Breeders Crown: Battle lines to be drawn in 2-year-old Filly Trot

There were 17 entries in the box Tuesday morning with the connections of juvenile trotting fillies aiming towards the Breeders Crown finale at Woodbine Mohawk Park on October 25. Hypnotic Am tops the list of fillies that will go in two elimination heats this Friday with the objective to reduce the field to 10 for the final. Hypnotic Am dominated her rivals as the New York Sire Stakes champion, a feat that came after her impressive victory in the James Doherty Memorial at The Meadowlands on Hambletonian Day. Undefeated in seven starts, the Courant Inc. homebred daughter of Chapter Seven has been impressive on all sized tracks.

“I think she could beat any of the colts,” said Marcus Melander, who trains Hypnotic Am.

That Melander has confidence in his filly is not a subject for debate and the trainer who continues to shine in North America is unconcerned that Hypnotic Am has not raced competitively since her New York Sire Stakes final victory at Batavia on September 14. “I was very happy with her qualifier last Wednesday (October 9 at Pocono),” Melander said. Though going to Woodbine Mohawk Park for the first time, Melander indicated that he won’t be making any changes for the filly to attack a new racing surface.

While there is a standout in this division to date, this year’s Crown represents something unique about the race and the fabric of provincial programs throughout North America. This 17 are among a very diverse group of fillies likely never seen before in Breeders Crown competition. While second-year sire Father Patrick will have five in the fields, nine other sires are represented with New Jersey’s Trixton, Pennsylvania’s Muscle Hill and Ontario’s Kadabra offering two each.

Sire Stakes champions comprise a decent segment of the entries with Sister Sledge (Pennsylvania), Jula Shes Magic (Ontario), Ms Savannah Belle (Kentucky), Tricky Sister (New Jersey) and the aforementioned Hypnotic Am (New York) entering the fray with championship credentials.

Perhaps only an off racing surface last Friday night at Hoosier Park prevented one, May Baby, from joining that list. The daughter of Guccio had won six of her previous seven starts in Indiana before the upset at 1-5 odds in the $270,000 Indiana Super Final. James Yoder both trains and drives May Baby. He is the son of Verlin Yoder, who last year sent out the spectacular Woodside Charm to victory in the Breeders Crown for this class. May Baby posted a 1:53 2/5 victory over the Hoosier Park surface on October 1 and that in itself probably earned her a spot in the lineup. Ironically when James Yoder and his wife Cheyenne nominated May Baby for the Breeders Crown, the idea was they wanted her to be eligible to the race as a 3-year-old when it returns to Hoosier Park. That May Baby is in the race in 2019 is just a bonus.

The regional programs have made this collection of fillies quite wealthy in advance of the Breeders Crown, with eight of the fillies already surpassing the C$200K mark in earnings in their first year at the track. One filly that missed all Sire Stakes competition may prove to be as good as any in this division and that’s Ramona Hill. A winner twice in July at The Meadowlands, Ramona Hill missed two months of action and thus did not have the earnings necessary to qualify for the Kentuckiana Stakes final at Hoosier Park on September 20. She impressed capturing the consolation in 1:54 2/5 and then scored in consecutive Grand Circuit races at The Red Mile with a pair of sub-1:53 miles. Perhaps those two months off will be a blessing for Ramona Hill, who defeated Pennsylvania Sire Stakes champion Sister Sledge in her last start heading into the Crown.

It’s a rarity when Ohio-sired horses find their way into the Breeders Crown juvenile trotting filly division but Globetrotting, a filly by Manofmanymissions, deserves a spot in this select company even though she only finished second in the $300,000 Ohio Sire Stakes final over a sloppy surface at Northfield Park on September 1. Among the most successful of the Anthony MacDonald partnerships, Globetrotting showed wicked speed in the Sire Stakes final cutting three quarters of a mile in 1:25 3/5 before giving way late. With four wins in eight starts this year, Globetrotting is likely to appreciate the move to the bigger track given her only two off-the-board finishes came due to breaks in stride over half-mile tracks.

Trainer Per Engblom has some pretty big shoes to fill taking the reins from Hall of Fame trainer Jimmy Takter this year for the first time. Both Shishito and Ms Savannah Belle have enjoyed success this year, with the former a Grand Circuit winner at The Red Mile and the latter the Kentucky Sire Stakes final winner. Those accomplishments earned them a trip to Woodbine Mohawk Park, but they will need to be at their best to qualify for the rich final.

Trainer Jim Campbell is having an outstanding year with top Crown contenders in the undefeated juvenile colt Real Cool Sam and the precocious 3-year-old trotting filly Millies Possesion. Campbell sends out a pair of Father Patrick-sired fillies in Madame Sherry and Sherry Lyns Lady. Both fillies were Grand Circuit winners at The Red Mile. Sherry Lyns Lady was a solid second behind Hypnotic Am in the Doherty in August.

Historically when the Breeders Crown is contested in Ontario it is to the direct benefit of those who race consistently over the surface, even when the horses may not appear to be as “fast” on paper. Jula Shes Magic and Wine Rack Hanover finished 1-2 in last Saturday’s Ontario Super Final with just a head separating them. While the final time of 1:55 3/5 seems to put these fillies 15 lengths behind those that competed in Kentucky, I would expect those shipping North to slow down dramatically.

In past years the Peaceful Way champion would be considered a front-runner for the Breeders Crown title. While Dip Me Hanover did capture both elimination and final for the Peaceful Way at Woodbine Mohawk Park, it should be noted those are her only two victories in nine starts this year.

It’s hard to say what state or province will enjoy bragging rights once the dust settles in this division. To me the winner at time of entry is the Breeders Crown. To attract such a diverse group requires owners and trainers from all locations to have the utmost faith in local breeding programs and the quality they are capable of producing.

That faith has been rewarded.