Harness: Finals thoughts on the Breeders Crown

My first impressions tend to last the longest.

So when I first saw Woodside Charm in action at Tioga Downs in New York Sire Stakes action this summer, I was blown away.

While many may look at the fractions, the final times, or the other variables generally used to inspire wagering, those factors made little difference to me.

What caught my attention on that first observation was that a 2-year-old trotting filly going full tilt in a battle for the front and being parked, was able to be grabbed tightly by her driver Verlin Yoder and willingly shifted her gear downward and accepted a gaping pocket to settle in at the quarter pole.

Perhaps it was subtle, but perhaps it was special.

Woodside Charm’s maturity on the racetrack was exceptional, as was her fluid gait. Her incredible high speed would come later and often, but it was that ability to start and stop that seemed amazing for a racehorse of any age, less a juvenile with minimal racing experience.

Turn the clock forward to last Saturday’s $600,000 Breeders Crown finale. The contest was expected between Woodside Charm and the expensive and promising When Dovescry. The latter had captured her Crown elimination impressively and had what looked like the inside track in the post draw.

For much of the race it appeared as if the heavy favorite Woodside Charm had the pocket-sitting When Dovescry at her mercy. On the backstretch Yoder opened ground on his rival and it appeared as if that breathtaking speed that carried Woodside Charm to a dozen-lengths victory in her elimination would separate her from the field once again. So suddenly When Dovescry made up three lengths and looked to be rolling by Woodside Charm at head-stretch, there was ample reason for concern.

Just as suddenly as When Dovescry had made her move, Woodside Charm shifted gears and within a split second was gone again to win as if the outcome was a foregone conclusion.

The Chapter Seven-sired Woodside Charm is undefeated and unrivaled at the completion of her freshman campaign. I’ve seen and written about many juveniles this year but none have the ability and promise of this filly. Hall of Famer John Campbell must remain neutral in his position as Hambletonian Society president. I asked him about Woodside Charm after her Crown elimination romp and he wrapped up her gait in one word, “Efficient.”

For a while I had thought that my praise earlier this season for Captain Crunch was premature. Pacing colts can fool you and worse it’s harder to see if a fast horse has real class until they are pitted against the best. Captain Crunch seemed to hit a lull in form almost immediately after my column was posted.

Give trainer Nancy Johansson credit for putting the finishing touches on Captain Crunch and having him prepared for the Breeders Crown final. Driver Scott Zeron knew he was sitting behind dynamite, making two early moves and putting himself in perfect position behind favored Proof.

Captain Crunch’s dam Sweet Paprika is a sister to 2011 Breeders Crown juvenile champion Sweet Lou. Thus Sweet Lou’s family had a piece of both juvenile Crown finals with Yannick Gingras steering world champion Sweet Lou-sired Warrawee Ubeaut to victory in the $600K filly final.

Zeron and Gingras both found the winner’s circle on Crown night. They also put on the best show on the track, most notably going head-to-head in both sophomore filly finals. The Crown for pacing fillies was a bit of a rematch of the Lynch held at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono back in June. On that night Youaremycandygirl cut blistering fractions over a much faster racing surface while Kissin In The Sand raced parked the entire distance before taking a brief seat on the final turn. Kissin In The Sand’s Lynch victory is at least in the top five races on my 2018 “Best of” list.

Scott Zeron didn’t look for a seat on the final turn on Saturday and Kissin In The Sand showed the type of resolve seen in few fillies by surging to the lead in the stretch only to be overtaken late by the Ontario-sired recent Ron Burke acquisition Percy Blue Chip. To the victor go the spoils, but there is no denying the identity of the best performance in a supporting role on this night.

The second battle between Zeron and Gingras came in what was expected to be the showdown of the night, the sophomore filly trot Crown final. With four fillies of extraordinary talent in the field, including Hambletonian winner Atlanta, twice sub-1:50 performer Plunge Blue Chip, the George Brennan catch-driven Phaetosive and last year’s undefeated filly and Hambletonian Oaks champion Manchego all among the nine starters.

All four did what was expected at the outset, getting their noses on the gate and leaving in one form or another. With the inside tracks, Plunge Blue Chip and Atlanta extended each other through an extreme fraction. George Brennan saw no path to the top and made an early decision to duck Phaetosive or risk being parked.

Manchego, third in her elimination following an equally disappointing Kentucky Futurity effort, was wide much of the opening quarter and not close enough to the leaders. To me her chances of winning the race were in doubt before she and Gingras hit the first quarter. Clearly Yannick was not of the same mind as he elected to push Manchego full throttle towards Atlanta. The pair raced at a heated pace before Manchego called it a night.

In the sophomore filly pace, I firmly believed both drivers thought they could win the race by racing head-to-head at full speed. In the trot, Manchego looked nothing like Atlanta’s equal heading into this past Saturday’s final on current form and she left the track more than 10 lengths behind her rival who finished second by a head to Lily Stride at 31-1.

My last impression was that the byproduct of the aforementioned drivers strategy was that Lily Stride and Tim Tetrick made a split second decision to go inside and not wide off the final turn and capture the race. Trainer Mark Harder has believed in this filly for two years and finally found himself in the winner’s circle after racing the best ranked.