Breeders Crown: Rookie colts put on a show in eliminations
Traceur Hanover, sent off at 22-1, posted a major upset taking down 3-5 favorite In The Arsenal in one of two $25,000 eliminations for the Breeders Crown two-year-old pacing division. The son of Western Ideal, driven ably by Andy Miller, attacked without cover past the half and collared In The Arsenal in mid-stretch before gamely holding off pocket-sitter Lyons Levi Lewis.
In The Arsenal vaulted out sharply from post 10 to take control before the quarter. He cut fractions of 26 3/5, 54 3/5, and 1:23 for driver Brian Sears. In the stretch Traceur Hanover surged by for trainer Corey Johnson to his fourth win of the season in his 13th start.
Joining the top three will be Cooperstown and Tomy Terror in the final.
“I didn’t want to be first up,” said Miller after the race. “Corey (Johnson, trainer) told me he thought his best two races were ahead, this week and next.”
Go Daddy Go and driver John Campbell fought head-to-head with favored Lost For Words and gamely wore that one down on the wire in another division of the Crown elimination for juvenile male pacers. The homebred by Ponder brushed hard down the backstretch to secure command before the half. No sooner had her reached the top than Lost For Words brushed to the front. The half was taxing in 54 2/5 and Campbell pulled the pocket before the three quarters to avoid getting trapped. Go Daddy Go appeared to surge to the front entering the stretch, but David Miller and Lost For Words dug in under urging and refused to give ground. The Bob McIntosh-trained and owned Go Daddy Go surged late to score in 1:51 1/5 with Lost For Words second. Franzo, Sicily, and Soto completed the finalists from this division.
“He’s been a good colt from day one,” said McIntosh following the race.
Colt Trot elims
Trainer Jimmy Takter’s two-year-old male trotters dominated divisions of the Breeders Crown eliminations with Pinkman scoring in 1:54 1/5 in the first division and French Laundry sweeping to victory in 1:55 1/5 in the second.
Pinkman, driven by Yannick Gingras, was able to find freedom after sitting a tight pocket trip and surged between horses to defeat the Takter-driven The Bank. Pacesetting Habitat and Guess Whos Back finished in a dead heat for third with Walter White, another Takter trainee, earning a trip to the final.
French Laundry and driver Brett Miller were towed in to the race behind live cover and gamely held off the late bid of favored Muscle Diamond in the second $25,000 prelim. A son of Muscles Yankee, French Laundry scored his seventh win in 2014 in just 11 trips to post. Suit And Tie, Piercewave Hanover and the Takter-trained Uncle Lasse will return for the final.
Post positions for the rookie colt trot were drawn during the evening:
1-French Laundry, 2-Walter White, 3-Habitat, 4-Suit And Tie, 5-Pinkman, 6-Muscle Diamond, 7-Guess Whos Back, 8-Uncle Lasse, 9-Piercewave Hanover, 10-The Bank.