During the Hambletonion’s
first 55 years a trotter could be required to complete four heats for a win;
for the next ten years—from 1981-1991—the race maxed out at three heats; and
from that point on it became possible to win the Hambletonion while capturing a
single heat. His year the race will revert back to the same day format employed
from 1991 to 1997. The winner of a single heat can still take the prize, but the
eliminations and final will now be raced on the same day. If 13 or fewer enter
the race there will be a single dash. If an elimination round is necessary for
the Oaks, it may or may not be held the previous week.
Last year
there was much hand-wringing over the absence of Googoo Gaagaa from the race.
He wasn’t nominated, but his owner/trainer didn’t appear to have much interest
in it anyway. The previous year it was Dejarmbro who wasn’t nominated. In that
case the connections would have liked to have their colt in there and they did
supplement him to the BC and the Kentucky Futurity. As it was, Dejarmbro won
more money than MOMM or Chapter Seven that year, and Goo earned more than all
but five of his classmates in 2012.
This year
the Crazed gelding, Tirade Hanover, is not among those eligible. He beat
Explosive Action in a $30,000 NYSS event at Tioga, and won a $58,000 split of
the Lou Barasch at Yonkers, over 1/5 favorite Fashion Blizzard. And he was
second to that one in the $225,000 Night of Champions at Yonkers. His dam is a sister
to the dam of Some Girls. Tirade earned 95% of his $194,000 bankroll in the
NYSS and he will make plenty of dough there
this year, but not in the Hambletonion. (The Yonkers Trot is now one week prior
to the Hambletonion, and with no eliminations clouding the calendar this year that
race may draw a respectable field.)
Creampuff
MacDaddy, who won two OSS-Gold legs as well as upsetting Murmur Hanover in the
OSS Super Final, wasn’t nominated either. Other absentees of note are Mystical
Dew, Russell Mania, Powerful Poe, Majestized, Boy Meets Girl K and Natural
Herbie. The important players are all eligible.
Of the top
performers from last year’s freshman C&G class who are staked to the race,
Cantab Hall has three: prohibitive favorite—at this early date—Wheeling N
Dealin, the winner of the PA Championship, Dontyouforgetit, and My Man Can.
Credit Winner has a strong pair in Night of Champions winner Fashion Blizzard and
ISS winner Pine Credit, while Yankee Glide has the Haughton winner,
Aperfectyankee, as well as Bluegrass winner All Laid Out.
Wheeling N
Dealin was a perfect nine for nine, with wins in the BC, Champlain and
Wellwood. He won both the Dan Patch and O’Brien. He drew off from all but
second place finisher Royalty For Life in the BC. The two top fillies went
faster than he did and he doesn’t have a live cam in his stall or a contest built around him, but he was just
as convincing a class leader as Captaintreacherous was.
Aperfectyankee,
winner of the Haughton for Jim Oscarsson, held the fastest mark of all the boys.
He also won a division of the Tompkins Geers and a $112,000 division of the
PASS. He was second to WND in the Champlain. On the downside, he had no kick
while finishing out at 1/5 in his Wellwood elimination and scratched out of the
final. He didn’t race after that. And while Oscarrson uses catch drivers for
his Master Glide colt, Banco Solo, he always drives this one himself.
Royalty For
Life had a strong season in the NYSS and got even better in the fall. He beat
even money favorite Dontyouforgetit in the ISS at Lexington, and finished
second to Wheeling N Dealin in his BC elimination and the final. He banked
$334,000 on seven wins and eleven board finishes in fourteen starts, and it’s
noteworthy that more than 60% of his income was generated from non-restricted
races. His division of the NYSS was strong last year with the likes of Fashion
Blizzard, Tirade Hanover and Explosive
Action. This big, strong colt should be heard from.
