Breeders Crown: Somestarsomewhere sets world record in freshman colt pace
The combination of trainer Ron Burke and driver Yannick Gingras were again in force in Saturday’s $25,000 Breeders Crown eliminations for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings. Somestarsomewhere broke a world record, pacing to a 1:49 4/5 score for the pair in the first of three eliminations at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs.
Somestarsomewhere made two moves to get the front and was put under pressure by Journeyman through the second half. The fractions were hot with Sometimes Said cutting the quarter in :26 3/5 and Somestarsomewhere cruising to the half in :55 1/5. Journeyman and Mike Lachance picked up the chase and forced the winner to a blistering :26 3/5 individual third quarter in order to maintain the lead.
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In the stretch, Somestarsomewhere had to fight off 22-1 shot Sometimes Said while easily holding odds-on favorite So Surreal off in third.
“I thought I still had a lot of pace around the last turn and I could tell Timmy (Tetrick) with So Surreal-I thought he was a special horse too- didn’t look like he was overloaded, so I liked my chances,” said Gingras following the race.
Gingras looked for back-to-back colt pace eliminations, but Western Vintage was far from vintage form in his elimination as Doo Wop Hanover overtook the pacesetter late on the final turn and scored at 31-1 in the second $25,000 elimination. The son of Rocknroll Hanover benefitted from a soft third quarter as he attacked without cover. Western Vintage had an adventurous trip, forced four wide around the opening turn around a breaker and only clearing the lead past the opening three- eighths mark. He would fade to seventh in the stretch and fail to make the final.
Longshots Melmerby Beach (10-1) and Some Major Beach (35-1) completed the finalists from this division.
Ron Pierce guided Doo Wop Hanover for trainer Steve Elliott.
”He felt good. He was right there. I could’ve turned his head loose any time I wanted to and won for fun,” said Pierce.
Doo Wop Hanover won for just the second time in 11 freshman starts.
Luck Be Withyou, a half-brother to last year’s three-year-old filly Breeders Crown champion American Jewel, blew out the final elimination field, pacing to a new mark of 1:50 in the process for trainer Chris Oakes and driver Ron Pierce. The son of Western Ideal set fractions of :27 1/5, :53 4/5 and 1:22 2/5 on the way to his record score.
$500,000 Breeders Crown 2-year-old Colt Pace - Race 8
| Post | Horse | Elimination Driver |
| 1 | Somestreetsomewhere | Y.Gingras |
| 2 | Luck Be Withyou | R.Pierce |
| 3 | Ari Allstar | B.Sears |
| 4 | So Surreal | T.Tetrick |
| 5 | Doo Wop Hanover | R.Pierce |
| 6 | Melmerby Beach | P.MacDonell |
| 7 | Some Major Beach | B.Sears |
| 8 | Three Of Clubs | D.McNair |
| 9 | Sometimes Said | J.Campbell |