Apprentice Hanover (Somebeachsomewhere Allamerican Nadia Dragon s Lair) A bay colt, Apprentice Hanover was sold for $90,000 as a yearling at the 2011 Lexington Select Sale. Owned by Brad Grant, Milton, Ontario Breeder: Hanover Shoe Farms Inc., PA Apprentice Hanover s 1:49.4 record came in a $40,000 Metro Pace elimination on Aug. 25, but he finished second by two lengths in the $1 million Metro Final won by Captaintreacherous a week later. He won a division of the $86,550 International Stallion Stakes at The Red Mile in 1:50.3 on Oct. 6 and a $110,720 Nassagaweya Stakes at Mohawk by nine lengths on Aug. 18. He finished second in his Breeders Crown elimination, clocked in 1:51.3, beaten 1 ½ lengths by Wake Up Peter. 9 starts, 5 wins, 1 second, 2 thirds ($266,968) Trainer, Ben Wallace: This colt is a true gentleman. He s a big and studdy 2-year-old, but he s still a gentleman and very professional about his work. He s very much like his father Somebeachsomewhere. He didn t come out of the Lexington races as well as he should have and has been fighting a viral infection ever since. At this level of competition they have to be firing on all cylinders in order to be competitive, so we hope to get him healthy for next week s final. Driver, Jody Jamieson: My horse came a very fast :26.4 last quarter. I didn t think at the three-quarter pole that he could get beat. I think my colt is one of the best in this division, and honestly, I m very surprised he got beat in his elimination. Appentice Hanover is sired by 2008 Breeders Crown Champion and Horse of the Year Somebeachsomewhere and is out of the 2002 Breeders Crown Three-Year-Old Filly Pace Champion Allamerican Nadia, who nipped Worldly Beauty at odds of 48-1, and who is a half-sister to 2002 Woodrow Wilson winner Allamerican Native. Interestingly, Worldly Beauty has her son Captaintreacherous in this same division. Apprentice Hanover is a half-brother to Rusty s All In (by Western Hanover) p, 6, 1:50.3F ($371,139). Jody Jamieson was the fourth leading Breeders Crown driver in 2011 steering two Crown champions to $692,800 in Crown earnings. Overall he has three championship and $1,769,600 in Crown earnings. His Breeders Crown Championship drives include: Santana Blue Chip, 2007 Two-Year-Old Colt Pace, Monkey On My Wheel, 2011 Three-Year-Old Filly Pace & Frenchfrysnvinegar, 2011 Open Mare Trot. Trainer Ben Wallace has two Breeders Crowns titles and $1,285,995 in championship earnings. His winners are Totally Western, the 2002 Two-Year-Old Colt Pace victor and winner of the 2003 Two-Year-Old Filly Pace, Pans Culottes.
Captaintreacherous (Somebeachsomewhere Worldly Beauty Artsplace) A bay colt, Captaintreacherous sold for $250,000 as a yearling at the 2011 Lexington Select Sale. Owned by Brittany Farms (George Segal), Versailles, KY; Marvin Katz, Toronto, ON; Joe Sbrocco, Brecksville, OH; and White Birch Farm (Michael Parisi), Allentown, NJ. Breeder: White Birch Farms, NJ. Captaintreacherous captured his Breeders Crown elimination in 1:50. The youngster has finished second only once in his career in his very first pari-mutuel start when he was beaten just a neck in 1:52 in a Meadowlands overnight. Since then, he s been unstoppable posting his most impressive victory in the $1 million Metro Pace at Mohawk, when he recorded his career best 1:49.2 record. He also won the $309,050 Woodrow Wilson Final in 1:49.3 by over ten lengths on Aug. 4 at The Big M, as well as a $109,206 Nassagaweya Stakes division in 1:51.3 on Aug.18 at Mohawk; a $86,800 Bluegrass Stake on Sept. 29; and a $86,550 International Stallion Stake in 1:50.3 at the Red Mile on Oct. 6. 9 starts, 8 wins, 1 second ($846,193). Trainer, Tony Alagna: This horse is just a freak of nature. He s been super good all year and has three sub-1:50 miles to his credit. I m so thankful to have a horse like him but it s also very stressful because I m constantly worrying about him. However, he s an exceptional two-year-old and I just couldn t be more pleased with him or his progression throughout the season. He s truly one of a kind. Driver, Tim Tetrick: He does everything right, he wasn t at the top of his game last week and he still gave it his all. I love driving good horses and that s why I worked so hard to get the top. Captaintreacherous is sired by 2008 Breeders Crown Champion and Horse of the Year Somebeachsomewhere. His dam, Wordly Beauty, was favored to win the 2002 Breeders Crown Three- Year-Old Filly Pace but was beaten by a whisker by Allamerican Nadia at odds of 48-1, who also has a son in this division Apprentice Hanover.
