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Harness racing owner Richard Poillucci has an affinity for down under (Australian & New Zealand) pacing mares and on Saturday (Oct. 30) his Keep Rockin A will make it five straight years that the South Easton, MA resident has had a starter in the rich Breeders Crown finals.
This Friday and Saturday the Meadowlands Raceway in East Rutherford, NJ is hosting the $6.6 million Breeders Crown finals for two, three and older trotters and pacers. It is one of the richest and most prestigious weekends in the sport of harness racing.
And for the fifth straight year Poillucci has a starter. In fact, all of his starters in the Breeders Crown have been older pacing mares from either Australia or New Zealand.
“I have had great success with down under mares,” Poillucci explained. “A lot of credit has to go to John Curtin in New Zealand. He is my broker for these horses and he found them for me.
“It is tough enough to find or develop a mare that is good enough for the Breeders Crown, let alone have them come to the USA from down under,” Poillucci explained. “And I have had some pretty good ones over the years thanks to John.
It is kinda interesting,” Poillucci said. “That I have been able to be in the Breeders Crown with down under mares for five years in a row now.”
Keep Rockin A starts from post five in the 9th race Saturday at the Meadowlands. It’s the $330,000 Breeders Crown Final for older pacing mares. In the field of ten mares in the race, his is the only one from down under.
Before we get into Keep Rockin A’s chances in the big race, let’s take a look at Poillucci’s track record in the Breeders Crown.
His first starter was the top mare Nike Franco N (McArdle) in 2017 and after winning her elimination race in 1:51.4 at Hoosier Park, things did not work out well in the final and she finished 9th.
Next for 2018, Poillucci had purchased a mare named Shartin N (Tintin In America) and under the tutelage of trainer Jim King, Jr. and driver Tim Tetrick, Shartin N would become a world champion performer and fan favorite throughout not only North America, but also down under.
Shartin N would wire the field in the $270,000 Breeders Crown at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs that year, winning over a sloppy track in 1:52.
Then in 2019, Shartin N came back to defend her title but finished second best and the same scenario happened again in 2020 with another second-place finish.
Keep Rockin A has been trained by Richard “Nifty” Norman. She is a five-year-old mare by Rock N Roll Heaven. She came to the USA this year, already has 19 starts with three wins, the fastest a lifetime mark of 1:49.4 at Harrah’s Philadelphia and she won the $100,000 Betsy Ross Pace over a sloppy track.
Keep Rockin A is facing a tough task for Poillucci on Saturday in the Breeders Crown. Many of the top mares in the sport are in the final including Lyons Sentinel, elimination winner Rocknificent, Racine Bell and Sneaky Peaky.
She will be driven by another down under import, Andy McCarthy, who is having another sensation season in the USA.
“It’s always tough when you don’t have a Shartin N in the race,” Poillucci laughed. “You always hope for the best. Anything can happen.
“She (Keep Rockin A) has drawn terrible posts,” Poillucci said. “She did a super job from post nine last week to make to the final, but she has had a tough luck season. She showed she can beat the best when she won the Betsy Ross, but since then she has not been able to ‘do her thing’.”
And who from down under does Richard Poillucci have as the next hopeful Breeders Crown starter in the future?
“It’s tough getting horses now from down under,” Poillucci said. “But I do have a new down under horse and it’s not a mare, it’s a stallion this time and his name is Letsgotobrazil A. I just brought him over and he is being trained by Kelvin Harrison. He just won his third start in the USA with an impressive mile in 1:52.4. We will see how he develops. Would be really nice if he could be a Breeders Crown horse for 2022.”
By Steve Wolf, for Harnesslink
