quotes by James Platz / race details by Frank Cotolo for the Breeders Crown

Driver Tim Tetrick said he can’t say enough good things about Confederate, a dominant winner of the $600,000 Breeders Crown final for sophomore pacing colts on Saturday (Oct. 28) at Harrah’s Hoosier Park.

“He’s just a great animal, unbelievable animal,” Tetrick said, adding that he is already dreading the day Confederate has his last start.

Next year, the Diamond Creek homebred will stand at stud.

“I’m already missing him,” Tetrick said. “It’s already sad and I’m already thinking about seeing him leave, but hopefully I’ll get to drive some of his babies and they’re as good as he is.”

Confederate extended his victory streak to 10 races in a row with the 1:48.1 Crown victory.

The track was listed as “sloppy” because of rain late in the program, but “the fastest horse I’ve ever been around,” as trainer Brett Pelling called Confederate after the race, made the conditions moot by putting 4 lengths between crossing the wire and his next rival, Stockade Seelster. Cannibal finished third.

Tetrick settled Confederate in fifth by the :25.3 first quarter before Stockade Seelster rushed to the top over It’s My Show in a :53.4 half. Confederate came with a first-over move toward a 1:22.1 three-quarters and gobbled up the wet surface from there.

The Sweet Lou—Geothermal colt won his 12th of 13 starts this season and pumped up his lifetime earnings to $1.9 million. He has hit the board in all 20 of his lifetime races, winning 17.

“He does it all on his own,” said Pelling, who picked up his 13th Breeders Crown trophy to move into a tie with Chuck Sylvester for fourth most in history. It was Tetrick’s 23rd Crown.

The trainer said he had “a couple blemishes with [Confederate] but he’s just unbelievable. He’s so fast. He’s so willing.”

And the sloppy track? Pelling said, “I didn’t really think about it. There are so many other things going on and [the other pacers] are all in the same boat together. He has been on an off track in the morning, so it’s not really a big deal. He’s faster than any other horse I’ve ever been around.”

“It’s wonderful,” Diamond Creek’s Adam Bowden said. “He’s a homebred and it’s a family we started way back when I first started. The culmination of this… he’s the best horse we’ve ever had. I would put him up against any 3-year-old ever. We kind of hoped he was this kind of horse all along.”

Confederate paid $2.60 to win as the 1-5 favorite.