Breaking down last week’s eliminations and a detailed look at the top trainers in 35-year history of the Breeders Crown.

by Bob Heyden

Let’s take a closer look at this year’s Crown elims. Twenty-four elims were contested over two nights last weekend.

On Friday, Verlin Yoder won by 12 1/2 lengths with Woodside Charm. The other nine elims were decided by a total of nine lengths.

Off the board were current world record holders Hannelore Hanover, Homicide Hunter and Warrawee Ubeaut.

Fourteen different sires won over the two nights with Muscle Hill (three) and Chapter Seven (three) and Somebeachsomewhere (three) each recording triples.

Bob McClure must not be known at Pocono. He paid $17.40 and then $36.40 on Friday night.

Archangel sired the late daily double Saturday night ($145.80) for a couple of ladies who can handle themselves quite well with a trotter: Annette Lorentzon Guardian Angel AS ($11.60) and
Julie Miller’s Top Flight Angel ($20.60).

Dave Miller, the leading money-winning driver in Breeders Crown history lit up the board Saturday with Shnitzeldosomethin ($81.00).

Eight different drivers won a Crown elim on Friday, 11 different drivers won on Saturday.

Tony Alagna was the only repeat winning trainer on Friday.

Tim Tetrick qualified three better than 40-1 shots:

44-1 Lily Stride — second
97-1 Pink Pistol — third
54-1 Miss You Kelly — third

The women were winning, but not getting the backing this past weekend:

Carol Jamieson-Parker — N F Happenstance $20.80
Linda Toscano — No Mas Amour $21.80
Julie Miller — Top Flight Angel $20.60
Annette Lorentzon — Guardian Angel AS $11.60
Paula Wellwood — Smart As Hill $36.80

Four of 10 winners on Friday night had the lead at the half.

Ten of 14 winners on Saturday night had the lead at the half.

21 1/2 lengths was the combined margin Friday.

29 3/4 lengths was the combined margin Saturday.

Ake Svanstedt is the only driver to have scored twice this past weekend at odds-on.

Muscle Mass won eight races in his career including a world record 1:53.4. His son and daughter both enter the Breeders Crown as the current world race record holders among the sophomores — 1:49.1 for colt Six Pack and 1:49.4 for filly Plunge Blue Chip.

The book on Breeders Crown trainers

Jimmy Takter has 21 Breeders Crown wins since going into the Hall Of Fame (July, 2012) and 33 overall. In Crown races his record is: 173 33-21-13, $13,951,363.

That total is more than the next two trainers combined —16 for Bob McIntosh and 13 for both Ron Burke and Chuck Sylvester (They are the only four trainers in double digits in the Crown series).

John Butenschoen is still looking for the elusive first Breeders Crown 11 0-1-2 $560,787.

Paula Wellwood is also looking to break through in the Breeders Crown. She is 0-for-7.

Mark Harder, too. His record is: 28 0-1-0 $383,584.

Ake Svanstedt is looking for a breakthrough in the Breeders Crown as both a driver (0-13) and trainer (0-17).

Forty-three different trainers have won $1 million in the Breeders Crown.

Seventeen trainers are past $2 million in the entirety of the Breeders Crown series.

Only Linda Toscano and Bruce Nickells have won over 25 per cent of their Crown starts (minimum 25 tries).
Linda Toscano 26 6-2-6 53 per cent
Bruce Nickells 26 6-4-4 54 per cent
The DOWN UNDER conditioning tally in The Breeders Crown reads:

Brett Pelling leading the way with 10 wins, Noel Daley is next with four, Chris Ryder is tied with four, Richard Norman has three, as does Mike Vanderkemp. Darren McCall has a pair and Ross Croghan has one. That’s 27 Crown wins in all for the Down Under contingent.

International flavor

Four of the top five trainers in Breeders Crown history are from different countries

#1 Jimmy Takter SWEDEN
#2 Bob McIntosh CANADA
#3 Ron Burke USA
#4 Chuck Sylvester USA
#5 Trond Smedshammer NORWAY

Smedshammer actually has the edge over Takter is earnings per starter in the history of the Breeders Crown — $90,662 to $80,643. (minimum 40 starts).

Top Crown women

The top three female trainers in Crown earnings are:

Linda Toscano (#13 overall), Casie Coleman (#16) and Julie Miller (#45).

Here is the list of the women only in terms of money won in the history of the Breeders Crown:

1. Linda Toscano | 27 6-2-6 | $2,447,363
2. Casie Coleman | 33 4-4-4 | $2,141,376
3. Julie Miller | 14 1-3-1 | $943,825
4. Tracy Brainard | 8 2-0-1 | $847,800
5. Brenda Teague | 4 1-1-0 | $534,800
6. Nancy Johansson | 6 1-0-1 | $372,600
7. Linda Wallis | 1-1-0-0 | $347,500
8. Kimberly Miller | 1 1-0-0 | $303,000
9. Jamie Macomber | 2 1-0-0 | $291,250
10. Anne Schlichtig | 5 0-1-1 | $204,534
11. Annette Lorentzon | 7 0-1-1 | $155,487
12. Rina Rekila | 2 0-1-0 | $139,500
13. Paula Wellwood | 7 0-0-1 | $137,825
14. Liz Quesnel | 3 0-0-2 | $117,589
15. Belinda Blanton | 2 0-0-0 | $77,167
16. Toni Rose | 1 0-1-0 | $75,250
17. JoAnn Looney King | 2 0-0-0 | $62,000
18. Megan Wilson | 1 0-0-1 | $61,250
19. Jody Pocza | 4 0-0-1 | $60,406
20. Susanne Kerwood | 4 0-0-0 | $59,509
21. Kathe Troy | 1 0-0-0 | $42,000
22. Diane Grieco | 1 0-0-0 | $39,702
23. Karen Garland | 3 0-0-0 | $38,250
24. Robin Schadt | 3 0-0-0 | $36,500
25. Marie Ortolan Bar | 1 0-0-0 | $33,000
26. Caroline Lyon | 1 0-0-0 | $30,250
27. Anne Lis Saunders | 1 0-0-0 | $24,000
28. Carol Story | 1 0-0-0 | $16,276
29. Jessica Okusko | 1 0-0-0 | $12,500
30. Gail D Cline | 1 0-0-0 | $12,114
31. Misty Miller | 1 0-0-0 | $10,000
32. Donna Marshall | 1 0-0-0 | $6,250
33. Deborah Brunet | 2 0-0-0 | $5,000
34. Marie Dupont | 1 0-0-0 | $5,000
35. Maureen Dolan | 1 0-0-0 | $3,124
36. Kerstin Milton | 1 0-0-0 | $3,000
37. Brooke Nickells | 1 0-0-0 | $1,952
38. Anne Ljunggren | 1 0-0-0 | $0
39. Lynn Fedash | 1 0-0-0 | $0
40. Marjorie Kazmaier | 1 0-0-0 | $0
41. Dorothy Morone | 1 0-0-0 | $0
42. Sarita Mosher | 1 0-0-0 | $0
43. Sue Marie Gangell | 1 0-0-0 | $0

Summation: Forty-three women have made it to at least one final in the Breeders Crown, 38 have earned money.

Toscano broke through first with Molly Can Do It in 2002. The women have a combined 18 wins-or one per year since they were not on the board the first 17 years (1984-2001) of the series. Wellwood and Annette Lorentzon look to break through this year both making their eighth start in the Crown in 2018. JoAnn Looney King, with Shartin N, is also looking for her initial score in the Breeders Crown and possibly even toss that mare’s hat into the Horse of the Year conversation. (17 for 22, over $833G)