Harrah's Hoosier Park: Warrawee Michelle fastest in Breeders Crown 2YO Filly Trot elims

Two-year-old trotting fillies were in action in a trio of $25,000 Breeders Crown eliminations on Thursday night at Harrah's Hoosier Park. The top three from each grouping moved on to join Jim Doherty Memorial champion Soiree Hanover in next Friday night's $700,000 final.

R Melina (Tim Tetrick) led through fractions of 28 1/5, 58 1/5 and 1:27 1/5 in the first elimination, but despite the slow tempo, the stretch drive turned into a calvary charge, with six of the seven horses across the track inside the final eighth. At the wire it would be Buy A Round (Andy McCarthy) who got up while widest following a second-over trip, defeating a knifing-through-traffic Chapalonia (David Miller) by a nose in 1:55 2/5. Sierra Girl (Ake Svanstedt) was game from first-up and wound up third in the close finish.

"It was pretty regular trip for her, pretty much just take her off the gate and try to figure out a second- or third-over trip," McCarthy said. "Being able to drop Ake in there heading into the first turn, I figured he'd probably want to be first-up or worst case scenario I'd be third-over, but she's fast enough to march into the final anyway.

A daughter of Walner bred by owner Fred Hertrich III and trained by Noel Daley, Buy A Round has a summary of 6-0-2 from eight trips behind the gate and has now put away $280,000. She returned $3.40 to win as the 3-5 favorite.

"He's managed her the whole way through the year. She gave me a hard time one or two starts, but really he's done an amazing job just keeping her calm and settled down and letting her finish the way he does," McCarthy added about Daley.

Drawn Impression (Louis Roy), the first foal out of two-time Breeders Crown champion Emoticon Hanover, will look to claim a Crown of her own after taking the second elim in 1:57. She charged into the lead in the stretch following a second-over trip and won by a length and a half over a rallying Senorita Palema (Svanstedt). Sugar Instead (Ronnie Gillespie), who posted panels of 27, 58 1/5 and 1:28 3/5, faded to third.

"I was actually a little farther back than I wanted to. I sure didn't want to be too early on the gate," noted Roy. "Last time in the Mohawk Million I felt she was a little more, not aggressive, like a crazy filly; she's a pretty smart filly, but she was just more on the bit a tiny bit than she used to be. Then she made a break on me getting in the first turn for kind of no reason. I said 'well, that might be the only reason.' I'm so confident in that filly. I know that she can take a little bit more work, and as long as I was keeping her trotting, I thought she would get the job done."

Luc Blais trains the Determination homebred. A Muscle Hill filly, she has four victories in five outings, has banked $194,625 and returned $3.80 to win as the 4-5 choice.

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"Luc definitely knows how to manage a horse every time. Even if they're off for a little while, you know they're going to be sharp when you race them for the big races like this," Roy added about Drawn Impression, who hadn't been in a pari-mutuel race since the Mohawk Million on September 23. "He has them ready, so I think he was just making sure she was sharp coming in."

Warrawee Michelle gave Svanstedt three in the final after she captured the last elimination in 1:53 4/5. Chaparmbro (Dexter Dunn) was the leader at the 28 3/5 quarter, 57 4/5 half and 1:26 2/5 three-quarters, but Svanstedt swung Warrawee Michelle out of the pocket turning for home, trotted into the top spot inside the final eighth, and edged clear to tally by a length and a half. Chaparmbro was second from Date Night Hanover (Brian Sears).

Svanstedt also co-owns the Warrawee Farm-bred daughter of Walner with partners Santandrea Inc. and Young Guns. Warrawee Michelle, who cost $200,000 at last year's Lexington Selected Yearling Sale, has three wins, two seconds and a third in six trips behind the gate and has now pocketed $128,125. She returned $4.00 to win as the even-money favorite.