It's the time of year when it all comes down to the Breeders Crown.
Some 25 years ago, a concept to create a championship series in harness racing showcasing the best young pacing and trotting talent was initiated by Alabar Bloodstock principal Alan Galloway and other farms with the support of Harness Racing Victoria and the Victorian Standardbred Breeders Association.
The first series was held at Bendigo’s Lords Raceway in 1999 with the rank outsider Gozo Heritage capturing the $75,000 two-year-old colts and geldings’ final and Cornsilk the fillies’ division.
Now in its 25th season with titles on the line in 12 championship races, it’s clear the Breeders Crown was then and remains a must win for breeders, owners, trainers, drivers and racing fans.
The 2023 Breeders Crown begins tonight at its ancestral home of Bendigo with two $10,000 heats each for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings and two-year-old pacing fillies.
The most interest will centre around the opening fillies’ heat with three unbeaten youngsters set to lock horns in Lux Aeterna, Very Pretty and Millwood Bliss.
Two undefeated fillies in Draw A Dream and the Queenslander Zena Rhayne Bow will clash in the second heat, while both colts and geldings’ heats are dominated by Emma Stewart entries with Stormryder, Kingman and War Dan Buddy the clear top picks in the first division and the polemarker Tommy Rictor one of the leading fancies in the second.
Following Bendigo, the next stopover for the Breeders Crown will be Ballarat on Friday night featuring heats for three-year-old pacers of both sexes, while Maryborough will play host to the young trotters with heats for two and three-year-olds of both sexes on November 15.
The Bendigo meeting on November 17 will feature four Group 3 Breeders Crown races including the $50,000 Graduate Pacers Free-for-all, the $30,000 Graduate Trotters Free-for-all and $30,000 Breeders Crown Championships for four-year-old trotters.
$40,000 Breeders Crown Championship events for four-year-old male and female pacers will be staged at Melton on Saturday, November 18, along with $20,000 semi-finals for two and three-year-old pacers of both sexes.
The blockbuster finals night at Melton on Saturday, November 25 will feature eight Group 1 events with a staggering $1,174,000 up for grabs.
The two-year-old pacing division carries two $250,000 finals, the three-year-old pacers will race for $150,000, the two-year-old trotters will have $100,000 finals and the three-year-old trotters $75,000 finals.
Victorian bred horses dominated classics conducted in two other States last weekend. Celebrity Royal, winner of the Tasmanian Derby, was bred by Peter Gleeson, the Tasmanian Oaks winner Paradise Valley was bred by Bruce and Vicki Edward, and Bullion Girl, winner of the SA Trotters Oaks, was bred by Pauline and the late Richard Matthews
Two leading Australian matrons in Alldatglittersisgold and The Arch Nemesis achieved important milestones recently. The win of The Code Breaker at Gloucester Park boosted the progeny earnings of Alldatglittersisgold to an amazing $3.66million, while Captain Crusader’s 1:49.6 romp at The Meadowlands credited his dam The Arch Nemesis with her third 1:50 performer
A total of $704,800 in Vicbred bonuses have been paid to breeders this year and $374,500 in First Win Bonuses to connections in October, according to Harness Breeders Victoria’s November bulletin
The opinions expressed in The Forum are those of the author and may not be attributed to or represent policies of Harness Racing Victoria, which is the state authority and owner of thetrots.com.au.