by Bob Heyden

The Governor’s Cup, Valley Victory, Three Diamonds and Goldsmith Maid, now known as the Fall Final Four, will be contested on Saturday (Nov. 30) at The Meadowlands. The events have been raced together since 1990. Only the Governor’s Cup and Three Diamonds existed prior to that. The Governor’s Cup for 2YOCP debuted at Garden State Park in 1985 with $1,357,500 on the line that Barberry Spur gobbled up despite post 12. The Three Diamonds was added in 1989 when Jim Morrill, Jr. joined the elite/big time in year one, winning that 2YOFP with Choice Yankee for breeder Charlie “King Kong “ Keller of New York Yankees fame. Keller passed the following year.

Following the closing of Garden State Park in early 2001, the only home the Final Four had known, they became a bit of a traveling roadshow bouncing between The Meadowlands, Mohawk, Woodbine and Chester, before finding their current home at The Meadowlands since 2017.

CAMPBELL AND THE FINAL FOUR

It’s been seven years plus now that John Campbell has been retired. Nobody made more of an impact in the Final Four than Campbell, the only driver to win each Final Four consecutively.

He took the Goldsmith Maid for 2YOFT in 2007-08 with Snow White and Up Front Annika. Snow White put the finishing touches on her still record 2YO season of $1.252 million.

Campbell all but claimed the Governor’s Cup as his own from 1989-2002 winning six times, with In The Pocket (1989), Artsplace (1990), Life Sign (1992), Magical Mike (1993), Western Shooter (2001) and All American Native (2002).

Campbell captured the Valley Victory for 2YOCT consecutively with Beardmore and Diesel Don in 2003-04, respectively.

Six times the richest driver ever, took down the Three Diamonds. The first three were for trainer Bruce Nickells: Miss Easy (1990), Immortality (1992), and Freedoms Friend (1993). He then spread out his later scores with freshman filly stars Glendale Kim for trainer Bob McIntosh in 1994, Arts Virtue for his brother Jim Campbell in 1999 and finally A And G’sconfusion for trainer Mark Capone in 2008.

THREE DIAMONDS

Bettors Delight got his siring career more or less underway with first crop standout freshman Darlin’s Delight in 2005. she catapulted to a $2.9 million career with the Three Diamonds on her early resume.

In 1994, CR Kay Suzie dominated in the Goldsmith Maid, and a year later everyone took notice as she captured HOY honors.

GOLDSMITH MAID

Dream Of Joy gets the “best timing” award for her 1999 championship 2YOFT season. She won just three times, but chose carefully, with that trio being the Goldsmith Maid, the Jim Doherty, and the Breeders Crown. If that wasn’t enough, she never raced again plagued by back issues for trainer Per Eriksson.

Syrinx Hanover took the 2000 Goldsmith Maid and then ran the table at 3 and was HOY runner-up to fellow sophomore filly phenom Bunny Lake.

VALLEY VICTORY

On the 2YOCT side, Wesgate Crown easily won divisional honors in 1993 with a Valley Victory score sealing the deal. But at 3, he was winless in 21 tries. No problem he said as he went on to a $2.5 million career, making him the lone trotter ever to top $2.5 million lifetime without winning a race at 3.

Donerail was the outstanding freshman trotter of 1994 taking down honors and the Valley Victory to cap it off. But he never improved on his 1:55.4 2YO mark and retired the July prior to the 1995 Hambletonian won by Tagliabue. Donerail became maybe the sports best broodmare sire. Not bad for a colt who never once took a step outside the State of New Jersey.

Allison Hollow, the 1996 Valley Victory winner, would probably be completely anonymous had he not defeated a trotting colt that year by the name of Malabar Man.

Chip Chip Hooray was not on anyone’s radar late in the 2001 season until he took the Valley Victory for Chuck Sylvester. Nine months later he would win Sylvester his fourth and last Hambletonian.

Maybe Pinkman is the oddest Valley Victory champ, winning it in upset fashion in Canada in 2014 just a couple of weeks before he was cataloged to be sold at Harrisburg. He was obviously taken out. He went on at 3 to be the Hambletonian winner for Brian Sears and Jimmy Takter and still to this day is the richest single season horse ever trained by Takter at $1.9 million.

GOVERNOR’S CUP

Twenty-seven years before his Hall of Fame election year, Chris Ryder got the ball rolling in big time freshman stakes winning the Governor’s Cup with Sealed N Delivered (1997) for over $590G.

Tony Alagna has taken the last two Governor’s Cups and three overall, putting him on the doorstep of Bob McIntosh who holds the record with four.

Hats off to Scott Zeron who has won the Governor’s Cup four times — 2014, 2017, 2018, and 2022 — all before turning 35. He did that this year in May.

The stakes record of 1:49.1 has now held for 14 years. It was set in 2010 by Big Jim at Woodbine.

In those early Governor’s Cups, being named Bill was a plus. Not only did Bill O’Donnell win them both in 1985-86, but a pair of Hall of Fame Williams were second. William Buddy Gilmour was 6-1 and second in 1985 with Towners Big Guy and then, William Popfinger was second in 1986 to Redskin driving the longest shot in the field, maiden Cue Light at 70-1.