On Friday and Saturday at the Meadowlands Racetrack, 115 of the best Standardbreds in the sport will compete for divisional championships and $5.5 million worth of purse money in the 31st edition of the Breeders Crown.

Four Crown finals for females will be run on Friday as races 7-10. On Saturday, eight more championship races are on tap, forming pick four wagers with guaranteed pools of $50,000 (races 4-7) and $100,000 (races 8-11). Those wagering on DRF Bets will receive a 15 percent bonus on winning tickets.

[bc_playlist_id:342569:]Daily Racing Form’s own Matt Bernier won the Aqueduct Betting Challenge, a two-day handicapping contest with a  first prize worth $40,000. Because he is a DRF employee, Bernier is not eligible for any of the three seats to the National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas that were awarded out of the Aqueduct tournament. The next three finishers - Stephen Thompson, Joseph Muzio, and Joe Girardi – earned  NHC seats.

Leading jockey Russell Baze, who had three wins and a third from his first four mounts, was injured prior to Saturday’s sixth race at Golden Gate Fields when Private Joke tossed his head back and struck Baze above his left eye.

Baze had to take off his remaining mounts after receiving stitches for the laceration but said he planned to ride Sunday.

Baze’s misfortune turned into an exhilarating 10 minutes for Kyle Frey, who picked up the mount on Private Joke and guided him to a wire-to-wire victory in the maiden turf race.

Jockey Alex Cintron is scheduled to have surgery Sunday or Monday to repair a broken jaw and other fractures to his face resulting from a spill that involved three horses in the sixth race at Laurel Park on Friday. He is expected to be sidelined six to eight weeks, according to his agent, Mark Mace.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Jockey Mike Luzzi, who was injured in a paddock accident Nov. 2 at Aqueduct, underwent a second surgery Wednesday to repair his fractured pelvis.

According to his son, Lane, Mike Luzzi underwent a full reconstruction of his pelvis, with plates and screws replacing pins that previously had been used. During the five-hour procedure, doctors found the source of his internal bleeding, which resulted in blood transfusions.

"He's doing considerably well after the surgery," Lane Luzzi wrote in a text.

Tom Durkin received another retirement gift Friday.

Durkin, who retired from race-calling earlier this year after 43 years in the business, was voted the recipient of this year’s Big Sport of Turfdom award by the Turf Publicists of America. The annual honor is bestowed upon those who enhance coverage of Thoroughbred racing through cooperation with media and Thoroughbred racing publicists.

Durkin is the first track announcer to receive the Big Sport of Turfdom, which has been awarded annually since 1966.

The on-again-off-again saga that has been the career of Palace Malice for the last two months is officially on again. Co-owners Dogwood Stable and Three Chimneys Farm announced Friday that the multiple Grade 1 winner has passed a veterinary examination and will return to the races in 2015.

The Delaware Racing Commission on Thursday upheld a ruling by state stewards to suspend trainer Julio Cartagena for two years for a Class 1 drug positive, with the suspension likely to start after the first of the year, according to the commission’s top official.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Jockey Junior Alvarado will be out two to four weeks after suffering a hairline fracture of the T-6 vertebra, just below his shoulder blade, in a spill following Wednesday’s fifth race at Aqueduct.

Alvarado was aboard Knockher Off, who finished second in the race. Galloping out a few strides past the wire, Knockher Off stumbled and pitched Alvarado to the ground, and he landed on his head. Knockher Off, a 4-year-old gelding by Unbridled’s Song, fractured his neck on impact and died instantly.

AUBURN, Wash. – Emerald Downs has been sold to the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, Emerald and tribal officials announced Thursday. While no terms were revealed, the Muckleshoots will assume full control from Northwest Racing Associates, which has operated the suburban Seattle track since its opening in 1996.