Harrah's Hoosier Park: King Of The North hopes to rule in Erskine

With so many brilliant performances in last weekend's Breeders Crown championships at Woodbine Mohawk Park, it would be easy to overlook a horse or two. Make no mistake, King Of The North, a 3-year-old colt trotter that came to Ontario winless on the season, returned from a two week stay as not just the Breeders Crown victor, but the colt from the first crop of Walner shattered the stakes record and came within one-fifth of a second of the all age record with a stellar 1:50 3/5 blowout in the $600,000 final.

"It's what I thought he was earlier in the year," said trainer Ray Schnittker, who co-owns King Of The North, the 8-5 morning line favorite for Friday's $200,000 Carl Erskine at Harrah's Hoosier Park, race nine on the card.

"I really don't know what the difference has been. He definitely likes the track up there," said Schnittker, who also shares a credit as co-breeder of King Of The North. The trainer was happy with the way King Of The North raced and pleased how he came out of the Breeders Crown.

"That was a big mile he went. Starting from the rail and pushing a first quarter in 26 2/5 on that track was something else," said Schnittker. King Of The North didn't let up and never let a horse get close in a career-best clocking.

"That's a :49 and change mile at The Red Mile."

Mark MacDonald certainly deserves much of the credit for a pair of aggressive drives, but for a driver to have confidence he must believe in the horse.

"I thought maybe he was turning the corner in his last start at The Red Mile," said Schnittker of the third-place finish in a Bluegrass division. Unfortunately, King Of The North never had a chance to test that form in the Kentucky Futurity a week later.

"He didn't make the earnings cut for the Futurity," Schnittker said. "The same thing happened to him when he missed the Zweig earlier this year." In the Zweig there was an earnings cutoff based on 3-year-old winnings, and Schnittker had purposely planned a July start for King Of The North after a rugged 2-year-old season.

Regardless of the past, King Of The North is the "now" horse entering the Erskine, and the post draw placed him in lane four in the field of 10 that will see one horse (Golden Wall As) start from the second tier.

On Friday, Branded By Lindy (post two) may give King Of The North his biggest challenge. The son of Chapter Seven was parked the duration in the Crown finale and faded to sixth in the stretch. Prior to that he was a strong closing second to King Of The North in the Crown trial on October 22. Yannick Gingras guides Branded By Lindy for trainer Domenico Cecere.

Longshot, the Ohio Sires Stakes champion, has bought his way into the Erskine with a supplemental payment, but the entry fee didn't help secure a good spot. Longshot drew post nine but brings an impressive record to the Erskine with nine wins this year in 15 starts and seasonal earnings above $306K. Chris Lems drives Longshot for trainer Scott Cox.

Indiana Super Final runner-up Ponda Adventure has won 12 of his 15 starts this year and finished second on the other three occasions. He faces out-of-state competition for trainer Erv Miller and driver Trace Tetrick. Ponda Adventure, an altered son of Swan For All, landed post three.

► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter

Co-featured on the solid Friday night stakes-filled Hoosier Park program is the $200,000 Monument Circle (race 11) where trainer Ron Burke has four horses entered, including Little Brown Jug winner Bythemissal. Bythemissal drew post nine for regular pilot Chris Page and hopes to rebound after finishing third from an impossible spot in the Breeders Crown final on October 29.

Indiana Super Final champion Ponda Warrior also returns from an engagement in the Breeders Crown for local trainer Jay Hochstetler. The Rockin Image-sired Ponda Warrior drew post 10 in the second tier and has the services of Mark MacDonald in the sulky.

Burke's stable is also well-represented in the $100,000 USS Indianapolis Memorial (race five), a stakes event for 3-year-old pacing fillies. He'll send out favored Sea Silk (post one), as well as Courageous Lady champion Galleria Hanover (post six) in the field of seven. The Burke pair will meet the red-hot Patsville (post seven), a filly that has found her form late in the season with consecutive stakes wins over the Harrah's Hoosier Park surface.

Schnittker revealed that this will be the last year on the racetrack for King Of The North.

"He's going to be a stallion next year, and I've got him through his racing career," said Schnittker. "He's got the Erskine and then the Matron at Dover, and then we may go in the TVG Final."

Schnittker hopes that with some late-season success King Of The North may retire as the sophomore colt champion.