Breeders Crown: Ammo blasts favorites in 2YO Colt Pace final

Lightly-raced Ammo, making just his fifth career start and with only a win in a $7,400 overnight race at The Red Mile to his credit coming in, went home with the big prize from the Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Colt Pace, taking the C$810,000/US$600,000 event in 1:50 4/5 at odds of 52-1.

Driver David Miller sent Ammo out from post nine and took the lead away from a post ten-blasting Ervin Hanover (Joe Bongiorno) after the 27 1/5 opening quarter. Todd McCarthy would then go on the attack out of third with Combustion, and he became the third leader of the race before the 56 second half went on the board. Stockade Seelster (Jody Jamieson) would go first-over out of sixth heading to that marker, and he was tracked in the outer tier by elimination winners Handlelikeaporsche (Dexter Dunn) and Confederate.

Stockade Seelster's bid stalled out on the bend as Combustion zipped a 27 3/5 panel to get to three-quarters in 1:23 3/5 with a three length lead to boot. He would continue to show the way into the stretch, but Ammo was still in the hunt in the two-hole and Confederate began to hit his best stride while widest.

Inside the final eighth Combustion drifted off the pylons, giving Ammo room to rally through to the front. Ammo still had to fend off a charging Confederate, but he was able to do so, hitting the wire half a length to the good. Combustion held third from Stockade Seelster and Ervin Hanover.

"Yes and no," Miller said when he was asked if he was surprised with the outcome. "I knew that the nine-hole was going to be really tough, but it actually worked out pretty easy. He got a great trip. He raced great and he raced great in the elim. I was real, real, real happy with him. Ever since he's been baby-racing him, he showed he had talent. He's had a bit of a rough summer, but jeez, he's coming along now.

"He held game. He fought. When he got room, he shot right through there and just raced awesome."

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Joe Holloway, who won the Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Colt Pace for the fourth time, trains the son of Sweet Lou-Beach Gal, for owners Val D'Or Farms and Ted Gewertz. A $90,000 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale purchase bred by Sergent Stables LLC., Ammo has earned C$443,125 to go with his pair of victories, and he returned $106.00 to win.

"We had the nine-hole, but the colt had raced so well last week. We were a little bit short and came first-up. I thought he raced well last week, and I thought racing him back in a week might suit him," remarked Holloway. "David just drove him great and sometimes it works out.

"Just patience. This colt, we just a little trouble through the course of the summer and then things got better. I always knew he was a nice horse. He's a good-looking horse and well-bred and we just hope he comes back strong for next year. We have the Governor's Cup, and we can probably do it because I think this was only his fourth or fifth competitive start, so I might stay in training. It keeps us going til the end of November, but we'll consider it. We'll make sure everything works out well."