What A Difference A Race Makes

Not sure how much ground The Captain will lose in this week’s Top Ten Poll as a result of his loss to the unheralded and relatively obscure Dedi’s Dragon at Hoosier Park on Friday night, but it will no doubt be substantial.

A look back at last year’s HOY race adds some perspective to the ongoing battle between Bee and The Captain. Last year at the beginning of October another trotting filly with impeccable credentials, Check Me Out, was the clear leader in the Poll; she had 338 points to second place Chapter Seven’s 288 points. That amounts to a 15% lead, much more substantial than the six or seven point margin Bee has held over her rival of late.

When the pair went to Lexington Chapter Seven won a weak open, then took the Allerage. CMO, on the other hand, was beaten by Win Missy B in a heat of the Filly Futurity—a loss similar in impact to Captain T losing to Dedi’s Dragon—and she was subsequently scratched from the final, which Win Missy B won. Then at the Breeders Crown, while little Chapter Seven was parked the mile against that behemoth, Commander Crow, and beat him, CMO was picked up by number one rival Maven as well as Missy B in the divisional race for trotting fillies. That was the Donato filly’s final start of the campaign.

By November 14 Chapter Seven was on top with 343 points, while CMO was in second with 241 points. He had amassed a 30% lead.

The HOY race was over the moment Check Me Out lost that heat to Win Missy B in Lexington. That settled it. This year’s race may also be over.