Breeders Crown: Toscano scores upsets in 3-year-old colt pace elims
It could be said that never in the history of the Breeders Crown three-year-old pace have two eliminations carried such weight. When the dust settled on Saturday night, 10 sophomores were left standing with trainer Linda Toscano sending out winners in both $25,000 elimination races. Bettors Edge and Heston Blue Chip were her big winners while the big losers were Meadowlands Pace winner A Rocknroll Dance, Rooney winner Pet Rock and the luckless Warrawee Needy and Hurrikane Kingcole.
Bettors Edge, second and third in all of his last five starts, did it the hard way in the first elimination heat. Panther Hanover and Warrawee Needy were quickest at the start with Panther and driver Sylvain Filion cutting the pace and Warrawee Needy stalking through a :26 1/5 opening quarter.
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Filion slowed that half and driver Dave Miller took the bait, pulling Bettors Edge up for the first over grind. It was a rated advance for Miller that helped his cause while backing out the outer tier some. Miller played it cool and Bettors Edge kept grinding on the outside.
The stretch drive proved telling as Warrawee Needy had no racing room from the pocket and Pet Rock had too much ground to make up from fourth over. Also caught in traffic was Hurrikane Kingcole.
In the closing strides Bettors Edge did in fact edge out Panther Hanover for the 1:49 4/5 victory by a half-length as a 17-1 shot. Thinking Out Loud, Hillbilly Hanover and Escape The News squeezed into the final.
“I brought him up easy first-over and he just charged home,” said an almost giddy Miller in the winner’s circle.
Heston Blue Chip, racing on Lasix for the first time, overcame post seven rather quickly when the race began in the second elimination. The American Ideal colt yielded to supplemental entry Michael’s Power near the half, a controlled :55 second clocking.
In the late stages, driver Tim Tetrick edged Heston Blue Chip from the pocket and rolled by the pacesetter to win by a half-length in 1:50 3/5. Sent off as a 3-1 third choice in the field of seven, Heston won for the 10th time in 13 starts this season.
“I don’t think there is a big difference in him on or off [Lasix], but it is one of those things we kind of thought but we couldn’t prove, so let’s just put him on it and take that off the table,” said Toscano. “I knew we had retention and I wanted to make sure that with being in the new environment that he didn’t get allergies. I wanted to just remove that from the equation.”Mel Mara, caught behind third-over cover, finished sharply for second with Sweet Lou, Michael’s Power and Dapper Dude also advancing.
Meadowlands Pace winner A Rocknroll Dance left alertly but settled for a three-hole trip and appeared empty in the stretch finishing last.
Trainer Toscano’s other big favorite, Market Share was upended by supplemental entry Intimidate in one of two three-year-old colt trot elims for the Crown. The altered son of Justice Hall appeared out of contention with Market Share rolling to the front in the stretch, but Intimidate unleashed a wicked closing burst to blow by the 1-5 Market Share and win going away in 1:53 1/5.
“He’s a nice colt and he won pretty handily in his last few starts,” said driver Sylvain Filion.
Intimidate won for the 12th time in 16 starts this season, none bigger than this.
Market Share, Knows Nothing, Another Amaretto and Guccio all advanced for this division, with Kentucky Futurity winner My MVP failing to make the cut.
Trainer Jimmy Takter had three winners on the night, with Little Brown Fox regaining winning form in a big way in the other sophomore colt heat. The son of Muscles Yankee left the field in the dust on the far turn then coasted home in 1:53 flat in what proved to be a much less contentious division.
“It was easy. He was very, very good tonight,” said driver Yannick Gingras.
Takter’s three-year-old pacing fillies Romantic Moment and American Jewel took home first prize in both Crown eliminations. Romantic Moment was an easy wire-to-wire winner while American Jewel stalked second choice Economy Terror through rated fractions and then just edged that one on the wire of a solid stretch duel.
Beatgoeson Hanover scored in the Crown elimination for trotting mares winning for catch-driver Brian Sears in a 1:54 mile. Autumn Escapade showed a return to form finishing a solid second.
Last year’s Breeders Crown Open Pace champion Bettor Sweet won a $50,000 Open, a prep for Saturday’s (October 27) renewal, outsprinting pacesetter Foiled Again to the wire in a 1:49 2/5 mile.
