Is 3CT a two-horse race?

On paper, Glidemaster is a slight morning line favorite over Majestic Son in Saturday’s $500,000 Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Colt Trot at Woodbine Racetrack. Blair Burgess, though, who trains Glidemaster and has finished second to Majestic Son in the Canadian Trotting Classic and the Goodtimes this year, plus a division of the Champlain in 2005, isn’t buying it.

“If anybody in that race is going to beat Majestic Son they’re going to have to be damn good, because he’s a very good horse,” Burgess said.

Glidemaster is a very good horse, too, however. He already has won the first two jewels in the Trotting Triple Crown – the Hambletonian and Kentucky Futurity – and has earned $1.4 million this season. He has won seven of 13 races this year, and finished second in the other six.

He was made the even-money choice in the Crown morning line and is owned by Burgess’ wife, Karin Olsson-Burgess, his father, Robert, Marsha Cohen, and Kentucky’s Brittany Farms. The Burgesses are from Milton, Ont., while Cohen is from New Jersey.

Majestic Son, trained by Mark Steacy and at 6-5 in the morning line, has won 13 of 18 starts this year and earned $958,402. He is owned by the Majestic Son Stable of Lansdowne, Ont.

“It’s nice to be able to have a chance to beat Glidemaster because Glidemaster is a great horse,” Steacy said. “We’ve been sort of a thorn in Glidemaster’s side all along. I definitely think there’s some rivalry; I’m sure Blair, plus the owners, would love nothing better than to beat us. It works the other way, too; we’d love to beat him, as well. But that’s a tough job because he’s a good horse.”

Both horses won their Breeders Crown elimination races. Majestic Son won by two lengths over Berto Primo in 1:55.4; Glidemaster won his by 2 1/4 lengths over Here Comes Herbie in 1:53.

Glidemaster will be without his regular driver, John Campbell, who suffered a broken leg in a racing accident during last weekend’s Breeders Crown elims. George Brennan will drive the colt in the final.

“I just have a big handicap, I think, because no matter who drives the horse, they’re not going to be familiar with him,” Burgess said. “That counts for a lot, even more in trotting races. It’s another obstacle the horse has got to overcome. It might still work out, but it’s going to be tricky.”

While Glidemaster has raced in the U.S., at the Meadowlands and Red Mile, Majestic Son has stayed close to home, competing on the Ontario circuit. His only glaring misstep in his last 12 races came Oct. 14 when he went offstride in the Ontario Sire Stakes Super Final at Woodbine.

“We’ve made $1.6 million (lifetime) and never left,” said Steacy, 45, from Lansdowne, Ont. “It’s a lot easier on the horse. I didn’t realize he would be a Hambletonian (caliber) horse, so we didn’t make that early payment. We could’ve gone to the Kentucky Futurity, but I thought it would be easier on the horse to not travel. Our main goal was to win the Trotting Classic, Super Finals and Breeders Crown. We’re batting .500 and have a shot this week; hopefully we’ll keep the high average.”

The futures of the two Canadian heavyweights remain uncertain. Glidemaster could race in the Yonkers Trot on Nov. 25 at a newly reopened Yonkers Raceway to attempt to complete the Triple Crown.

“I don’t know what my plans are,” Burgess said. “We still have the Yonkers Trot possibility; we’d have to supplement to it and I’m not crazy about the half-mile track part of it. I don’t like the fact it will be a relatively new track. I don’t like that scenario, but it’s there; it’s out there. Racing beyond that is still a possibility.”

Majestic Son might go to the Matron and supplement to the Yonkers Trot.

“If he wins the Breeders Crown, we may not,” Steacy said. “We’ll decide after the race. If he wins the Breeders Crown, it’s not a necessity. Then, we might shut him down for the year. I’ve talked to a couple partners and it seems like they want to race him next year.”

As for the Breeders Crown final, Steacy and Burgess both know they need to be wary of the rest of the field and not get caught in a battle with each other.

“I don’t want to make it a two-horse race,” Burgess said. “There are other horses in there that could be opportunists if there was a speed duel or the pace was too strong. I think there are several other horses in there that can’t be ignored totally.” (BC)

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