A bay colt, Captive Audience sold for $95,000 as a yearling at the 2011 Standardbred Horse Sale in Harrisburg, PA. Owned by Mac T Nichol, Burlington, ON & Colin Johnson, Repentigny, QC Breeder: Perretti Farms, NJ Captive Audience established his 1:50.2 career best time by winning a $267,066 Champlain Stakes division on Sept. 8 at Mohawk. He followed that up with a 1:53 victory in a Woodbine overnight before being third to Wake Up Peter in his Breeders Crown elimination, timed in 1:51.3. 9 starts, 2 wins, 1 second, 4 thirds ($179,154) Captive Audience (Art Major Captiva Island Western Hanover) Trainer, Corey Johnson: I think he has a very nice shot in here. We previously had a closed bridle on him and he was starting to get pretty grabby, so we switched to the hood with the cups. He s very versatile and he handles the detention barn well, which is important. He s a pretty straightforward kind of horse and really enjoys his job. I was a little disappointed that he came first up around the last turn in his elimination, because that s always tough on a colt. I d like to get a better trip in the final and hopefully he ll fire well then. Driver, Brian Sears: He raced well first up after drawing the outside and it was tough on him. He s a good, honest colt who was a solid third in the Metro and I hope he ll get a good piece of it in the final. Art Major, sire of Captive Audience, won the 2003 Breeders Crown Open Pace, and his dam Captiva Island, p, 4, 1:51.3F ($316,588) was a Breeders Crown contender in the 2007 Three-Year-Old Filly Pace. Mac Nichol, an Alberta native and oil businessman, first stepped into the international spotlight with world champion pacer American Ideal. In 2008, he purchased and renovated a 50-acre Standardbred training facility near Acton, Ontario, which he and his wife, Carol, renamed Ideal Training Centre. Jeff Gillis is among the trainers stabled there. Nichol got his first Breeders Crown with 3-year-old filly pacer Monkey On My Wheel last year at Woodbine.
Dress The Part (The Panderosa Dress To Suggest Camluck) A brown colt, Dress The Part is owned by breeders Robert McIntosh Stables, Windsor, and Al McIntosh Holdings Inc., Leamington, ON. Dress The Part finished a solid fourth in his Breeders Crown elimination, clocked in 1:51 behind the winning Captaintreacherous. He recorded his career mark of 1:52.1s in a Mohawk overnight on Aug. 10, and has only missed two checks in his 11 starts this season. 11 starts, 2 wins, 3 seconds, 1 third ($131,869) Trainer, Robert McIntosh: He s raced pretty good despite being parked around the first turn. He s probably one notch below the really top horses but he s a really tough colt. Having the one-hole is not the best position to have at Woodbine, but you ve got to be up near the front someplace. Driver, John Campbell: I had to use him a bit in the first quarter, but then I got to follow Captain Treacherous and we got to go again. I was having trouble steering him coming off the last turn, but if we can address that, he ll be good for next week. Dress The Part s dam, Dress to Suggest, is sired by the 1991 Breeders Crown Open Pace winner Camluck, who was campaigned by owner/breeder Robert McIntosh. Dress The Part is a full brother to $559,386 winner Dapper Dude p, 3, 1:49F. McIntosh has won 15 Breeders Crown events in his Hall of Fame career, the most of any trainer in the history of the series. He ranks No. 2 in purses, with $5.89 million. His stable has earned more than $2 million in purses for 21 consecutive years, including $3.61 million this season. McIntosh has won 3,129 races lifetime. He s won this division three times, the most of any trainer. Campbell is the leading driver in the history of the Breeders Crown, both in terms of wins and purses. He has captured 45 titles, including last year with older male pacer Bettor Sweet, and earned $20.25 million in purses. With more than $280 million in career purses, Campbell is the sport s all-time money-winner and he is $90 million ahead of No. 2 Ron Pierce. Campbell has led North America in earnings 16 times and finished second on seven occasions. Campbell s 10,516 lifetime wins rank eighth among all drivers in history. In 2006, Campbell received the Driver of the Year Award from the U.S. Harness Writers Association. He is a threetime winner of Harness Tracks of America s Driver of the Year Award.
