Woodbine Mohawk Park: Norman brings a 'Bombshell' and more to Breeders Crown

Trainer Nifty Norman entered eight horses in the Breeders Crown. Six of those will go in elimination races this Friday and Saturday night at Woodbine Mohawk Park, seeking spots in the lucrative finals on October 28 and 29. All but one of those entries was expected, but when Norman put the $400,000 yearling purchase Blonde Bombshell in the 2-year-old filly trot, it was a bit of a bombshell to those following the division. The Walner-sired filly has made just one start in her career, and that wasn't even against stakes competition, yet she showed up in a single elimination race on Friday night.

"She got hurt right around the time we were going to qualify her," Norman said of the filly that hails from a tremendous maternal family that includes champion sire Muscle Hill, as well as three-time Breeders Crown winner Gimpanzee.

"It was a holiday weekend and I had four horses out in the field," Norman said, recalling the incident. "There were fireworks going off in an adjacent area, and she got caught in the fence and we didn't get her out until the next day.

"She injured an ankle ligament. It took a long time to recover from it."

Blonde Bombshell had a pair of qualifiers at Harrah's Philadelphia in late September before making her career debut on October 7 in an overnight event during the Red Mile Grand Circuit Meet. Driver David Miller raced her patiently off cover, and Blonde Bombshell sprinted home to a 1:55 1/5 winning effort while well in-hand.

Still, that time was nearly three seconds slower than Grand Circuit fillies would go in numerous stakes events, leading to the obvious question of whether Blonde Bombshell needed more seasoning before tackling the division's best.

"There really wasn't anywhere else we could race her," said Norman. "We want to keep her on the big track, and even though she's eligible to the Kindergarten, it's not like she can make the final in that."

On a positive front for Blonde Bombshell and her connections was the fact that driver David Miller will stick with the filly in Friday's C$33,750 single Breeders Crown elimination (race five) where the top eight horses return for the October 28 final along with Righteous Resolve and Instagram Model, the two fillies afforded byes.

"I think that indicates what he thinks of this filly," said Norman, who noted that Miller was giving up the drive behind Mambacita, a double Grand Circuit winner at The Red Mile and a winner of over $329K this year.

Norman is hoping his filly will do well with an eye on a late-season stakes engagement. "I'm looking at the Goldsmith Maid for her," said Norman of the race at the Meadowlands on November 26.

Norman will send out Light And Tight (post five) in the first of two C$33,750 Crown eliminations for juvenile pacing fillies, race three on Friday night.

"She put in a pair of nice runs at The Red Mile against top fillies," Norman said. "I'm hoping she can make the final." The optimism is understandable given Light And Tight's recent third-place finish behind Twin B Joe Fresh, but she'll meet a solid field of six rivals that include She's A Great Lady champion Sylvia Hanover (post four), as well as Ohio Sires Stakes champion McSeaside (post seven).

On Saturday night Norman has three sophomore trotting fillies looking for spots in the Crown finale, with last year's Mohawk Million winner Venerable hoping to get back on the winning track. The Walner-sired filly recently qualified at Freehold (October 14) after finishing fourth five days earlier in Grand Circuit action at The Red Mile.

"I wanted to get her back on Lasix," Norman said of the move. "You can't just add Lasix for the first time at Mohawk, so we needed to do it in a race."

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Norman is of the opinion that Venerable, a winner in just three of her nine starts this year, is moving in the right direction. "She put in a good run at The Red Mile, but it was tough going on the front-end coming off a qualifier. I'm happy the way she's training up to this race."

Venerable drew post seven in the fifth race on Saturday night needing a top-five finish to qualify for the final. Both Lilbitalexis (post nine) in this division and Delilah Hanover were also entered by Norman for different reasons.

"They're both being sold," Norman said, "Hopefully they can get some money for the new connections."

Bella Bellini and Amigo Volo were entered in the Open events for trotters, with Bella Bellini looking to lock up the division in the October 29 final for mares, and Amigo Volo entered against open company on the same evening.

"I was happy with Amigo Volo's effort at Yonkers and thought he deserved a shot," said Norman. "He was looking for room in the race at Yonkers [Robert Miecuna Invitational October 15] and had a lot of trot finishing."

As for Bella Bellini, the trainer will be happy to see her return to the big track after a pair of races over five-eighths and half-mile tracks.

"I probably shouldn't have raced her at Dayton," Norman said. As for the Yonkers start for Bella Bellini [also in the mile-and-one-quarter Miecuna]: "She didn't like all of those turns."