Meadowlands: Alexander hopes to break through in 2024 Breeders Crown

Trainer Travis Alexander is amid a career year, and on Saturday hopes to continue his luck as he pursues a first Breeders Crown title. Alexander will send out an arsenal of his own, with three entered in the sophomore pacing colt and gelding division and another three vying for spots in the final of the Breeders Crown Open division.

With sophomores first on Saturday's Meadowlands program, Alexander didn't get the benefit of the draw but still likes his chances with Howlenthehills (post eight) and Huntingforchrome (post seven) in the first of two $25,000 eliminations for sophomores.

Howlenthehills has been dominant on the New York Sire Stakes scene this year and enters the Crown trials with 13 wins in 15 starts in 2024. It's been an amazing turnaround for a horse that was winless as a freshman in eight starts.

"He showed speed last year," said Alexander. "He just couldn't put all the pieces together. His gait wasn't great and he would crossfire."

With a year to mature, the American Ideal-sired gelding has impressed on all sized tracks, and Alexander is hoping the experience will work to his advantage in a field that includes division leader Captain Albano.

"He's coming into the race in great shape," said Alexander. "He cut a bell boot in his last start (Reynolds at Plainridge), and that's why he won in a dead-heat and not by open lengths. Moving to the big track we'll take off the bell boots here."

Alexander has seen Howlenthehills put up impressive numbers with $550K banked this year.

"It's not easy to race in the New York Sire Stakes program and put up a record like he has," Alexander said, referencing the number of tracks of varied sizes a horse must compete and succeed on.

Huntingforchrome is another New York-bred that may be sharper than his past performances indicate.

"I'm happy to get him on Lasix finally. He bled in the Jug and then we couldn't put him on Lasix for the Kentucky races," said Alexander, explaining Huntingforchrome's recent seventh-place finish in the Tattersalls at The Red Mile.

► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter

Given the outside draw for Alexander's pair in the third race, the fact that all horses in the field only need a top-five finish to make the final, and the presence of Captain Albano making his first competitive start following a victory in the Little Brown Jug a month ago, it is difficult to predict how this elimination will play out.

"He's definitely the horse to beat," said Alexander of Captain Albano, who drew post three.

In the second $25,000 Crown elimination carded as race six, Alexander sends out Sweet Beach Life, an altered son of Sweet Lou that has really turned the corner following a dramatic last-to-first victory in the $252,000 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championship on September 9 at Pocono.

"We needed to give him a lot of time to mature," said Alexander in explaining the late-season momentum after a slow start. "He needed to learn how to be a racehorse, and most of the early part of the year we were focused on that."

Alexander is hoping that a move to the big track will bring out the best in Sweet Beach Life, who is coming off a huge effort on October 7 in a Reynolds division at Plainridge where he coasted to a 1:49 3/5 career-best victory.

Sweet Beach Life will have company in this division in the form of Nijinsky (post one), the North America Cup champion that regained winning form in capturing the Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final on October 12 following a long overland trip. Nijinsky has won 10 of his 12 starts this year and returns to the scene of one of his defeats, a second-place finish behind stablemate Legendary Hanover in the Meadowlands Pace.

While Nijinsky's record is imposing, Alexander was concerned about another in the field of eight.

"I think Mirage Hanover's probably the sharpest 3-year-old out there right now," said Alexander, referring to the son of Bettor's Delight that captured a Tattersalls division at The Red Mile in a 1:46 3/5 clocking on October 6.

Mirage Hanover drew post four in a division that also includes last year's Breeders Crown champion Gem Quality (post five).

Alexander is hopeful that he has a sleeper that could upset in the Crown Open Pace with Pleaseletmeknow drawing well in the first of two $25,000 eliminations programmed as race eight.

"He's coming into the race very sharp," said Alexander of the 5-year-old son of American Ideal that drew post three. "I'm looking forward to his return to the Meadowlands. He's paced in (1:)47 and a piece here before."

Pleaseletmeknow faces a strong group with last year's Breeders Crown champion Bythemissal looking for his second straight title. Bythemissal drew post eight for this week's trial coming off a game victory in the Allerage final at The Red Mile on October 6.

Also in this field are Canadian Pacing Derby champion It's My Show (post four) and this year's Graduate Series champion Voukefalas (post five).

Alexander has two in the second Crown elimination carded as race 10 and their road to the final could be challenging. Why Not Now (post two) won his first start for Alexander at Yonkers on Tuesday (October 15) and returns in short order.

"He'll be tight," Alexander said succinctly about Why Not Now.

Backstreet Shadow (post four) is the senior statesman of the field at age 9 and Alexander's second starter. "He's pure class," said the trainer.

With Abuckabett Hanover (post eight), Oakwood Ardan IR (post one), Ruthless Hanover (post five) and Sam McKee Memorial upsetter Rocknroll Runa A (post three) in the field, the cards seem stacked against Alexander.

Alexander's stable is currently the third-leading barn in North America with over $6.3 million banked this season. That said, the trainer is in search of his first Breeders Crown title with this Saturday just the first of two necessary steps to reach the coveted winner's circle.

"I finished second with Western Cyclone behind Jereme's Jet," said Alexander. "We beat him in the elimination."

That was 19 years ago at the Meadowlands in the Crown 2-year-old colt and gelding pace. Alexander hopes his entrants in 2024 will help break the ice.