McWicked proved to be the champion in America over the weekend when landing the $US430,000 Open Pace Final at the Breeders Crown meeting, one of the 12 aged championship races held at Pocono Downs on Sunday morning (AEST).
It was built as one of the clashes of the year between McWicked and Lazarus going into the last event on a 14-race program, with Lazarus defeating McWicked into third in the Dan Patch Stakes in August and a nose defeat of the American seven-year-old in the Hoosier Park Derby in September.
McWicked of course had beaten Lazarus twice as well in the past in the Canadian Derby and the Allerage Farms Open Pace at the Red Mile. They were due to go toe to toe again at Yonkers two weeks ago before Lazarus was a scratching due to coughing.
The elimination heats of this series were cancelled last week due to lack of entries which allowed eight of America’s best open class pacers to battle it out.
In the end it was all about McWicked with driver Brian Sears making his run in the back straight on the Casie Coleman-trained veteran after a circuit in the 1609-metre feature and dashed to the front and never saw another horse to win by a comfortable four lengths.
Lazarus and McWicked were both restrained off the mobile before Lazarus made a run at the 1000m to take the lead comfortably. However, in the back straight when McWicked went straight past him it was obvious something wasn’t right with the New Zealand bred champion, who from then on got further behind and finished 50m last of the eight. At the time of writing there is no official reason given for the disappointing run of Lazarus.
Filibuster Hanover, who was the early leader before surrendering to Lazarus, finished second with 5/1 third-favourite Donttellmeagain finishing third.
The quarters were 26.2, 29.2, 27 and 27.2 for 1:49.6 on a rain affected track.
For McWicked it was his 10th win at start 17 this particular season and his 24th win overall with his other feature wins this year including the Ben Franklin Free For All, William R. Haughton Memorial, Canadian Derby, Allerage Farms Open and Dan Rooney Invitational Pace and now just under the $US4,000,000 in prizemoney.
"He is real easy to drive and he does everything you want,” Sears told Keith Gisser for HarnessLink.
“It's great to have the opportunity to drive such nice horses.
"I always think he's gonna be good, but to think he is going to do what he did this year... I think he is better now than he was at three," said trainer Casie Coleman.
“It is a big team effort no doubt. I hope he is going to race next year, but that is not my call. It is up to Mr James (owner Edward James of the SSG Stables.). I think he will be at stud, but I hope he will race, our team would really like that."
There were 11 other championship finals on the program with the first of those being the $US600,000 two-year-old pacing fillies final won by the Yannick Gingras-driven Ron Burke-trained even-money chance Warrawee Ubeaut, who made it seven wins from 11 starts after taking control at the 800m and falling in to score in 26.4, 28, 28.4 and 29.8 for 1:52.6.
"Last week I drove her about as bad as a horse could be driven," said driver Yannick Gingras.
"I told the girl who looks after her I'll get the job done this week. I was very confident. The race didn't play out the way I thought it would, but we just moved with the flow.
“It's unfortunate [the bad weather], but it is what it is, we're all racing in the same conditions and usually the cream rises to the top."
Gimpanzee won the second of the championships in the two-year-old trotting colts division, the first of three victories for driver Brian Sears.
Gimpanzee, trained by Marcus Melander, made it nine wins from as many starts with the New York Sires Stakes winner adding the Breeders Crown to his name after going straight to the front before taking a trail to Green Manalishi, stablemate and second placegetter, and then retaking the lead at the 1000m before winning by two and a half lengths un-extended in 27.6, 30, 29 and 28.2 in 1:54.8 as a 1.5 favourite.
"It feels great, of course," said trainer Marcus Melander.
“He's like an aged horse; you can do whatever you want with him in a race. He's got a lot of stamina and a lot of speed and everything went well. I thought he raced great. I couldn't be happier with the year."
"It's not over until it's over but the horse has showed up all year," added Brian Sears. "He just knows how to do his job and got it done again tonight, figured I'd take my shot on the front."
Woodside Charm led all the way in the juvenile fillies trot, also unbeaten from now seven starts, for Verlin Yoder on his Breeders Crown debut, thus making Chapter Seven the winning sire of both juvenile trotting championships.
She started a 1.1 favourite and won like a tens-on chance should, on the bridle by nearly two lengths in 27.8, 29.4, 28.2 and 28.8 in 1:54.2.
Percy Blue Chip caused the biggest upset on the card winning the three-year-old pacing fillies at odds of 52/1 defeating 2.6 favourite Kissin In The Sand.
Kissin In The Sand, who faced the breeze from the outside draw of gate nine, was clearly the run of the race after blasting across and going stride for stride throughout with 2.7 second-favourite Youaremycandygirl who held the lead.
Percy Blue Chip had the run of the race one out and one back and was able to come over the top with the race set up for a swooper after quarters of 25.8, 27.8, 28.8 and 28.8 in 1:51.2 with Youaremycandygirl unable to lift her legs in the home straight weakening for sixth.
"It's amazing," said first-time Breeders Crown winning driver Matt Kakaley.
"Absolutely amazing. You know the only way I could win was if they duked it out on the lead, like that. I actually dropped my whip at the top of the stretch. I just put my nose on Scotty's (Zeron) helmet... She came home good. Down the back straight I thought I had a good shot."
The three-year-old colts trot took place next and was landed by the 1.4 odds-on favourite Tactical Landing for Brian Sears and Jimmy Takter.
