Woodbine Mohawk Park: Callahan hopes 2019 is his 'Year' in Breeders Crown
Often the third time is the charm. In the case of driver Corey Callahan, who will handle New Year in the $600,000 Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Filly Pace at Woodbine Mohawk Park, he’s hoping the 32nd time is finally the charm.
Despite perennially sitting among the top 20 drivers in North America in terms of earnings and on the precipice of his 12th straight season of over $5,000,000 in the earnings category, Callahan hasn’t been able to find the winner’s circle on Breeders Crown night. According to the 41-year-old, he just hasn’t hooked up with the right horses.
“I’ve never really had a contender. My best shot was my first Breeders Crown with Mr Wiggles. I think we were second to If I Can Dream,” said Callahan. “I’ve been driving a lot of fringe players, horses who were just hoping to get a check. Now I feel like I finally have a horse who can make some noise and finally get there.”
Callahan added that New Year is the first horse he’s been really excited about in a long time, and what’s not to like? Regally bred, she is the product of superstar Somebeachsomewhere and the freakishly fast Drop The Ball. In just five career starts, she has displayed the natural speed to stay with the best in her division and the determination to put forth the knockout blow to her competition in the stretch.
New Year rides a four-race winning streak into Friday’s Crown final for trainer Ross Croghan. She is a homebred from Eric Cherry’s Let It Ride Stables and Dana Parham (Mentally Stable Inc. is listed as breeder but not owner). In last week’s elimination, she defeated Ontario Sire Stakes champion Alicorn while winning despite an uncovered trip for the second straight time.
“I was a little worried last week that Louie (Roy on Alicorn) was getting things so easily, but I knew coming out of the last turn and once I got next to her that it was over,” said Callahan about the elimination win.
“She has the best of both worlds from Somebeachsomewhere and Drop The Ball,” continued Callahan. “Drop The Ball was scary-fast, almost like you had to hold on to her while thinking ‘whoa’. This filly doesn’t grab a hold, but every time you ask her to go, she keeps going forward. She can live a long time on the outside. You don’t really feel her change gears.”
New Year faces the toughest test of her short career this weekend versus a pair of elimination winners who stopped the timer more than a second faster than her 1:52 clocking. Lyons Sentinel rides a seven-race winning streak of her own and has never finished worse than second for the team of trainer Jim King Jr. and driver Tim Tetrick. She won last week in 1:50 3/5 but was topped by Indiana Champion Priceless, who won in a career best 1:50 2/5 for trainer/driver Brandon Bates.
“There are some nice horses but she continues to beat nice horses,” said Callahan about his chances. “We haven’t faced Lyons Sentinel yet, that is definitely the filly to beat and Priceless went a big heat too. She deserves a lot of respect also.”
From post four, considering he has yet to test his filly on the front, Callahan is hoping that the speedy Priceless will hook up in battle with another of the 10 finalists in the field and create a situation where he can charge home late. Considering her ability to race in the two-path and grind down the leaders, maybe New Year can make her own trip and place Callahan in the Winbak Farm winner’s circle with a trophy in his hand.