Harness: Virtual 3-year-olds set to battle in Catch Driver Breeders Crown

The preliminary rounds are complete in the 2020 Breeders Crown/Catch Driver 3-year-old Virtual Pacing Championship. All that remains is the Breeders Crown final to see if Papi Rob Hanover can continue his reign atop the standings.

A total of 2,816 races were contested on the Catch Driver app over the previous two weekends and Papi Rob Hanover won 684 times (24%) to lead Tall Dark Stranger at 452 wins (16%). Each horse competed in five legs of the series.

Let’s review the three stakes from this weekend:

First up on April 24 was the Cane Pace at The Meadowlands. Papi Rob Hanover won nearly 34% of the races while besting Tall Dark Stranger at just under 25%. On the flip side, Tall Dark Stranger won in the fastest time (1:49 4/5) three times to Papi Rob Hanover’s one. On the driver front, I eked out a narrow 23-to-22 victory in total wins with a solid 18% win rate.

Horse	Wins	Avg. Post
Papi Rob Hanover	117	5.68
Tall Dark Stranger	86	5.29
Captain Nemo	41	5.46
Capt Midnight	38	5.48
Freedom Warrior	21	5.43
Catch The Fire	20	5.87
Force N Fury	13	5.48
Father Nuno	5	5.33
Captain Barbossa	4	5.45
Cattlewash	0	5.48

The top two sat out the MGM Messenger over the half-mile track at Yonkers and that resulted in a tight battle for the top spot in the April 25 session. Major Betts bested Captain Nemo by just 5 wins to take the title. Captain Nemo (twice), along with Catch The Fire, posted the fastest winning time of 1:52 4/5. As expected, post one dominated to the tune of a 36.70% win rate. Stefano Martinez, who finished second in the Cane, picked up the win after scoring 32 times in 136 starts (23%).

Horse	Wins	Avg. Post
Major Betts	151	4.89
Captain Nemo	146	4.56
Force N Fury	104	4.40
Catch The Fire	103	4.41
Father Nuno	52	4.67
Captain Barbossa	41	4.43
Groovy Joe	29	4.47
Manticore	17	4.54

It was a 12-horse showdown in the Tatersalls at the Red Mile and the larger field made for a tight battle between all of the top horses in the series. Papi Rob Hanover’s win rate fell to 24%, just ahead of Tall Dark Stranger at 21% and Elver Hanover at 18%. All three horses scored in 1:50 1/5 to clock a fastest time, though 'Elver' and 'Papi' accomplished the feat twice. With 43 more starts, Fabio Martinez scored a narrow 15-to-14 win victory over Jeremy Hebert to capture the Tattersalls title for drivers.

Horse	Wins	Avg. Post
Papi Rob Hanover	85	6.38
Tall Dark Stranger	73	6.33
Elver Hanover	63	6.53
Major Betts	46	6.62
Captain Nemo	19	6.48
Odds On Osiris	19	6.35
Catch The Fire	15	6.70
Capt Midnight	13	6.81
Freedom Warrior	6	6.63
Father Nuno	5	6.18
Force N Fury	3	6.56
Captain Barbossa	1	6.37

The scene now shifts to Hoosier Park with the top nine winners on hand for the Breeders Crown final. Seven-eighths tracks tend to play fairest in terms of post-position bias in Catch Driver and that should serve as a perfect test for the top 3-year-old pacers as we look to crown a champion. Below is the field for the Crown final with total wins and the number of legs they competed in the series.

Horse	Wins	# of Legs
Papi Rob Hanover	684	5
Tall Dark Stranger	452	5
Major Betts	362	3
Captain Nemo	286	5
Elver Hanover	239	3
Capt Midnight	193	5
Catch The Fire	178	6
Force N Fury	169	5

The winning horse will get bragging rights while the winning overall driver gets much more. The top winner in the Breeders Crown will get a DRF Harness hat, in-game currency and some swag courtesy of the Hambletonian Society. Also, every driver that wins a race will get a free set of wheels from the store on the Catch Driver app.

This is a must-play event on Catch Driver and the action kicks off at 10 AM E.D.T. on Friday, May 1.

Legends battle in Open Pace Showdown

Many people in the industry have spent their free time during the COVID-19 pandemic comparing horses from the past. While it is virtually impossible to gauge how horses of different generations would fare against each other, it is very possible to compare horses from the last decade. Taking that one step further, we can watch these battles play out on the virtual racetrack on the Catch Driver app.

Starting May 2, 19 of the best pacers from the last decade will compete in five legs of the Breeders Crown Pacing Showdown as they race for a spot in the May 15 Breeders Crown final at Hoosier Park.

Most of the top horses you've rooted home since 2010 will be racing in this series, allowing the casual fan a chance to guide the superstars of Harness Racing. Always B Miki, Foiled Again, Lather Up, Rock N Roll Heaven, Sweet Lou and Wiggle It Jiggleit are just a few of the top dogs that will be racing. The top nine horses in terms of wins at the end of the five legs will earn a spot in the Breeders Crown.

The opening leg is the Ben Franklin at The Downs at Pocono on May 2 and a field of nine has been assembled. Always B Miki is my lukewarm choice to come out on top, but the task won’t be easy against the likes of Wiggle It Jiggleit, McWicked and others. Below is the full field for the Ben Franklin:

Always B Miki

Bit Of A Legend N

Dorsoduro Hanover

Foiled Again

Jimmy Freight

McWicked

Pet Rock

Rock N Roll Heaven

Wiggle It Jiggleit

Leg two is on May 3, also starting at 10 AM E.D.T., with the Sam McKee Memorial at The Meadowlands. A field of 10 is led by Sweet Lou but packs plenty of punch with Lather Up, Won The West and Captaintreacherous ready to do battle. Below is the full line-up for the McKee:

All Bets Off

Betting Line

Bettor’s Wish

Captaintreacherous

Courtly Choice

Downbytheseaside

Freaky Feet Pete

Lather Up

Sweet Lou

Won The West

Three more events will take place on the weekend of May 8 ahead of the big finale on May 15. So, if you are a Catch Driver regular, set an alarm to play, and if you have never tried it before, what better opportunity to visit the app store on your device and sit in the sulky behind a Standardbred legend?