While the $223,673 Empire Breeders Classic for 3-year-old trotting colts at Vernon Downs is not a traditional stop on the road to the Hambletonian, 2017 EBC winner Devious Man proved that it could indeed be a stepping-stone. The son of Credit Winner moved on to win The Earl Beal at The Downs at Pocono and finished third (placed second) in the August trotting classic. Of the nine entrants on Monday afternoon at Vernon, only four are Hambletonian eligible including Classichap. Trained by Trond Smedshammer for Wanda Polisseni’s Purple Haze Stables LLC, Classichap remains a maiden after six career races but has displayed clear signs of talent in his two starts this year. On May 11 Classichap was a fast-closing second to lose by just a neck to Don in a New York Sire Stakes race at Vernon. In last week’s elimination for the EBC, he wound up trapped along the cones at the back of the pack and closed for third with plenty of trot left in the tank. “He is the kind of horse that likes to pass horses and do his best racing at the end, but he hasn’t really gotten the right trip yet. He’s had too much cover and last week he got trapped in,” said Smedshammer, who also drives the son of Chapter Seven. Smedshammer is reasonably confident that he has a competitive horse for Monday’s final and conceded that he may let Classichap out at least one notch with the large purse on the line. “I’ll probably try to defend my position a little better for the final. I wasn’t as worried in his previous races where I came away, but this is an important race so I will be a bit more serious out of the gate,” said Smedshammer. “His style of racing reminds me a bit of Windsong’s Legacy. You have to be careful starting him up because if you get him started up early he could think that it is all about beating them early. You have to teach them that it is about being able to relax early and beat them late. I think he’s learned enough that he can get involved (early) a little bit.” Starting from post five, Classichap will have to best fellow Hambletonian eligible Six Pack, a horse that defeated him in the elimination by 6-1/2 lengths on Friday May 18 . Six Pack will be driven by Ake Svanstedt, who also trains the son of Muscle Mass as well as post six starter On The Ropes. Seven Iron, Voss Volo and Helpisontheway are considered to be the other top contenders in the eighth race co-feature. Win or loss on Monday, Smedshammer is envisioning a Grand Circuit schedule for Classichap and hopefully a spot on the starting gate on the first Saturday in August at The Meadowlands. “He's definitely not going to be racing a lot in New York, especially not on those half-mile tracks. He’s staked to the Beal, the Hambletonian and a lot this year,” said Smedshammer. “The odds of him getting to the Hambletonian are not high, but it is pretty high odds to win. Stranger things have happened. He’s a nice little horse. He’s still very green. We’ll see how he develops.” Post time at Vernon Downs on Monday is 1:00 p.m. for the 13-race card that also features a $238,613 filly EBC final headlined by the dynamic Atlanta and three divisions of the New York Sire Stakes for 3-year-old pacing colts.