Fields for 3yo and Older finals on Saturday, Oct. 27 at Woodbine
OLDER MARE TROT - RACE 1
| Post | Horse | Elim Driver | DRF Harness M/L |
| 1 | BAX OF LIFE | RA.WAPLES | 8-1 |
| 2 | BEATGOESON HANOVER | B.SEARS | 3-1 |
| 3 | PEMBROKE HEAT WAVE | BYE INTO FINAL | 10-1 |
| 4 | CLEOPATRE DUHARAS | Y.GINGRAS | 15-1 |
| 5 | PANTHOLOPS | C.CALLAHAN | 15-1 |
| 6 | CEDAR DOVE | BYE INTO FINAL | 5-1 |
| 7 | AUTUMN ESCAPADE | DV.MILLER | 8-1 |
| 8 | FRENCHFRYSNVINEGAR | BYE INTO FINAL | 7-2 |
| 9 | MYSTICAL STARLIGHT | TI.TETRICK | 12-1 |
| 10 | TAMLA CELEBER S | O.KIHLSTROM | 12-1 |
3-YEAR-OLD FILLY PACE - RACE 4
| Post | Horse | Elim Driver | DRF Harness M/L |
| 1 | ECONOMY TERROR | D.PALONE | 4-1 |
| 2 | BIG MCDEAL | J.JAMIESON | 10-1 |
| 3 | ROMANTIC MOMENT | Y.GINGRAS | 7-2 |
| 4 | AMERICAN JEWEL | TI.TETRICK | 3-1 |
| 5 | SHELLISCAPE | JO.CAMPBELL | 10-1 |
| 6 | HANDSOFFMYCOOKIE | DV.MILLER | 15-1 |
| 7 | ROCKAROUND SUE | TI.TETRICK | 8-1 |
| 8 | APOGEE HANOVER | D.MCNAIR | 8-1 |
| 9 | MARTY PARTY | R.PIERCE | 15-1 |
| 10 | JET WASH | JA.MACDONALD | 30-1 |
3-YEAR-OLD COLT PACE - RACE 9
| Post | Horse | Elim Driver | DRF Harness M/L |
| 1 | MICHAEL'S POWER | S.ZERON | 8-1 |
| 2 | BETTOR'S EDGE | DV.MILLER | 6-1 |
| 3 | ESCAPE THE NEWS | Y.GINGRAS | 8-1 |
| 4 | HESTON BLUE CHIP | TI.TETRICK | 7-2 |
| 5 | PANTHER HANOVER | S.FILION | 6-1 |
| 6 | DAPPER DUDE | JO.CAMPBELL | 20-1 |
| 7 | SWEET LOU | D.PALONE | 4-1 |
| 8 | THINKING OUT LOUD | JO.CAMPBELL | 12-1 |
| 9 | HILLBILLY HANOVER | TI.TETRICK | 20-1 |
| 10 | MEL MARA | R.PIERCE | 8-1 |
3-YEAR-OLD FILLY TROT - RACE 6
| Post | Horse | Listed Driver | DRF Harness M/L |
| 1 | CHECK ME OUT | TI.TETRICK | 7-5 |
| 2 | WIN MISSY B | R.PIERCE | 5-1 |
| 3 | MISS PARIS | R.ZERON | 12-1 |
| 4 | BLUFF | TBA | 15-1 |
| 5 | PERSONAL STYLE | DV.MILLER | 15-1 |
| 6 | MAVEN | Y.GINGRAS | 9-2 |
| 7 | DREAM ON HANOVER | RA.WAPLES | 30-1 |
| 8 | SASSY SYRINX | JO.CAMPBELL | 20-1 |
| 9 | DORSAY | C.CALLAHAN | 15-1 |
| 10 | COWGIRL HALL | J.MORRILL,JR. | 10-1 |
| 11 | CHILITODAYHOTAMALE | TBA | 15-1 |
OPEN MARE PACE - RACE 10
| Post | Horse | Listed Driver | DRF Harness M/L |
| 1 | DREAMFAIR ETERNAL | B.SEARS | 10-1 |
| 2 | ROCKLAMATION | J.MORRILL,JR. | 8-1 |
| 3 | CAMILLE | B.MILLER | 6-1 |
| 4 | ANNDROVETTE | TI.TETRICK | 6-1 |
| 5 | TEA PARTY PRINCESS | S.ZERON | 15-1 |
| 6 | SWINGING BEAUTY | D.MCNAIR | 15-1 |
| 7 | KRISPY APPLE | DV.MILLER | 25-1 |
| 8 | GINGER AND FRED | S.ZERON | 10-1 |
| 9 | REBEKA BAYAMA | S.FILION | 3-1 |
| 10 | MONKEY ON MY WHEEL | J.JAMIESON | 20-1 |
| 11 | DROP THE BALL | Y.GINGRAS | 4-1 |
OPEN PACE - RACE 12
| Post | Horse | Elim Driver | DRF Harness M/L |
| 1 | PUT ON A SHOW | J.JAMIESON | 10-1 |
| 2 | ARACACHE HANOVER | D.MCNAIR | 8-1 |
| 3 | UP THE CREDIT | TBA | 20-1 |
| 4 | HYPNOTIC BLUE CHIP | D.PALONE | 15-1 |
| 5 | GOLDEN RECEIVER | TI.TETRICK | 5-1 |
| 6 | WE WILL SEE | R.PIERCE | 8-1 |
| 7 | BETTOR SWEET | DV.MILLER | 5-2 |
| 8 | FOILED AGAIN | Y.GINGRAS | 7-2 |
| 9 | RAZZLE DAZZLE | B.SEARS | 25-1 |
| 10 | FORECLOSURE N | J.MORRILL,JR. | 12-1 |
OPEN TROT - RACE 3
| Post | Horse | Listed Driver | DRF Harness M/L |
| 1 | DAYLON MAGICIAN | J.MOISEYEV | 6-1 |
| 2 | MISTER HERBIE | J.JAMIESON | 3-1 |
| 3 | HOT SHOT BLUE CHIP | C.CALLAHAN | 10-1 |
| 4 | COMMANDER CROWE | C.MARTENS | 5-1 |
| 5 | ARCH MADNESS | T.SMEDSHAMMER | 5-1 |
| 6 | CHAPTER SEVEN | TI.TETRICK | 7-5 |
3-YEAR-OLD COLT TROT - RACE 11
(To be drawn on Tuesday 10/23 at noon; horses in alphabetical order)
| Post | Horse | Elim Driver | DRF Harness M/L |
| ANOTHER AMARETTO | A.MILLER | 12-1 | |
| GUCCIO | J.TAKTER | 15-1 | |
| INTIMIDATE | S.FILION | 3-1 | |
| KNOWS NOTHING | J.JAMIESON | 10-1 | |
| LITTLE BROWN FOX | Y.GINGRAS | 7-2 | |
| MARKET SHARE | TI.TETRICK | 5-2 | |
| MR CHICAGO | TI.TETRICK | 15-1 | |
| PRESTIDIGITATOR | S.FILION | 6-1 | |
| SOLVATO | T.SMEDSHAMMER | 12-1 | |
| STORMIN NORMAND | DV.MILLER | 15-1 |