Breeders Crown: Special Way dominates in 2YO Filly Trot elimination

Special Way extended her winning streak to six with an impressive victory in the lone C$33,750 Breeders Crown elimination for 2-year-old trotting fillies on Friday night at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

The top eight finishers from the elim will be joined by the two talented trotters who received byes into the final. Righteous Resolve, the only Ontario-sired filly in the mix, earned the bye as the highest money-earner of the group with well over a half a million on her card from nine starts to date. The Chapter Seven daughter Instagram Model garnered the other spot direct to the final as the winner of the Jim Doherty Memorial final.

As the race got underway, it was Secret Volo taking early control for Brian Sears from post eight, but they were covered up by Mambacita at the tepid opening quarter in 29 seconds. She led the rookies by the easy 58 1/5 half and just past that point favorite Special Way popped out of third and was at the leader's wheel at the 1:26 2/5 third panel.

With trainer Ake Svanstedt at the lines, Special Way trotted on by Mambacita and opened up down the stretch to win by three lengths in 1:54 1/5. Walner Payton got up for second for Dexter Dunn while Mambacita, with Yannick Gingras up for the first time, held for third. Also qualifying for the final, in order, were Silly Me Hanover, Secret Volo, Life Itself, Blonde Bombshell and Tactical Planner.

A daughter of Walner (who had six offspring in this elimination), Special Way is a homebred for Brittany Farms and Marvin Katz and Al Libfeld. The win puts her bankroll at just over C$400,000 from six wins and a second in eight trips behind the gate so far in her debut season.

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This was Special Way's first start on Canadian soil, having contested all of her previous races at the Meadowlands and The Red Mile. She came into tonight's contest off a victory in the Bluegrass Stake in a life's-best 1:52, after which co-owner Brittany Farms' George Segal said she might be the best trotting filly he's owned, which is high praise indeed.

There is history in this event in Special Way's family as her third dam, Honorable Daughter, won the Breeders Crown final for freshman trotting fillies in 2008 at the Meadowlands with John Campbell up for trainer Larry Remmen.

The ten fillies will line up behind the gate as follows for next Friday's final:

1-Silly Me Hanover
2-Tactical Planner
3-Instagram Model
4-Special Way
5-Mambacita
6-Walner Payton
7-Righteous Resolve
8-Life Itself
9-Blonde Bombshell
10-Secret Volo

--press release (Hambletonian Society/Woodbine Mohawk Park)--