Harness: Papi Rob Hanover ruling the virtual world in Breeders Crown-Catch Driver Championship

The results are in for the first round of the inaugural Catch Driver/Breeders Crown virtual 3-year-old pacing challenge, and it was a clean sweep. Papi Rob Hanover won more races in the digital editions of the North America Cup, Max Hempt Memorial and Meadowlands Pace when played out over the Catch Driver gaming platform.

The battle lines were established last week when fields for each of the stakes races were formed and virtual drivers were asked to pilot some of the best 3-year-old pacing colts in the sport. The Friday stake was the North America Cup and Papi Rob Hanover won 33% of the time, winning 96 of the 292 races run during a 24-hour period. Elver Hanover was second with 61 wins and Tall Dark Stranger finished third at 55 victories.

Statistically, here is how it played out for 292 races:

Horse Name	Wins	Win %	Avg. Post
Papi Rob Hanover	96	32.99%	5.49
Elver Hanover	61	20.96%	5.60
Tall Dark Stranger	55	18.90%	5.48
Captain Nemo	26	8.93%	5.04
Capt Midnight	22	7.56%	5.60
Odds On Osiris	17	5.84%	5.23
Catch The Fire	8	2.75%	5.38
Freedom Warrior	6	2.06%	5.70
Captain Barbossa	0	0.00%	5.78
Cattlewash	0	0.00%	5.67

Tall Dark Stranger won the North America Cup in the fastest time when Fabio Martinez drove him to a 1:47 2/5 win from post 3. Ty Rose won the race for the most races, with 27 wins from 127 starts, soundly besting my 20 wins in second.

Moving on to the Max Hempt, some new shooters were introduced into the race and while that didn't lower Papi Rob Hanover’s win percentage by much, it did cause others to take a substantial hit. Another factor at play was the five-eighths track, which seemed to favor horses that were closer to the pace.

An amazing 733 drivers raced in the Saturday leg of the series, which was contested 690 times. Despite my best attempts, the stamina of Christopher Sammacicci as he raced well past 4 AM E.D.T., was too much for me to handle. I had a three-win lead when I went to bed and woke up where I finished, losing 30 wins to 27 for another second-place finish.

Paul Hailes picked up the fastest win in the Hempt when he steered Papi Rob Hanover to victory in 1:48 1/5 from post 1. Below are the final stats for the Hempt:

Horse Name	Wins	Win %	Avg. Post
Papi Rob Hanover	213	30.91%	4.89
Major Betts	165	23.95%	5.10
Elver Hanover	115	16.69%	4.97
Tall Dark Stranger	91	13.21%	4.95
Capt Midnight	47	6.82%	5.06
Force N Fury	26	3.77%	5.01
Catch The Fire	14	2.03%	4.97
Freedom Warrior	11	1.60%	5.11
Father Nuno	7	1.02%	4.89

The "big boys" dominated the virtual Meadowlands Pace, with Papi Rob Hanover and Tall Dark Stranger accounting for almost 64% of the wins. With the shorter run into the first turn, horses in post 1 won most often of the three races (16.5%), as they often gunned to the front to secure position. Outside horses struggled, with post 10 checking in at a three-race low of 4.37%.

Papi Rob Hanover (3 times) and Tall Dark Stranger (2) finished with the fastest clocking (1:49 4/5). Obviously, The Meadowlands plays a bit slower in the virtual world than reality. Fabio Martinez (24 wins) bested Stefano Martinez (19) to capture the title of champion. Tired from my hectic racing schedule on Friday and Saturday, I only raced 34 times while picking up eight wins, good for 10th in the standings.

The Meadowlands Pace was contested 504 times with the following results:

Horse Name	Wins	Win %	Avg. Post
Papi Rob Hanover	173	34.39%	5.37
Tall Dark Stranger	147	29.22%	5.58
Capt Midnight	73	14.51%	5.40
Captain Nemo	54	10.74%	5.53
Force N Fury	23	4.57%	5.69
Catch The Fire	21	4.17%	5.47
Father Nuno	6	1.19%	5.60
Captain Barbossa	4	0.80%	5.46
Manticore	2	0.40%	5.41
Cattlewash	0	0.00%	5.44

The action continues this weekend with three more stakes. On Friday (April 25), we have the Cane Pace at The Meadowlands with a very similar field to the Meadowlands Pace. The only change is Freedom Warrior replaces Manticore. Papi Rob Hanover is again the favorite to lead in the win column.

The MGM Messenger at Yonkers Raceway goes on Saturday with the big three of Papi Rob Hanover, Tall Dark Stranger and Elver Hanover sitting it out. Considering the race is also contested over a half-mile track, the results should be interesting. Major Betts is the heavy early favorite to dominate.

Players get a new twist on Sunday in the Tattersalls from the Red Mile. Fields of 12 will compete with posts 11 and 12 starting from the second tier. It will be interesting to see whether the bulky fields change the luck of some of the top dogs throughout the series.

All races start at 10 AM E.D.T. on the scheduled dates and run for 24 hours. Once again, the overall winner from each stakes event is eligible to get a DRF Harness hat.

After the results are tabulated, the top nine winning horses from the six races will return for the Breeders Crown at the virtual Hoosier Park on May 1. While the horses will be competing to be crowned champion, players will have extra incentive to play, with a choice of a DRF Harness or McWicked hat, swag courtesy of the Breeders Crown, plus an expanded horseshoe (game currency) prize fund and more up for grabs.

Those wanting to join in the fun can download the Catch Driver app on iPhone or Android. They can also check out other games from The Farm, including Off And Pacing and Turf Dynasty.

See you at the virtual races!