Confederate gleans all 35 Top Ten votes

Hightstown, NJ — Confederate (Sweet Lou), who on Monday became the fastest 3-year-old pacer in history with his 1:46.1 Kentucky Sire Stakes Championship Series harness racing win at Lexington’s Red Mile, became the first unanimous No. 1 in this season’s Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll when the Week 13 rankings were released Tuesday. In addition, four newcomers entered the Top 10, the highest turnover since four changes in Week 3 last year.

Interestingly, the top-five horses in the rankings remained unchanged, with Confederate in the top spot for the third consecutive week, followed by Sylvia Hanover, It’s My Show, It’s Academic, and Bythemissal.

Sylvia Hanover was idle. It’s My Show finished second to Seven Colors in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes final for 3-year-old male pacers, It’s Academic finished second to Alrajah One IT in the Maple Leaf Trot, and Bythemissal was second to Tattoo Artist in the Canadian Pacing Derby.

The upheaval occurred in the bottom five, with Alrajah One IT (No. 6), Seven Colors (7), Special Way (8), and Geocentric (10) entering the upper echelon. Special Way won a leg of the Kentucky Championship Series for 3-year-old female trotters and Geocentric captured the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes final for 2-year-old female pacers. Ninth-ranked Tactical Approach was idle.

Dropping out of the Top 10 were Silver Label, Jiggy Jog S, M-M’s Dream, and Cannibal.

The Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll does not determine Horse of the Year. The members of the U.S. Harness Writers Association vote on all Dan Patch Award division winners plus Trotter of the Year, Pacer of the Year and Horse of the Year.

Rankings based on the votes of harness racing media representatives on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.

by Ken Weingartner, for the USTA