Stage set for 2-year-old Breeders Crown elims
At 0h03, on October 16, 2024 • By Breeders Crown
Metro Pace champion Fallout, ranked No. 10 in the Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll, will lead the way Friday afternoon (Oct. 18) when the Meadowlands hosts nine $25,000 Breeders Crown eliminations for 2-year-old pacers and trotters. First-race post time Friday is 12:30 p.m. (EDT).
Fallout will be among 72 freshmen competing in elims Friday. Two other 2-year-olds, male trotter Maryland and female trotter Champagne Problems, will advance directly to their event’s finals thanks to their wins in last month’s Peter Haughton Memorial and Jim Doherty Memorial, respectively. Maryland is ranked No. 7 in the sport’s Top 10 poll.
All 2-year-old Breeders Crown finals will be Oct. 25 at the Big M. Elimination winners as well as Maryland and Champagne Problems, in an order determined by lot, will draw for post positions one through six in their respective finals. All other finalists will be placed in an open draw for the remaining post positions.
Sixteen 2-year-old male pacers were entered in the Breeders Crown, requiring two eliminations. The top five finishers from each elim will advance to the final.
Fallout, the sport’s richest freshman male pacer with $486,750 in purses for trainer Tony Alagna, will leave from post six in the second elimination. The son of Captaintreacherous-Aria Hanover brings a three-race win streak to his elim and has won four of nine races overall.
Among the remaining male pacers competing in Friday’s elims are Ohio Sires Stakes champion Sippinonsearoc and Kentucky Sire Stakes champion Louprint, both trained by Ron Burke. They rank second and third, respectively, in earnings for 2-year-old male pacers. Sippinonsearoc is the fastest 2-year-old in history, with a mark of 1:48.2. They meet in the first elimination.
There also will be two elims for the 2-year-old male trotters, with 16 horses in action as they look to join Maryland in the final. The top- our finishers from each elim plus the fifth-place finisher with the highest earnings will advance to the final.
That group includes Grand Circuit and Kentucky Sire Stakes winner Super Chapter and Pennsylvania Sire Stakes champion Meshuggah, who, like Maryland, are trained by Marcus Melander. Also in the mix is Grand Circuit winner Memento Mori, an Eric Patalan trainee whose 1:51.4 mark is tied for the season’s best by a freshman trotter. Meshuggah and Memento Mori are in the first elim; Super Chapter is in the second.
There will be three eliminations for 2-year-old female trotters, with 23 fillies in action Friday as they attempt to join Nancy Takter-trained Champagne Problems in the final. The top three finishers from each elim will advance to the final.
Among the hopefuls are Grand Circuit winners Aperfect Annie, R Dutchess, Royal Mission, and Sound Judgement. Aperfect Annie, trained by Carter Pinske, also counts the Kentucky Sire Stakes championship among her wins while Melander-trained Royal Mission is the New York Sire Stakes champ.
Jim Oscarsson-trained Sound Judgement and John Butenschoen-trained R Dutchess are among the season’s fastest rookie female trotters, right behind 1:51.4 performer Luna Lovegood, another Melander trainee.
Seventeen 2-year-old female pacers were entered in the Breeders Crown, resulting in two eliminations. The top five finishers from each elim will advance to the final.
Jared Bako will send out two of this season’s highest money-winning freshman fillies, New York Sire Stakes champion and She’s A Great Lady runner-up The Last Martini and NYSS runner-up Cowgirl Hanover. The duo has combined for more than $700,000 in purses.
Burke has a trio of Grand Circuit winners in Rose, Looksgoodinloulou, and Rodeo Drive Deo. Looksgoodinloulou has a mark of 1:48.3, tied for the fastest in history by a 2-year-old female pacer while Rose also has the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes title to her credit. Chris Ryder-trained Miki And Minnie is a Grand Circuit winner and Kentucky Sire Stakes champion.
Cowgirl Hanover, Looksgoodinloulou, Rodeo Drive Deo, and Miki And Minnie are in the first elim. Rose and The Last Martini are in the second.