He settled down midfield before moving around the field with a circuit to go and winning easily in 27.2, 28.6, 28 and 28.4 in 1:52.2 winning by nearly 20m.
Winning trainer Jimmy Takter said: "This horse, he's been battling a lot of issues. I have trained a lot of great horses, but the way he carries himself in this weather, I know he's by far the best three-year-old out there. I know Six Pack is a good horse, and it's too bad he got sick, but he would not have a shot with this horse.
"This horse is a level above anything. This was number 34 (Breeders Crown win), and I was very nervous going into it. This is my last year so I'd like to get at least one Crown before I get out of here."
Captain Crunch scored in the $US600,000 two-year-old colts feature, which was one of the more open races on the card. The son of Captaintreacherous had to work to lead but also enjoyed a sit mid-race and was able to land the prize very easily after hooking to the outside at the 200m and winning by three lengths in 26.8, 28.4, 28.2 and 28.2 for 1:51.6.
Race 9 was the Open Trot championship worth $US500,000 where Cruzado Dela Noche, Yonkers International champion, started a 3.4 favourite for the Gimpanzee winning combination of Brian Sears and Marcus Melander.
However he couldn’t sustain the three-wide move in the straight as it was won by Homicide Hunter who was able to lead late and defeat long-time leader Top Flight Angel with Warrawee Roo third.
Cruzado Dela Noche could only finish sixth, one place behind former Hambletonian champion Pinkman with Canadian star Marion Marauder disappointing once again as he did at Yonkers in sectionals of 27, 28.6, 28.4 and 28.6 for 1:52.6.
George Napolitano Junior was the winning driver in his first Crown triumph.
"Wow, words can't even explain it," he said.
"It's unbelievable. I am so grateful. It's a pretty simple track to drive on, and I have the right people beside me. Chris (Oakes, trainer) didn't say a word before the race re tactics. He knows I know this horse and I know the track. I usually win the four claimers, not the Breeders Crown."
Shartin continued her amazing run since leaving Australia for the US in winning the Older Mares Championship. She is now the winner of 17 from 22 in America.
She led comfortably and held off the overpriced Caviart Ally in 26.2, 28.4, 28.4 and 29 in 1:52. Her other big US wins include the Matchmaker Final, the Betsy Ross Mares Invitational, the Roses Are Red Final and Lady Liberty Free For All.
The Australian owned Lily Stride caused a 30/1 upset in the three year old trotting fillies defeating Hambletonian champion Atlanta.
Completing a race-to-race double for Tim Tetrick, the Emilio and Maria Rosati-owned daughter of Muscle Hill had a perfect sit out the back with the early stages run at a solid tempo and had the last laugh on Atlanta to win by a head who had to work hard to get the lead in 26.8, 27.6, 29.4 and 29.6 in 1:53.4.
It was an extraordinary drive in the last 300m by Tetrick who was three-wide with cover before finding a gap to go back to the inside to save ground and flashed through along the pegs (a la Anthony Butt in the 2009 Inter Dominion on Mr Feelgood).
"Ever since the first week of Lexington she's really been charging," Tetrick said.
“She got taken out in the (Kentucky) Futurity Final, or she would have been second or third, and last week came home in 27.1. I thought she was setting on a good race. I'm really surprised she paid 31-1. They all went to the outside and we took a shortcut, which I have been doing with her the last few starts."
"The monkey off my back is great," said trainer Mark Harder, who landed his maiden Crown success.
“You know, I am really happy to do it with this filly because the group she hit this year are great, great fillies. I thought I had a great, great filly until I qualified her and these other ones started showing up and they are vicious, they're really tough. She's going to go down under and the owners will race her down there, which will be, you know, a feather in their cap, to race a Breeders Crown winner."
One of the traditional highlights is the classic age three-year-old final for the pacers, which was won by favourite Dorsoduro Hanover from gate one, giving Matt Kakaley a double.
Originally beaten for speed from the mobile, he circled the field with a circuit to go to lead and win in 26.2, 27.6, 27.8 and 28.2 in 1:49.8 defeating second favourite and North America Cup champion Lather Up by three and a half lengths, who came from the rear to be second.
Emoticon Hanover landed the Mares Trot for the second year running after winning last year at Hoosier Park. She had a nice sit throughout before getting to the outside in the straight to score by a length with favourite Ariana G disappointing after getting an easy lead as she weakened for fifth in 27.2, 29.6, 28.6 and 28.8 in 1:54.2
"She's nice right now, she's good," said winning driver Daniel Dube on Emoticon Hanover. "We went to the passing lane last week, we went to the outside today. She does everything right. She is more relaxed. She is a special mare”.
In a quick European round-up Aubrion du Gers scored on Friday night at Mons in Belgium in the feature Group 2 Grand Prix de la Toussaint accounting for the Guarato trained pair of Billie de Montfort and Valko Jenilat by three meters in a French trained one-two-three in a mile rate of 1:58.3 for the 2300m from behind the mobile.
And the mighty Bold Eagle returned in France last night at the provincial track of Feurs in the Group 3 Grand Prix du Centre-Est (Feature race in the Central East of France) to win unextended of a 25m handicap rating a mile rate for his minimum 2875m journey of 1:57.9 on a sloppy track.
He looks in much better condition compared to 12 months ago and will be ready to show his best through the winter at Vincennes.
All eyes turn to Vincennes in Paris as their marathon Winter Meeting will kick off shortly with the first of the trial races for the Prix d'Amérique, the Grand Prix de Bretagne, to take place on Sunday 18 November.