Breeders Crown: Field set for 2-Year-Old Colt, Gelding Trot after three elims

Testing Testing, Rebuff, and Branded By Lindy were victorious in the three $25,000 Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Trot eliminations that took place on Friday night at the Meadowlands.

In the first elimination, Temporal Hanover (Tim Tetrick) left from post five and was able to clear S I P (Yannick Gingras) for the top spot before the 27 2/5 opening quarter. Testing Testing (David Miller) got away in third, and he would vacate the cones in the backstretch. Testing Testing had to work to get around Temporal Hanover, but was able to do so after the 56 second half-mile marker.

From there, Testing Testing went on to reach three-quarters in 1:24 3/5, and he held sway to the wire, winning by a length and a quarter in 1:53 4/5. Majestic J (Todd McCarthy) rallied from second-over to finish in the runner-up spot, and Temporal Hanover was third. Letsdoit S (Brian Sears) wound up fourth after having to do the first-over work in the event.

"After his qualifier [on June 19], he was second to King Of The North and I was really happy with him, but he didn't come out of it quite 100 percent, so he we decided to back off, take some time, and get him ready for everything in the fall," said winning trainer George Ducharme. "He was a nice colt all winter. I was really high on him, and the owners were gracious enough to let me do the right thing by the horse."

W.J. Donovan, Purnel & Libby LLC., Joe Sbrocco, and Jim Winske own Testing Testing, a colt from the first crop of Walner who was bred by Warrawee Farm. An $80,000 buy at the 2020 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale, Testing Testing has a summary of 4-0-1 from seven starts, he has pocketed $43,025, and he paid $7.00 to win. He is the first foal out of the Yankee Glide mare Sound Check, a full sister to Windy Corner (1:55 3/5, $207,576).

World At War Deo (Yannick Gingras) chopped out a 28 2/5 quarter in the next elimination, but Duly Resolved (Paul MacDonell) moved from second to first before the 57 1/5 half. Slay (Andrew McCarthy) then tried his luck firstover out of third beyond that marker, giving Rebuff (Tetrick) a second-over trip. Duly Resolved kept Slay at bay to the 1:26 three-quarters and into the lane, but Tetrick moved Rebuff out off the cover, and he was full of trot in the stretch, getting up to win by 2 1/4 lengths in 1:53 4/5. Gigondas (T. McCarthy) turned a third-over journey into a runner-up result, and Cool Papa Bell (Brian Sears) closed well for third.

"He's been very talented from the beginning, but he was very, very green," relayed victorious trainer Lucas Wallin. "We have good owners on him, and they let me take the time and raced him from behind. It's starting to pay off.

"Tetrick put him in a perfect spot again. He's very, very fast, and he warmed up really good. Maybe a little too grabby, but in the race he looked very good, so I was confident."

Rebuff, a Muscle Hill colt, is also co-owned by Wallin in partnership with Kjell Magne Andersen and Pieter Delis. Bred by Steve Stewart and Michael Andrew and acquired for $200,000 at last year's Lexington Selected Yearling Sale, Rebuff is out of the Yankee Glide mare Meucci Madness, a half-sister to the Lucky Chucky mare Non Stick (1:54, $587,890). Rebuff, who returned $6.00 to win, has three wins, two seconds, and a third from ten attempts, and he has now banked $144,095.

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The last elimination saw Threepointbluechip (James MacDonald) take command before the 27 3/5 quarter, but Branded By Lindy (Gingras) swept from second to first after that marker. Branded By Lindy maintained the top spot at the 57 2/5 half and the 1:25 1/5 three-quarters, then trotted home in 27 4/5 to win by 2 3/4 lengths in 1:53. Double Deceiver was second and Fast As The Wind (Dexter Dunn) collected third.

"He's super nice. He's great to drive. There aren't enough good things I can say," stated Gingras. "He's strong, and he did it easy tonight.

"I just wanted to make sure we won the elimination. To me, it's really important, especially with three elimination winners. There aren't a lot of good posts left, so I wanted to make sure I put him in play, not to get a bad trip. Any which way, I thought he was the best, and he showed it."

Domenico Cecere trains Branded By Lindy, a Chapter Seven colt, for owner-breeder Lindy Farms of Connecticut. He is now an eight-time winner from ten efforts, he has now stashed away $165,850, and he paid $3.00 to win. Branded By Lindy is the third foal out of the Cantab Hall mare The Lindy Label.

This is how the field will line up for next Friday's $600,000 final. Duly Resolved was the fourth-place finisher who advanced by virtue of his earnings.

1-Cool Papa Bell
2-Testing Testing
3-Branded By Lindy
4-Rebuff
5-Gigondas
6-Double Deceiver
7-Temporal Hanover
8-Duly Resolved
9-Majestic J
10-Fast As The Wind