John Berry: A passing glance at top 3-year-olds

In the last Mane Attraction, click here, we attempted to give United States Harness Writers Association (USHWA) voters—and fans, too—some relevant information for top awards given by USHWA harness racing membership, which has significant financial implications, especially when subsequent yearling catalogs are printed in years to come.

Two-year-olds were highlighted there and, in this Mane Attraction, we serve into the sophomore pacers and trotters and our observations of the leading contenders throughout the 2024 season.

During one of the greatest seasons for speed in harness racing history where a total of 66 three-year-old pacers—16 colts, 27 geldings and 23 fillies—it’s amazing to this fan of 65 years to see that 56 of them have been totally eliminated for honor roll for greatness.

On the trotting side of the ledger, there was just one sub-1:50 performer—Sig Sauer—at 1:49.3. A quartet of others missed that 1:50 threshold by one single “tick.”

With the emphasis on speed now out of the way, here’s a snapshot off the sophomore class vying for the top award in their respective divisions.

While Mane Attraction’s top ones are listed in order of earnings, that is only one criteria when it comes to an USHWAn’s vote.

Three-Year-Old Pacing Colts/Geldings

NIJINSKY (Bettor’s Delight) 14-10-3-0 ($1,052,920) 1:47.3.  After a fourth place finish—-his final quarter in :25.4—Nijinsky took a six month vacation and, earnestly began his 2024 season in May up at Woodbine reeling off five straight wins—his biggest score in the $730,000 (USD) North American Cup in mid-June. Three weeks later, he took his mark of in the Meadowlands Pace Elimination, grinding forward to victory in 1:47.3. The following week, he paced in 1:47.3 again…but that was not nearly enough as Legendary Hanover grabbed that $650,000 event in a scintillating 1:46.3. Back up north of the border, he won three straight—the last being the Simcoe in an amazing “three-move” mile in 1:48.4.

Things did not go well in the Little Brown Jug elimination but he found an easier spot in the Ontario Sire Stakes before a strong showing in the Breeders Crown Elimination—just nailed in the last stride by Mirage Hanover in 1:48.4—his last quarter in :26. The $600,000 Breeders Crown Final produced a similar result—second to Mirage Hanover in the winner’s 1:48 mile and Nijinsky 2 1/2 lengths away.

CAPTAIN ALBANO (Captaintreacherous) 15-9-1-3  ($874,373). 1:48.1. Started out with two straight wins in PASS action, went up to Canada and performed admirably in the North American Cup (2nd in elim and 4pl3 in Nijinsky’s win. He was in an impossible situation in the Meadowlands Pace (post 7 with speed horses inside and way wide just about all the way, Redeemed self in the Adios in 1:49.2, won a couple of more in Pennsylvania but made an un fortunate miscue in the PASS Final (at 1 to 20 odds). Took care pf business in the Jug Elim and the Final—very handily—and prepped for the Breeders Crown by putting together halves of :54.2 and :53.4 winning in 1:48.1. He tried cutting the mustard again in the Crown Final but tracked sown in the lane by Mirage Hanover and Nijinsky. So, the question is…Does it ALL come down to the Breeders Crown?

LEGENDARY HANOVER (Huntsville) 14-6-4-2 ($785,567) 1:46.2.  Spent first month up north of the border to compete in the NA Cup. Nailed on the line by Funtime Bayama in the warm the week before, pressured the leader after being outside the mile and was fifth placed fourth to Nijinsky’s 1:48.1 win. Peaked at The Meadowlands Wirth wins in the elimination in 1:48—his last quarter reported in :24.4—then wired halves together of :53.2 and :53.1 to score impressively in 1:46.3 and even beat that by a tick—1:46.2 in the Cane Pace. Has tough trips on the Jug half-miler (third in both his heats) and tried cutting the mustard in the tattersalls—three-quarters in 1:20.2 but eventually finished fifth…and that was it for the season.