Fool Me Once (Art Major Fool That I Am Jenna s Beach Boy) A bay colt, Fool Me Once sold for $70,000 as a yearling at the 2011 Standardbred Horse Sale in Harrisburg, PA. Owned by Mark Austin Stables Inc., Fergus, ON & Daniel W Smith, London, ON. Breeder: Roll The Dice Stable, DE. Fool Me Once finished fifth in his Breeders Crown elimination to Wake Up Peter, timed in 1:52. He recorded his career mark of 1:51.3 in the $85,800 Bluegrass Stake on Sept. 29, following that up with a win in the $86,550 International Stallion Stakes on Oct. 6 at The Red Mile. 9 starts, 4 wins, 1 third ($127,6226). Trainer, Mark Austin: We had good post positions and the trips worked out well for him the last two weeks in Lexington. We train five miles every day, we trained two trips on Tuesday. This is my second time at the Breeders Crown. My wife Julie is the caretaker for this horse. Driver, Ron Pierce: I asked them to let the hobbles out because the horse seemed all tied up inside of them and I think he was too snugged up in them to be effective. He has to go faster to be competitive with this bunch and he can t do that with the way his hobbles are now. They were really working against him, and I m sure if they get that straightened out for the final, he ll be much better. Pierce ranks third among all drivers in Breeders Crown history in wins and purses. He has won 25 trophies and $10.70 million. Pierce was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005. He was voted Driver of the Year in 2004 by the U.S. Harness Writers Association. With $190 million in lifetime purses, Pierce ranks second to only John Campbell for the highest earnings in history. He moved into the runner-up spot by passing Mike Lachance earlier this year. Pierce s 8,406 career wins are No. 17 on the all-time list. Fool Me Once s sire, Art Major, captured the Breeders Crown 2003 Open Pace, and his dam Fool That I Am is by Jenna s Beach Boy, a triple Breeders Crown champion, winning the Breeders Crown Two, Three-Year-Old and Open Paces. This is trainer Mark Austin s first Breeders Crown finalist.
Rockin Amadeus (Rocknroll Hanover Kikikatie Real Artist) A bay colt, Rockin Amadeus is owned by breeder Lothlorien (Susan Grange), Cheltenham, ON. Rockin Amadeus finished third in his Breeders Crown elim, timed in 1:50.4, behind the winning Captaintreacherous. He recorded a mark of 1:51.3 at Lexington in a division of the Bluegrass Stakes (was 2 nd placed 1 st when Odds On Equuleus was disqualified for interference. Won a New Jersey Sire Stakes in 1:52 on Aug. 10 at The Meadowlands. 9 starts, 2 wins, 3 seconds, 1 third ($155,426) Trainer, Jimmy Takter: This colt is really nice, and he s pretty simple and uncomplicated. All of these colts have to be uncomplicated these days to go the kind of miles they are going now. I was very happy with his performance in here. He s a strong colt who sat locked in tonight. Driver, Yannick Gingras: My colt had very good speed at both ends of the mile. He s been a pleasure to drive all season long and is a very versatile colt. Sire Rocknroll Hanover, the 2005 Breeders Crown Champion and Horse of the Year, was also owned by Susan Grange s Lothlorien. Twilight Bonfire (The Panderosa Firelight Dancer Cam Fella) A bay colt, Twilight Bonfire is owned by breeder Robert Key, Leechburg, PA. Twilight Bonfire finished fifth in his Breeders Crown elimination, timed in 1:51.2, to the winning Captaintreacherous. His 1:52.1 record was taken in a $86,600 Bluegrass Stakes division at The Red Mile on Sept. 29, and he also won a $31,875 Standardbred division at Delaware, OH on Sept. 20 in 1:55. He ll be driven by Dave Palone in the Breeders Crown Final. 11 starts, 2 wins, 2 seconds, 3 thirds ($126,854). Trainer, Danny Collins: He raced honorably. I thought he d have a little more punch coming home. He lost a shoe somewhere along the line. Second through fifth were really close. For the first time on this track, I thought he raced good. It s the end of the year; we ll likely blow him out the middle of the week, a mile-and-a half or so. He ll be in good shape for the final. Driver, Ron Pierce: He followed along nice in his elim. Coming off the turn I thought we were going to be second. I was really happy with how he raced. I m sure he ll have more in the tank next week.
Urbanite Hanover (Western Ideal Up Front Sassy Dragon Again) A bay colt, Urbanite Hanover was sold for $11,000 as a yearling at the 2011 Standardbred Horse Sale in Harrisburg, PA. Owned by Daniel Haist, Ridgeville & John Williamson, Waterdown, ON. Breeder: Hanover Shoe Farms Inc, PA. Still looking for that elusive first win of his career, Urbanite Hanover finished fourth to Wake Up Peter in his Breeders Crown elimination, timed in 1:51.4. His mark of Q1:54 was taken in a Mohawk qualifier on July 23. 9 starts, 3 seconds, 1 third ($55,832). Trainer, John Williamson: I think he raced awesome and Tim gave him a great trip. He ll be trained, but not too heavy this week. We got a lot of nice horses in here, but Captaintreacherous is another kind of animal. This horse has trained perfectly. I paid $11,000 for this horse from Hanover Shoe Farms, a great farm to deal with; I have nothing but praise for them. We are stabled in Flamborough at a farm called Emerald Isle. Driver, Tim Tetrick: He raced really good actually. He had pace right through until the wire, he just couldn t get out. Western Ideal, Urbanite Hanover s sire, was the Breeders Crown Open Pace Champion in 2000.
