Harness: Papi Rob Hanover wins virtual Breeders Crown
There has not been a single Grand Circuit stake for 3-year-old colt pacers in 2020, but in the virtual world, the season is complete and the results are official. Papi Rob Hanover is the Catch Driver Breeders Crown winner.
A total of 709 races were contested over the virtual Hoosier Park surface as the best sophomore colt pacers battled it out. Papi Rob Hanover won 213 times (30%) to soundly defeat Tall Dark Stranger, Elver Hanover and Major Betts, who all finished at 16%. Papi Rob Hanover also recorded the fastest mile, crossing the wire in 1:48 4/5 twice. Fabio Martinez drove the colt in one of those record miles and also dominated the battle for most wins in the race with 31 victories and a solid 23% win rate.
While Papi Rob Hanover was a clear-cut winner, it should be noted that he enjoyed an extreme advantage in terms of post-position, as his average starting spot was 4.6 compared to over 5.0 for his nearest competitors. Below is a breakdown of the horses and wins.
|
Horse |
Wins |
Win % |
Avg. Post |
|
Papi Rob Hanover |
213 |
30.08% |
4.63 |
|
Elver Hanover |
120 |
16.95% |
5.1 |
|
Tall Dark Stranger |
117 |
16.53% |
5.06 |
|
Major Betts |
116 |
16.38% |
5.08 |
|
Captain Nemo |
66 |
9.32% |
4.93 |
|
Capt Midnight |
35 |
4.94% |
5.19 |
|
Catch The Fire |
18 |
2.54% |
4.95 |
|
Force N Fury |
19 |
2.68% |
5.05 |
|
Father Nuno |
4 |
0.56% |
4.95 |
Best of the Decade Compete
Minutes after the final Breeders Crown race crossed the virtual wire, a new series for the best male pacers of the last decade got underway. Nineteen of the best equine athletes from 2010 to 2019 raced in the Ben Franklin at The Downs at Pocono and the Sam McKee at The Meadowlands.
Taking home top honors in the Ben Franklin was Foiled Again, who won 25% of the 773 races to beat out Always B Miki and Wiggle It Jiggleit. The fastest winner was Always B Miki at 1:47 4/5 from post four. Durwin Morris picked up 29 wins to secure a spot as the top driver in the Franklin.
Below are the complete results from the Ben Franklin:
|
Horse |
Wins |
Win % |
Avg. Post |
|
Foiled Again |
193 |
25.00% |
5.14 |
|
Always B Miki |
157 |
20.34% |
5.03 |
|
Wiggle It Jiggleit |
135 |
17.49% |
5.02 |
|
McWicked |
106 |
13.73% |
4.86 |
|
Bit Of A Legend N |
64 |
8.29% |
4.96 |
|
Rock N Roll Heaven |
57 |
7.38% |
4.96 |
|
Pet Rock |
52 |
6.74% |
4.9 |
|
Jimmy Freight |
4 |
0.52% |
5.04 |
|
Dorsoduro Hanover |
4 |
0.52% |
5.05 |
The scene switched to The Meadowlands for the second leg of the Best of the Decade series, with 10 fresh faces going behind the Catch Driver gate. The great Sweet Lou proved best, winning 27% of his races to beat Lather Up at 22% and Captaintreacherous at 20%.
The Meadowlands Pace was contested 645 times, with 10 of those miles completed in 1:49 4/5, the fastest time for the race. Sweet Lou (7 wins), Lather Up, Won The West and Captaintreacherous all shared the record. Vinco lo took home first-place in terms of driving wins with 19.
Here are the Meadowlands Pace results:
|
Horse |
Wins |
Win % |
Avg. Post |
|
Sweet Lou |
174 |
27.02% |
5.44 |
|
Lather Up |
144 |
22.36% |
5.58 |
|
Captaintreacherous |
133 |
20.65% |
5.46 |
|
Won The West |
128 |
19.88% |
5.55 |
|
Betting Line |
21 |
3.26% |
5.34 |
|
Bettors Wish |
17 |
2.64% |
5.45 |
|
All Bets Off |
13 |
2.02% |
5.49 |
|
Courtly Choice |
11 |
1.71% |
5.48 |
|
Downbytheseaside |
2 |
0.31% |
5.56 |
|
Freaky Feet Pete |
1 |
0.16% |
5.6 |
Three more stakes races will be offered this weekend on Catch Driver. The series continues on May 8 with the Gerrity Memorial from Saratoga Raceway on Friday, followed by the Canadian Pacing Derby on May 9 at Woodbine Mohawk Park and concluding on Sunday with the Ewart Memorial from Scioto Downs. The top horses in total wins throughout the series will return for a Breeders Crown showdown on May 15 at the virtual Hoosier Park.
Each of the stakes events start at 10AM E.D.T. and the fields are as follows:
Gerrity Memorial (May 8)
All Bets Off Bit Of A Legend N
Dorsoduro Hanover Foiled Again
Jimmy Freight Pet Rock
Wiggle It Jiggleit Won The West
Canadian Pacing Derby (May 9)
Always B Miki Betting Line
Bettor’s Wish Captaintreacherous
Courtly Choice Freaky Feet Pete
Lather Up McWicked
Rock N Roll Heaven Sweet Lou
Ewart Memorial (May 9)
Always B Miki Captaintreacherous
Downbytheseaside Foiled Again
Lather Up McWicked
Rock N Roll Heaven Sweet Lou
Wiggle It Jiggleit