Star-studded list nominated to Classic Series

March 03, 2008

The nominations are in for The Classic Series (TCS) and the response to the 2008 edition shows an increase of nearly 25 percent over last year�s numbers. A total of 105 horses have been paid in to the Series. Among the nominees are all four TCS final winners from 2007.

Broken down by division, the Pacing Classic will feature the ageless Boulder Creek, winner of the PC final an amazing three consecutive years on his way to nearly a half-million dollars in TCS events alone. He will campaign for new connections, having been purchased by Larry Baron in the January Tattersalls mixed sale.

Joe Alborano�s Open Breeders Crown winner Artistic Fella will return to TCS along with some of last season�s top sophomores, such as Breeders Crown champ Artist�s View and Meadowlands Pace winner Southwind Lynx.

Moving Pictures� Classic Distaff final victory launched her through a sensational 2007 campaign for owners Steve Calhoun and Michael Lindley. She returns to defend her title against a stout group that includes Lou Camara�s Armbro Dancer, who last year added the Golden Girls, Artiscape and Allerage Farms to an already impressive resume, as well as a very strong 2007 sophomore class graduating into the open ranks. Artcotic (Breeders Crown) Hana Hanover (Mistletoe Shalee), Western Graduate (Jugette) and Southwind Tempo (pretty much everything else) will help to make it an interesting division.

Owners Roger Hammer and Todd Schadel will send the iron-tough Vivid Photo out in quest of his third successive Trotting Classic crown. He�ll have to tangle with his nemesis of last season, the Rudolph Stable, Arthur Rudolph and Bernard Owens� Corleone Kosmos. Emerging starts like Arch Madness (famous for his upset in the 2008 Breeders Crown 3YO trot), 2007 Yonkers Trot winner Green Day and Quebec sensation Val Taurus will add flavor to the mix.

The 2007 edition of the Classic Oaks produced some of the finest fields of mare trotters ever assembled and it appears as though that tradition will continue in 2008. Buck I St. Pat swept through the Oaks without tasting defeat for owners Howard Taylor, Abe Basen, Ed Gold and Ron Fuller, a remarkable accomplishment considering the competition. To repeat in 2008, she will have to find a way to beat the co-fastest trotter of all time, Giant Diablo.

Klaus Koch, agent for owner Stall Zenith Handelsbolag, has indicated Giant Diablo will return to the US for an extended campaign in 2008 and the Classic Oaks is on her dance card. Exotic Destination (World Trotting Derby, filly division) and Falls For You (Kentucky Filly Futurity) highlight the 4-year-old contingent in this division.

Supplemental entries will be accepted for TCS 2008 until March 24.

TCS kicks off on Monday, April 7 at Dover Downs. The complete list of nominees, racing schedule, details on supplemental nomination and other pertinent information is available at www.theclassicseries.com. (Classic Series)

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