MIRAGE HANOVER (Bettors Delight) 17-6-6-2 (716,080) 1:46.3.  While he was competitive much of the way during the season, he only really began to peak in Delaware, Ohio with two very solid performances and then really peaked in his last three starts. In the $211,000 Tattersalls, he showed alacrity off the wings, pulled turning for home  and roared home in :26 to  score handily in 1:46.3—his mark. He was tenacious in his Breeders Crown elim, nailing Nijinsky on the wire in an epic battle in the stretch and got a dream journey in the Breeders Crown Final to score handily in 1:48, again, Nijinsky his victim inn that one. And here’s that same question once again…Does it all come down to the Breeders Crown?

They all had their moments during the season so it’s anybody’s guess one the vote count! Maybe a “ns” advantage yo Nijinsky…but, as some announcer’s say, “It could go any way!”

Three-year-old Pacing Fillies

MY GIRL EJ (Sweet Lou)  16-9-4-1.  ($745,663).  1:481    Started her season in Canada with a win at Woodbine warm-up for the Fan Hanover and was a fast closing third to Its A Love Thing in the $310,000 Final Then won a couple of PASS events before getting nailed in the Jerry Silverman Memorial on the wire in 1:49.1 by Its A Love Thing. She won the Adioo Volo at The Meadows Iin 1:48.4 with her next success in the PASS Final at Pocono in 1:49.2. On to Delaware, Ohio where she won her elimination but suffered an equipment malfunction and was unable to finish.

After a second place finish in the Bluegrass on a track labeled sloppy, she used an auspicious :25.4 final quarter to win in 1:48.1 and then, of course, it was on to The Meadowlands where she used two different strategies to the winner’s circle—the first off the pace in the elimination to win in 1:51 and, then, a quarter move to the top in that $600,000 final  and held on tenaciously late to win by a neck over Terrific in 1:49.3.

ITS A LOVE THING (Bettor’s Delight) 14-7-4-1 ($615,608) 1:48.2. A prominent player from start to finish, she began her season at Woodbine and took her record in her fifth start, winning the $310,000 (USD) Fan Hanover by grinding forward using her fine; half under :54 to win over Cavort Belle. After a bit of time off and a equally, she used a :25.4 final quarter in a tenacious 1:49.1 win in the Jerry Silverman Memorial at The Big M. From there, she traveled to Woodbine—and won—then Lexington in SS action—and won—and then back to Woodbine—and won. On to Lexington—fourth in a SS event, then a pair of “photo finish” seconds (to Blazing Belle and Odds On Platinum) before her Breeders Crown appearances where she finished third (by a neck) in her elimination and fourth in the finale.

ROCKET DEO (Captaintreacherous) 15-10-1-1 ($441,460) 1:48.3.  After a “bit” of success in PASS events—two wins and a third—she was unplaced in the Silverman Memorial, won the Shady Daisy at the Meadowlands in 1:49, then the PASS at The Meadows in 1:49.1, nosed out at Pocono in the Lynch and then won the $150,000 New Jersey Classic at The Meadowlands. A pair of wins at Lexington followed with her win in the Garnsey in 1:48.3—:25.3, gate to wire.

She curt the mile in her Breeders Crown elim but finished length away at the wire—fifth—and drew the seven post in the Final but managed to finish fifth.

ODDS ON PLATINUM (Bettor’s Delight) 18-6-3-4 ($498,720) 1:49.0. Picked up checks in her first five starts at Woodbine before before picking up her first win in SS action at Rideau Carleton in 1:50.3. Her first prominent win was at Northfield in the $100,000 Courageous Lady and followed that a week later with a 1:49 win in the Lynch Memorial over Rocket Deo and Caviart Belle.  She performed very admirably in the Jugette—2nd and 3rd—then back up north of the border to Woodbine where she won a pair of SS Stakes, the first the $103,000 SS-GL and the next the $219,000 SS-SF. She was fourth at Hoosier Park in the Circuit City.

Three-Year-Old Trotting colts/geldings

KARL (Tactical Landing) 13-9-1-1 ($1,004,089) 1:50.2. Last year’s champion started off his 3-y-o year with a bang, winning his first four starts before Sig Sauer and Tony Adams got him after a very rugged journey in the Stanley Dancer Memorial. It didn’t take long to get back to the top of the mountain, winning his Hambletonian Elimination in 1:50.3—his best to that time—and, then, the $1,050,000 Hambo over a sloppy oval in 1:51.3. On to Kentucky, Karl swept his three SS events and even lowered his mark by a “tick” in one of them but, in the $400,000 KYSS Final, Dame Good Time nailed him on the wire.

