Breeders Crown finals lead another busy Grand Circuit week
The 12 Breeders Crown championship events at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono will be front and center in the Grand Circuit spotlight this week. The 12 Breeders Crown championship races will be contested on Saturday (Oct. 27). Smart As Hill a pleasant surprise for Wellwood
Trainer Paula Wellwood doesn’t mind Smart As Hill’s playful streak. His speed more than makes up for it. That speed has gotten Smart As Hill into Saturday’s $600,000 Breeders Crown final for 2-year-old male trotters, where he drew post No. 4 at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono. Curtis Salonick photo. Brennan reflects on 10,000 wins
About seven weeks ago, an evening or so after Brian Sears won the 10,000th race of his career, there was George Brennan, sitting next to him inside Yonkers Raceway’s drivers’ room. Kay's Delight wins Tuesday Pocono headliner
George Napolitano Jr., the leading driver at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, combined with Carmen Auciello, the leading trainer at Woodbine Mohawk Park who also campaigns a string at Pocono, to account for the Tuesday night (Oct. 23) $17,500 distaff pacing feature with Kay’s Delight in a lifetime best 1:52.2. Kaitlyn N wins fourth straight in Harrington feature
Nanticoke Racing, Josh Parker and Barry Spedden's Kaitlyn N ($5.20) notched her fourth straight win Tuesday (Oct. 23) in the $17,500 Mares Open at Harrington Raceway. Ithinkthatsmine, I'm A Clown three-peat in Massachusetts Sire Stakes
Weather was a factor as the $163,000 second leg of the Massachusetts Sire Stakes (MASS) for 3-year-olds assembled at Plainridge Park on Tuesday afternoon (Oct. 23). Rain that started after the early non-betting race continued to increase and the track became sloppy after the first race of the card. But conditions did not stop Ithinkthatsmine and I’m A Clown from remaining undefeated in the series this year, nor keep Gonna Hear Me Rohr, Kinda Lucky Lindy and Latent Print from scoring their first 2018 wins in the stake. McDazzle one of six winners for Burke at The Meadows
McDazzle repelled the challenge of newcomer Touchamatic and went on to a facile victory in Tuesday’s (Oct. 23) $18,000 Fillies and Mares Preferred Handicap Pace at The Meadows. McWicked, Pinkman chase history
Only once in history has a horse won a second Breeders Crown trophy four years after winning his first. Two horses, though, could accomplish the feat Saturday at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono. Seven-year-old pacer McWicked and 6-year-old trotter Pinkman will try to join Wesgate Crown as the only multiple Breeders Crown champions with a gap of more than three years between their first and second titles. USTA/Mark Hall photo. Post positions drawn for Breeders Crown Open Pace, Open Trot
McWicked, harness racing’s richest horse this year, drew post No. 3 for Saturday’s $430,000 Breeders Crown Open Pace and was made the 5-2 morning-line favorite while Cruzado Dela Noche drew post No. 6 for Saturday’s $500,000 Breeders Crown Open Trot and was also tabbed as the 5-2 morning-line choice. Draws for the Open Pace and Open Trot were conducted Tuesday at Wisecrackers at Mohegan Sun Pocono. The draws for the remaining 10 championship events were held last weekend following the eliminations. USTA/Mark Hall photo. Woodside Charm climbs into Top 10 in Poll
Two-year-old female trotter Woodside Charm moved into the Top 10 in this week’s Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll while the top-three spots were unchanged ahead of Saturday’s Breeders Crown finals at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono. Sears drives another longshot winner at Yonkers
Turns out Brian Sears’ 30-1 upset with Cruzado Dela Noche in the million-dollar Yonkers International Trot was puny pari-mutuel potatoes. Monday night (Oct. 22), Sears and 82-1 A Oliveinmymartini became Yonkers Raceway’s largest win mutuel of the season, to the tune of $167.50 for ever correct couple of bucks. Pedigree-rich Davids Coming Home takes Monday Pocono feature
The Artsplace broodmare Arterra has produced a pair of million dollar winners in If I Can Dream ($1,990,276) and Western Terror ($1,164,174). Her 2015 foal by A Rocknroll Dance, Davids Coming Home, may not have the lofty credentials of the other two mentioned here, but he may be coming into his own right now, as he captured the $13,000 featured pace at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono Monday night (Oct. 22). Foiled Again notches 105th career win Monday at Harrington
Legendary pacer and the richest Standardbred of all-time, Foiled Again ($12, Montrell Teague), notched his 105th career win Monday (Oct. 22) at Harrington Raceway in 1:55.1 in a $10,000 conditioned race. Taylor Swiftly, Simple Kaos stout in Massachusetts stakes
The third leg of the Massachusetts Sire Stakes for first-year state-breds resumed at Plainridge Park on Monday (Oct. 22) after a one week break and offered four divisions vying for $163,434 in total purse money. Kauffman gets win 3,000 at Hollywood Dayton
On the occasion of his 3,000th lifetime win in the fifth race at Hollywood Gaming at Dayton Raceway on Monday afternoon (Oct. 22), driver Kayne Kauffman took a few moments to reflect on his career. Classic Banker finds room late, takes Meadows' feature; Brown wins four
Classic Banker found racing room into the final turn and brushed through the lane to capture Monday’s (Oct. 22) feature at The Meadows, a $13,000 Conditioned Trot. Breeders Crown post positions and Open entrants for press conference
With a record 24 Breeders Crown eliminations in the books from the weekend, here are the final fields for the $6 million Breeders Crown finals on Sat. (Oct. 27). Gregg Keidel wins Billings Trot at Northfield on Sunday
On Sunday evening (Oct. 21), ten trotters went to post in a mid-region Billings trot at Northfield Park and after studying the races betting patterns only three horses had a legitimate shot at victory and two were sent away by the betting public at odds of less than 2-1 with the third at 9-2 and when the judges posted the official sign Nashville Holiday and driver Gregg “Fast Greggy” Keidel (9-5) walked away with all the marbles. Simons wins 4,000th, Lucan Hanover wins on opening night at Pompano
Pompano Park kicked off its 2018-2019 season on Sunday night (Oct. 21) with driver Mike Simons earning his 4000th career win and Lucan Hanover eking out a photo finish win in the feature. Freehold hosts NJSDF finals
On Friday (Oct. 19) and Saturday (Oct. 20) three $50,000 New Jersey Standardbred Development Fund finals (NJSDF) were held at Freehold Raceway.