Top sophomores entered in FanDuel Championships

When the FanDuel Championships (formerly known as the TVG) were founded in 2013, Jeff Gural’s vision was a year-end race that would provide a stage for the top 3-year-olds to end their season by facing the best older horses, much as the Thoroughbred racing has done with the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

The entries have been taken for the 2023 races, which will be held Saturday (Nov. 25) at The Meadowlands, and that vision has become reality.

As anticipated, Confederate, whose season has seen him win nearly every major sophomore stake while becoming the fastest 3-year-old pacer in history, will face division leaders Bythemissal and Tattoo Artist among the 10-horse, $350,000 Open Pace, quite possibly the “Race of the Year.”

Confederate, the sport’s No. 1-ranked horse in the Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll, will start Saturday from post nine while fourth-ranked Bythemissal will leave from post three and sixth-ranked Tattoo Artist goes from post four.

Tactical Approach dominated this year’s class of sophomore trotters with the Hambletonian and Kentucky Futurity among his 10 wins on the season and will take on a talented field of six veterans led by It’s Academic, Alrajah One IT and Southwind Tyrion (Breeders Crown Open Trot winner by invitation) in the $350,000 Open Trot.

Ranked third in the sport’s Top 10, Tactical Approach will start from post one.

Three-year-old Twin B Joe Fresh has accepted an invitation to face her older rivals, led by Breeders Crown winner Max Contract, in an abbreviated five-horse field for the $175,000 Open Mare Pace.

Bond, another 3-year-old, will use her Breeders Crown golden ticket to gain entry into the $175,000 Mare Open Trot division, where she’ll go against Jiggy Jog S and M-M’s Dream in a five-horse field.

The $1 million FanDuel Championships will go on a stakes-laden card with total purses of more than $2.5 million that includes the Freshman Fall Final Four.

Racing begins at 6:20 p.m. Saturday.