Vegas Vacation (Bettor s Delight Don t You Smile Grinfromeartoear) A brown gelding, Vegas Vacation was sold for $32,000 as a yearling at the 2011 Lexington Select Sale. Owned by West Wins Stable (Zoltan Kovacs and Ross Warriner), Cambridge, ON; Adriano Sorella, Milton, ON; Anthony Beaton, Waterdown, ON and Phyllis Saunders, Hamilton, ON. Breeder: Kentuckiana Farms Gen Par, KY After qualifying in early July, Vegas Vacation raced in a trio of Mohawk overnights winning in 1:54.4 on July 13 before finishing second by a neck to Captaintreacherous in the $109,206 Nassagwey Stake at Mohawk, timed in 1:51.3. Only missing two checks in nine starts to date, he finished a strong second to Captaintreacherous in his Breeders Crown elimination, clocked in 1:50.4. 9 starts, 1 win, 6 seconds ($66,581) Trainer, Casie Coleman: This colt is kind of tough luck. He always gets in the toughest divisions and gets the toughest trips of any horse in the race. He ll follow a horse all day long and I really hope that one day he can get a trip where he ll be able to do that. I d love to see him get a trip off a helmet someday. Driver, Scott Zeron: This colt is really fresh right now and I was using that to my advantage. I took my time moving him off the gate, and knew I d have plenty left for the end of the race. He paced super fast all the way to the wire. Sire Bettor s Delight won the 2000 Two-Year-Old Colt Pace and his dam, Don t You Smile, was sired by 1999 Breeders Crown Three-Year-Old Colt Pace Champion Grinfromeartoear. Vegas Vacation is also a half-brother to Notreadytobenice p, 3, 1:54.1f ($154,387), by Western Ideal. Coleman has won three Breeders Crown titles, including last season s 3-year-old colt pace at Woodbine with Betterthancheddar. West Wins Stable was co-owner of the colt. A four-time winner of the O Brien Award as Canada s top trainer, Coleman has won 1,926 races during her career. Her stable has surpassed $5 million in purses each of the last four years, including $6.18 million this season. Her career best is $6.51 million in 2010. Zeron, the 23-year-old son of driver/trainer Rick Zeron, is looking for his first Breeders Crown win. He has won 1,885 races in his career, including 310 this season. He set his career high of 606 victories in 2010. He has earned $7.52 million in purses this year, moving nearer to his career best of $8.26 million established in 2011.
Wake Up Peter (Rocknroll Hanover Lovely Lady Die Laughing) A bay colt, Wake Up Peter sold for $20,000 as a yearling at the 2011 Lexington Select Sale. Owned by Alagna Racing LLC, Steger, IL, Louis Willinger, Louisville, KY; Eagles Soars Partners (John Fodera, Martha Frank, and Steven Wienick), Staten Island, NY; and Wake Up Peter Partners (Joseph Fusco and Thomas Magliozzo) Millstone, NJ. Breeder: White Birch, NJ. Wake Up Peter stomped his rivals in his Breeders Crown elimination, using a sizzling :25.4 final brush to prevail by 1 ¾ lengths in a career best 1:51.1. That win gave trainer Tony Alagna a clean sweep of the Breeders Crown freshmen eliminations as he also scored with Captaintreacherous. Prior to this latest victory, the rangy colt had captured a New Jersey Sire Stakes in 1:52.2 at The Meadowlands on Aug. 10. 8 starts, 2 wins, 1 second, 1 third ($140,170) Trainer, Tony Alagna: We ve been high on this colt all year, but he had a breathing problem early in the season that we were able to fix. He s a little lazy but that s okay with me. I told Scott (driver Zeron) that the colt was as sharp as he could be tonight. It showed. I think his best races are in front of him, and he s set up to be a very nice 3-year-old. Driver, Scott Zeron: This colt just flew home tonight. When we finally got clearance he really turned on the steam. He impressed me with this effort and I think he impressed a lot of other people, too. Wake up Peter is a son of 2005 Breeders Crown Three-Year-Old Champion and Horse of the Year Rocknroll Hanover. Wake Up Peter s dam Lovely Lady is a half-sister to Worldly Beauty, the dam of Captaintreacherous, also a contender in this division.