Pocono: Emoticon Hanover, NF Happenstance down favorites in Breeders Crown Open Mare Trot elims

Defending race champion Emoticon Hanover and Miss Versatility runner-up NF Happenstance posted upset wins in the pair of $25,000 Breeders Crown Open Mare Trot eliminations on Saturday night at a soggy The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.

Emoticon Hanover (Dan Dube) won this event last year at Hoosier Park and will be back to try again this year as she captured the first elimination in 1:52 4/5. She tracked Ariana G (Yannick Gingras) from the pocket through panels of 27 4/5, 57, and 1:24 4/5, then slipped up the passing lane in the stretch to win by three-parts of a length. Ice Attraction (Ake Svanstedt) was a first-up third, well behind the top two finishers, with Celebrity Ruth (Trond Smedshammer) fourth.

"I wanted to follow Ariana G," said Dube. "She was racing good with cover, and today the way she was feeling I guess she's back like last year. You can't even hold her, like grabby and everything. That's a good sign."

A 5-year-old daughter of Kadabra, Emoticon Hanover is trained by Luc Blais for owner Determination. Emoticon Hanover now has 20 wins in her life, and she pushed her bankroll to $1,242,076. She was the 9-2 second choice and returned $11.00 to win.

NF Happenstance (Jack Parker Jr.), dispatched at 9-1 in the other elimination, took advantage of miscues by the public choices and a solid performance of her own to score in 1:55 3/5.

Parker Jr. brought NF Happenstance up on the outside to take the lead away from Pink Pistol (Tim Tetrick) passing the 27-second opening quarter. NF Happenstance would then get to the half in 56 3/5 and the three-quarters in 1:25 1/5, with public choice Dream Together (Bob McClure) out and moving first-up from third in the backstretch and Broadway Donna (David Miller) following the cover.

Disaster struck for both Dream Together and Broadway Donna past three-quarters, though, as Dream Together jumped it off, interfering with Broadway Donna, who then also went off-stride. That left NF Happenstance with an open-length lead, and she went on to defeat Barn Bella (Smedshammer) by 3 1/2 lengths. Pink Pistol was third, and Caprice Hill (Brian Sears) was fourth to also make the final.

Dream Together crossed the finish line fifth, but the judges placed her back to sixth behind Broadway Donna, which sent Broadway Donna on to the final as she had higher seasonal earnings than The Erm, who was fifth in the first elimination.

"She did real good tonight," remarked Parker Jr. "I had her as a 4-year-old, and I sold her to Bill Weaver. He had her for like a year and a half and bred her to Sebastian K, but then he passed away. His estate put her in the Harrisburg Sale, and we bought her back. She had her foal, a filly, who is coming in this fall to break. It's great."

Carol Jamieson-Parker trains NF Happenstance, an 8-year-old SJ's Caviar mare, for owner James Moore III. NF Happenstance is now a 31-time winner in her life, and she has pocketed $602,151. She paid $20.80 to win.

Here is how the field will line up for next Saturday night's final:

1-Broadway Donna
2-Barn Bella
3-NF Happenstance
4-Caprice Hill
5-Emoticon Hanover
6-Celebrity Ruth
7-Pink Pistol
8-Ariana G
9-Ice Attraction