The little
Cantab Hall colt, Dontyouforgetit, was the scourge of the PASS. He beat Major
Athens in the $200,000 PA Championship at The Meadows; won a $104,000 division
of the Florida Pro; won a $79,000 division of the Hickory Pride; and won
another $112,000 PASS division. He finished second behind Royalty For Life in
the ISS, and he was the 5/2 second choice in the BC but finished out. He then
finished out as the 1/5 favorite in the Matron. He didn’t do so well when he
moved into open waters.
The Andover
Hall colt Major Athens earned $310,000 on seven wins and 10 board finishes in
12 starts. His dam is half to Miss Wisconsin. He won his Haughton elimination
for Sears as the even money favorite but finished out in the final. He won a
division of the Bluegrass and was third in
the ISS, won a $78,000 division of the Hickory Pride, won a $111,000 event at
Harrah’s, won the Keystone Classic as the 1/9 favorite at The Meadows, finished
second in the $200,000 PASS final as the 6/5 favorite, and won a couple of
other PASS races at Pocono.
There really
is no traditional GC type in the mix. Wheeling N Dealin comes closest in that
he never left Canada to race in the PASS, but that also resulted in him
skipping races like the Haughton, Bluegrass and ISS that a typical GC colt
would participate in.
The fact
that Jim Campbell’s Credit Winner colt Fashion Blizzard earned 35% of his
$300,000 bankroll in open stakes is very good. He made the board ten times in
twelve starts for Campbell and Jim Morrill. He broke coming to the gate from
the eleven post in the BC but prior to that he won the $225,000 Night of
Champions Trot at Yonkers as the 3/5 favorite. This one was highly regarded all
year. He finished second behind Tirade as the 1/5 favorite in a division of the
Lou Barasch at Yonkers, and he won a $48,000 NYSS event as the 2/5 favorite at that
track. Fashion Blizzard was second in his Haughton elimination and finished third
from the ten post in the final. He was ahead of Royalty For Life for most of
the season in performance and perception.
All five of
Murmur Hanover’s wins came in the OSS but the $400,000 winner has plenty of
gate speed and he used it to get a third behind Wheeling N Dealin in the
Champlain, a second behind that one in the Wellwood and a third place finish in
the BC at 75/1, from the ten. He was the 3/5 favorite in the OSS Super Final
but Creampuff MacDaddy, who is not staked to the Hambletonion, beat him. In
August Murmur nosed out Creampuff in a series record :55 in an OSS Gold Final
at Mohawk. The Majestic Son colt was a $70,000 yearling purchase.
Erv Miller’s
Credit Winner colt, Pine Credit, was an easy winner in a division of the ISS
and also won the Harriman at Vernon. He also took a $57,000 division of the Lou
Barasch at Yonkers. Lewayne Miller drives.
Corky, the
NJSS champ, won the $150,000 NJSS final, was second behind Aperfectyankee in
the Haughton and was second in the Simpson and Reynolds. The son of Muscles
Yankee made all his starts at the Meadowlands…..The Cantab Hall colt, My Man
Can, only won once--his Wellwood elimination—and he finished third behind WND
and Murmur in the final. He finished
second in the Champlain and had some strong board finishes in the PASS......The
Glidemaster colt, Puxsutawney beat Bluto in a $112,000 PASS event at 44/1. The
latter is a Donato Hanover colt who showed some promise. He won a $112,000
division of the PASS. The problem is that Jimmy Takter likes to drive him:
Guccio all over again. Donato and Dewey have plenty of colts nominated but they
didn’t show much last year. Maybe $825,000 yearling Detour Hanover will come
alive…….Noel Daley’s Yankee Glide colt, All Laid Back, had a good win in the
Bluegrass over My Man Can and Fashion Blizzard.
Here are
some pre-season odds on the colts I consider the primary contenders in this
year’s race.
Wheeling N
Dealin….4/5
Royalty For
Life……..5/2
Major Athens………...3/1
Aperfectyankee......7/2
Fashion
Blizzard…….5/1
Dontyouforgetit……..7/1
Pine
Credit……………12/1
Murmur
Hanover…15/1
All Laid
Back…………20/1
My Man
Can………..20/1
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