Woodbridge, NJ (Best E Casino) - The final eight races for the 2007 Breeders Crown event at The Meadowlands have been set for Saturday night. The Breeders Crown is harness racing's championship for pacers and trotters.
The eight races will have a total purse of $4.7 million, with divisional titles on the line. There will four races for two-year-old standardbreds and four more for three-year-olds.
The $550,000 three-year-old colt pace will feature Little Brown Jug winner Tell All and Always A Virgin who won the Cane and Messenger Paces. Tell All is the 5-2 morning-line favorite in the field of 10 and will start from post two with driver Jody Jamieson.
"He's as sharp as he's ever been, as sound as he's ever been," Jamieson said. "Any trouble we have with him is because he just likes messing around out there. I think it's just all a joke to him. I think if he ever matured and got to race he'd be a killer."
Always A Virgin is the 3-1 second choice for the one-mile pace and will leave from post three with Brian Sears driving. Meadowlands Pace champ Southwind Lynx will be driven by Tim Tetrick from post four and is 8-1 in the program.
"He feels super," Sears said of Always A Virgin. "That horse is sound, straight, relaxed. I'm happy with him. I don't think the front end was a great spot to be (Saturday), but he raced well and had a good horse on his back. You'd love to have him coming off someone's back raging home, but you've got to put him in the spots where you've got to put him."
Leading trotter Donato Hanover is the 7-5 favorite in the $610,000 three-year- old colt trot. Donato Hanover suffered his first loss of the year last week to Arch Madness in an elimination race. The Hambletonian winner will start from the far outside post in the 10 horse field. He will be driven by Ron Pierce.
"He just got beat by a horse who was better that day," said trainer Steve Elliott. "A post position is just a starting point."
Arch Madness is 2-1 in the morning-line with Brian Sears driving from post two.
"I didn't expect that, but this horse has been getting better and better all year," trainer Trond Smedshammer said about Arch Madness' upset of Donato Hanover. "It certainly shows that we have a chance, we did it now so it's possible to do it again. We'll get more respect and we'll have higher hopes, I'm sure."
In the $500,000 three-year-old filly trot, elimination race winner Falls For You is the 5-2 favorite. She will be driven by Brian Sears from post three in the 10 horse field. Pampered Princess, the early season leader, is 3-1 in the morning-line and will start from post six with John Campbell.
Southwind Tempo is the 2-1 choice in the $500,000 three-year-old filly pace. With co-owner Toby Lynch in the sulky, Southwind Tempo will start from the inside post in the 10 horse field.
The Breeders Crown was first conducted in 1984. This year's races for older horses was held at Mohawk Racetrack in Ontario.