With a second-tier post 11 in the Kentucky Futurity, Karl spends the entire route outside and only picked up the nickel in Sig Sauer’s 1:49.3 win. In hiss Breeders Crown elimination, he took charge after the opening quarter but struggled in the lane and finished (placed fifth) to sneak in the Hambletonian Final but stopped sick and his racing days came to an end. Still, he was thee only million dollar winner in his class and, when healthy, he had long proven his agility, adaptability, gameness and greatness.

SIG SAUER (Muscle Hill) 10-5-0-1 ($871,812) 1:49.3. It didn’t take long for Sig Sauer to put his name near the top rung. In his second start of the year, he roared home in :26.1 to win in 1:50 in the Stanley Dancer memorial. Third to Karl in the Hambletonian Elimination (by 1 1/4) he remained prominent in the Hambo Final over a sloppy racetrack, taking charge early from post eight, yielding, and finally finishing fourth in a closely knit field throughout. He then swept the $300,000 Beal at Pocono and then back to Jersey to win the NJ Classic Elimination.

In the final, it looked like he was headed to victory but made a miscue turning for home to lose all chance. On to the Red Mile, Sig Sauer put on the performance of the year in the Kentucky Futurity by trotting his mile (and 25 extra yards) in 1:49.3, the only trotter in his class to pierce the 1:50 mark. In his Breeders Crown Elimination, he was a fast closing fourth—his final :26.3—to T C I but roared out of nowhere in the $600,000 Final to win by a whisker in 1:50.4 over his new archrival, T C I.

AMAZING CATCH (Walner) 12-2-3-5 ($707,330) 1:50.4.  Prominent in just about every start, Amazing Catch only won two times this semester—a NW2 event and the $527,620 (US) Canadian Trot at Woodbine. One of his best performances was in The Hambletonian where, from post 10, he ski,,ed home fastest of all but ran out of racetrack to finish third to Karl and Highland Kismet. In the Kentucky Futurity, he was shuffled back to near the back of the pack turning for home but rallied to finish second to Sig Sauer. Fifth to T C I in his Hambo Elim, he finished third in the blanket finish of the Breeders Crown—Sig Sauer and T C I one-two.

HIGHLAND KISMET (Father Patrick) 16-8-2-0 ($529,006) 1:51.1.  Un-raced as a two-year-old, Highland Kismet, when minding his manners, was a competitive force in his class. First showing his mettle in Canada in the $164,250 (USD) Good Times at Woodbine, he won in 1:51.3. He trotted in 1:51.4 in the Dancer Final at The Meadowlands—just earning the stipend—that event began to give hints of better things to come. He had a tough journey in the Hambletonian but his last quarter in :26.1 to finish fourth and giving “punters” something to notice on Hambletonian Day. In that event, he went first up on the backside, took charge turning for home and only succumbed to Karl in deep stretch. His final success of the year was in the. BLuegrass at The Red Mile over a sloppy oval. After making a miscue in his Breeders Crown elim and was placed sixth, he received a bit of luck then Karl scratched and took advantage being a fast closing fourth…worth $43,200.

T C I (Cantab Hall) 12-6-1-1 ($504,702) 1:50.4.   Expected to become the main rival to Karl this year, T C I did have some notable moments this year and gave a strong hint late in the year—maybe a bit too late. He won his first three starts—two in SS competition in Pennsylvania—and the Reynolds at The Meadowlands and the expected rivalry seemed to shape up. Then, a fourth in the Zweig and a third in the Dancer (a “good third”) brought T C I to the Hambletonian Elimination  where he cut the mile and won tenaciously in 1:50.4, a lifetime best. In the Final, he cut some confident but sizzling middle fractions—:54.3 and 1:22.4 before faltering and finishing to Karl. After a SS win at Pocono and a fifth in Lexington in the Bluegrass, he, handily won his B.C. elimination in 1:51.1 and was in that three-horse picture in the Final, just a nostril back of Sig Sauer and a nostril up on Amazing Catch.

