Drop The Ball's 1:49 a Canadian record

Drop The Ball set the Woodbine track and Canadian records for 3-year-old filly pacers with a 1:49 win in her Breeders Crown elimination race on Saturday night. Monkey On My Wheel was second, followed by Swinging Beauty, Idyllic and Strike An Attitude. Rocklamation took the second elim in 1:50.4. Also of note, See You At Peelers was put on the lead before the half but wasn't her usual self and faded out of contention.

 

Drop The Ball was in fourth place coming off the first turn, but it took everything driver Yannick Gingras had--including virtually reclining in the sulky--to keep the filly inside past the first quarter. Gingras made his move on the straightaway and Drop The Ball took the lead from Idyllic just after the field reached the half-mile point in :55.1. Drop The Ball hit three-quarters in 1:22 and powered through the stretch to break the records previously held by 2004 Horse of the Year Rainbow Blue.

 

“She’s extremely fast and we’re lucky enough that she’s been given to us for a few weeks to race in the Breeders Crown,” said trainer Tony O’Sullivan, who is handling the filly in Canada for regular conditioner Ross Croghan. “(Driver Yannick Gingras) said she was a little aggressive, but once he moved her, she was very good.”

 

Rocklamation, with Brian Sears steering, took advantage of a hot pace and closed from far back to fly by co-favorite Krispy Apple and win the second Breeders Crown elim.

 

The Ron Burke-trained filly had little interest in the first half of the race as Foxy Lady swept to the lead and took the seven-filly field to the first quarter in a sizzling :26.1. See You At Peelers, the race favorite and focus of the event that marked her return to the races after illness, was urged by driver Marcus Johanssen to take the lead, which she did, reaching the half in :54.4.

 

As soon as See You At Peelers cleared, second choice Krispy Apple began a outside path to challenge. Driver Tim Tetrick kept Krispy Apple steady and she easily passed See You At Peelers, that one beginning to tire as the rest of the field started to come on.

 

Krispy Apple’s overland journey, however, was costly and from far back a fresh-and-flying Rocklamation was eating up the stretch. Tetrick tried to hold on, but Rocklamation  swept on by to win at 5-1. 

Mickey Burke Jr., assistant trainer of Rocklamation, said the filly is not an aggressive filly and he thought winning was questionable until “she come flying and I said she’s going to be second and then oh my gosh she is going to win this thing and I was thrilled with her. She’s starting to act like the filly we thought she was going to be.”