in the winner’s circle. “I’m looking forward to next week.”
As the prohibitive public choice, Karl returned $2.20 to win.
The second $25,000 Crown elimination for freshman male trotters saw the tables turn on the heavy favourite with the second longest shot in the field, Private Access and Louis-Philippe Roy (pictured above), scoring a 19-1 upset for just his second win of the year in a 1:54.4 clocking.
Trained by Luc Blais for Determination, Private Access, a son of Muscle Hill, had not raced competitively since Sept. 14 in the Champlain Stakes at Woodbine Mohawk Park, where he made a break.
Roy had Private Access out quickly moving to the front as the gate opened and putting Situationship in the pocket behind him. Following an opening fraction of :27.2, Scott Zeron moved Dame Good Time to the lead shortly before the half with Roy willing to sit the pocket. The complexion changed following the :57.3 opening half when Dame Good Time made a miscue, putting Private Access back in control.
Tim Tetrick, with 1-5 favourite Security Protected, moved midway on the final turn but struggled to reach the leader as the pace accelerated through a :29 third quarter. Roy looked confident in mid-stretch as Private Access pulled clear of the outside challengers, but Situationship and driver Åke Svanstedt had room to the inside and appeared to be threatening in mid-stretch. Private Access recognized his rival and fought on bravely to the wire to keep him at bay through a :28.1 final quarter. Situationship settled for second with Security Protected and Musclefantastic third and fourth across the wire and into the final. Fifth-place finisher Magic Hill lacked the funds necessary to advance, beaten by Wild Ticket, who finished fifth in the first elimination.
Bred by Fair Winds Farms Inc., Private Access was a $250,000 yearling purchased from last year’s Harrisburg Sale.
“We knew he had a lot of talent,” said Roy in the winner’s circle. “He was making stupid breaks.”
As to the challenge in the homestretch, “He still had plenty of trot, but I didn’t want to pull the plugs.”
Both Private Access and Karl will draw for the inside five positions for the final with T C I, already in the final by way of his victory in the Peter Haughton, also granted top-five placement. Completing the field for the Breeders Crown final are: Mr Bluebird, Greenspan, Dashing Danny, Wild Ticket, Situationship, Security Protected and Musclefantastic.
Warrawee Michelle speeds to Crown frosh filly trot elim win
Warrawee Michelle took top honours across three $25,000 Breeders Crown eliminations for two-year-old trotting fillies with a 1:53.4 win in the third split. Buy A Round and Drawn Impression captured the other eliminations over a sloppy racing surface.
Even-money favourite Warrawee Michelle took advantage of a garden trip to best five rivals in the final of three elims. Chaparmbro (Dexter Dunn), the 3-1 choice, led the field to the :28.3 first quarter, with Warrawee Michelle in close pursuit and 4-1 Date Night Hanover (Brian Sears) right on her heels to the :57.4 half and 1:26.2 three-quarter marker. From there, it was an easy stroll home for Warrawee Michelle, who barely needed any urging from her trainer-driver to take down her five rivals.
Driven by her trainer, Åke Svanstedt, Warrawee Michelle is co-owned by Svanstedt, Santandrea Inc. and Young Guns. The win was her third of the season in eight starts and pushed her career earnings to $128,125. She also has a pair of second-place finishes and one third to her credit this year.
A daughter of Walner, Warrawee Michelle was a $200,000 purchase at the 2022 Lexington Select Yearling Sale and is the third foal out of her Yankee Glide broodmare Sound Check, 2, 1:58.2f ($23,832), making her a full sister to both Testing Testing, 3, 1:52 ($132,752) and Warrawee Yes, 3, 1:54.4s ($151,224).
Buy A Round, a daughter of Walner, got up in the late going to take the first elimination, stopping the clock in 1:55.2 by a whisker over 19-1 longshot Chapalonia and driver David Miller.
R Melina, the eventual fifth-place finisher, took the lead for driver Tim Tetrick, taking the field through fractions of :28.1, :58.1 and 1:27 before tiring as her six rivals surrounded her in late stretch. Buy A Round used a strong late kick to prevail, with Chapalonia a whisker behind and Sierra Girl third at 5-1 for Åke Svanstedt.
Sent off as the 3-5 favourite, Buy A Round is trained by Noel Daley for owner-breeder Frederick W. Hertrich III, of Seaford, Del., and was driven by Andrew McCarthy to her sixth win of the season in eight tries. The victory pushed her career earnings to $280,000. Buy A Round is the first foal out of the unraced Cantab Hall mare, On Your Tab.
“The footing is good enough, just a little sloppy, so with the long, slow steady rain, it’s hard to keep it up, but it’s not bad,” said McCarthy. “Worst case scenario, my filly had to come first-up, but I knew she could handle it. This was actually a pretty regular trip for her, I took her off the gate and wanted a second or third-over trip. Going into the first turn I figured Åke [with Sierra Girl] would drop in there, but I wasn’t concerned as this filly is fast enough to go with them.
“Noel is an unbelievable trainer — this filly is not easy — she’s a Walner and he’s done an amazing job keeping her calm and getting her to finish the way she does.”
As expected, Drawn Impression, a Muscle Hill lass and 4-5 choice, easily bested her rivals in 1:57 in the second elimination. Roy piloted the filly to her fourth career win in five starts for trainer Blais and owner-breeder Determination.
Sugar Instead was hustled out of the gate early, taking the field to a :27 first quarter and leisurely :58.1 half, before 3-1 Pizzelle (David Miller) went first up to challenge to the 1:28.3 three-quarter marker. Drawn Impression, who had been stalking the leaders behind Pizzelle, came charging at the wire to secure the triumph for her connections. Getting up for second was 7-1 Senorita Palema for Tim Tetrick, with Sugar Instead holding on at 3-1 for Ronnie Gillespie.
“I was a little more off the gate than I wanted to be, but she’s a pretty smart filly and tonight she was more on the bit than she has been. She kind of made a break on me going into the first turn for no reason and I thought her being a bit hot might be the reason, but I am so confident in this filly,” said winning driver Roy. “Luc [trainer Blais] knows how to manage a horse and even if they’re off for a little while you know he’ll have them sharp.”
The victory pushed Drawn Impression’s career earnings to $258,500.
Drawn Impression is the first foal out of the top mare Emoticon Hanover (by Kadabra), who earned $2,044,663 and recorded a four-year-old record of 1:50.2f.
The winners from each of the eliminations and Soiree Hanover — who won the $400,000 Jim Doherty Memorial at Hoosier Park on Sept. 15 — will draw for post positions one through five, and all others will go into an open draw, which will take place at a later time to be determined. The contestants for the $700,000 Breeders Crown Two-Year-Old Filly Trot final are: Soiree Hanover, Buy A Round, Chapalonia, Sierra Girl, Drawn Impression, Senorita Palema, Sugar Instead, Warrawee Michelle, Chaparmbro and Date Night Hanover.
(With files from Hambletonian Society)