With the completion of the eight Breeders Crown races for two and three-year-olds this past weekend, major stakes action will now shift to Dover Downs and will begin November 7.
The oldest major stakes in the sport, the Matron Stakes, will begin its 2009 championship competition with seven of its eight divisions in action the first full weekend in November. The series' four two-year-old division eliminations will take place on Saturday, November 7, while the three sophomore divisions will be contested November 8.
The Matron Stakes annually boasts the highest number of nominees. There are 1,064 juveniles eligible to the track's major events for young pacers and trotters.
This season, 943 two and three-year-olds are eligible for the eight events. Add to this, the Progress Pace, the track's signature event.
The Progress Pace will begin with elims on November 8 and culminate in a rich $350,000 (estimated) final the following Sunday.
The 2009 Matron will open with four two-year-old elims on Saturday, November 7. The largest number of eligibles is in the freshmen pacing filly division, with 180. Breeders Crown winner Fancy Filly, Casino Nights, Cannae Cammie and Full Picture are among the nominees.
The colt and gelding pace finds Breeders Crown winner All Speed Hanover, second place finisher Fred And Ginger and Delmarvelous leading a group of 169.
Lucky Chucky and Il Villaggio top the 151 candidates in the colt and gelding trot, while Costa Rica, and Fashion Feline lead a list of 142 in the filly trot.
Three-year-olds go to post on the Sunday, November 8 program with 141 colt and gelding trot nominees headed by Triumphant Caviar, Neighsay Hanover, PJ Clark, Swan For All, Tom Cango, Broadway Bistro, Hotshot Blue Chip and Howthehaloareyou.
Broadway Schooner, the Breeders Crown winner, track record holder Honorable Daughter, Yursa Hanover, Margarita Momma, Windsong Soprano and The Ice Queen, leads the filly trot eligibles.
On the Matron sophomore filly pacing roster are Breeders Crown champ Yellow Diamond and runner-up Ginger And Fred. Not Enough, Showherthemoney, Shacked Up, Kabbalah Karen B and Special Sweetheart are also eligible.
The top eight two-year-olds in each division return on Saturday, November 14 for lucrative finals, while the three-year-old finales are set for November 15.
Also on November 15, the top sophomore pacing colts will take centre stage in the $425,000 (estimated) Progress Pace. There are 116 nominees, led by Well Said, Mr Wiggles, Vintage Master, Vertical Horizon and Straight Shooting.
The Matron three-year-old pacing colts do not race until the following week, with 127 nominees for elims on November 22 and an estimated $250,000 final on November 29 featuring many of the colts eligible for the Progress Pace, the week before.
(Dover Downs)