Three-Year-Old Trotting Fillies

R MELINA (Chapter Seven) 16-8-4-1 ($779,457) 1:50.1. Started her season with SS wins at Yonkers, Vernon Downs and Tioga. Nailed on the wire in $193,400 EBC at Vernon, then a couple of miscues before winning tee Delvin Miller at The Big M in 1:51.1. Won her Hambo Oaks Elim and tied to cut some tough panels in the final and finished fifth.After that, a 3-3-1 scorecard and two Sire Stakes wins in NY and a win—handy one—in the $301,550 Kentucky Futurity for Fillies in 1:50.1. She closed out her season by finishing second in both the Breeders Crown Elimination and $600,000 Final, leading a strong, competitive field in earnings for the year.

ALLEGIANT (Tactical Landing) 15-5-3-2  ($637,877) 1:51.1.  Picked up checks in her first three NJSS starts before her first win at The Meadows in the $52,355 C&I Trot and followed that with a win in the $100,000 Moni Maker st Scioto Downs. After a fourth in the Delvin Miller to R Melina, she won her Hambletonian Oaks Elim—gate to wire—in 1:51.1 before changing tactics and trying the off-the-pace route and was a fast closing third to Warrawee Michelle. Earned checks at The Red Mile in four SS events, had a very tough trip in the KY Futurity for the fillies but rebounded beautifully in the Breeders Crown events—winning the elimination with a rally and then crushing in the $600,000 Final. Too little, too late? Who knows!

SUGAR INSTEAD (Volstead) 14-12-0-0 ($499,399) 1:52.4.  Her record was unblemished in Ohio in SS actions at Scioto, Northfield, Delaware, Dayton, etc.—so dominant that she was barred from the betting in one event. That dominance disappeared when she faced the Breeders Crown gang. She did manage to make the final with a fifth-place finish in her elimination but was nowhere in the final.

DATE NIGHT HANOVER (Chapter Seven) 16-5-2-4 ($491,391) 1:50.1. Earned small stipends in NY Stakes and, then, got her first win in the $128,000 Zweig in 1:51.4 and closed with a :26 scorching final quarter to get third in the Delvin Miller at The Meadowlands. Third in the Hambletonian Oaks Elim, she loomed boldly in the Final with a miscue in the lane destroying her chances. Won two of three KYSS events and then took the $400,000 final in 1:50.1—her mark. After a fifth-place finish from post 10 in the KY Futurity for the fillies, she earned a spot in the Breeders Crown, finishing second but finished sixth in the final.

WARRAWEE MICHELLE (Walner) 10-3-0-2 ($464,750) 1:51.2.  Last year’s Breeders Crown champ got off to a rough start in her first two outings but livened up in her Hambo Oaks elim, with a sharp 3rd place finish, highlighted by a :26.1 kick home. That set the stage for her rugged win in the Oaks $525,000 Final. Which she won in 1:51.2—her mark. She followed that with a win at Pocono in the $250,000 Delmonica Hanover Stake and another in the NJ Classic Elimination. She took charge in the $250,000 Final but wound up third. In the Kentucky Futurity for Fillies, she got in a war through panels of :26.4, :53.2 and 1:22 and that spelled doom in the final quarter. She did earn minor checks her Breeders Crown events—4th in her elim and fifth (from post 10) in the final.

ELISTA HANOVER (International Moni) 18-12-1-3 ($462,244) 1:51.3. Got an early start in late March showing a :27 final quarter to finish third and then went on a 10 race winning streak, sweeping the Weiss, the All-Stars and the PASS events before extending in the Reynolds, Tompkins and Hambletonian Oaks Elimination at The Meadowlands. She was off the board in the Oaks Final, fourth in the Delmonica at Pocono, second at The Meadows in SS action, won the $2252,000 SS Final at Pocono and town the Colonial at Plainridge. Her final two events of the season were at The Meadowlands in the Breeders Crown where she finished third in her Elimination and third in the final.

There were several other solid performers in the group, but the ones listed here seemingly deserve the most attention for the top honors.

May The Horse Be With You!

by John Berry, for Harnesslink