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24 - The Canadian Champion, Friday, October 27, 2000 O uaity, Reliable Lats Model Vehicles Lsw tvnryda Pricea' Ù4 Shoet Terrn Leasing G ) Fane Pick-up & Delevery *No Charge for 842-8892 Mdilona D)rivers vTop horses set for tonight's Breeders Crown By BRUCE MURRAY Special to The Champion The richest Breeders Crown in its 16-year history will be presented tonight at Campbellville's Mohawk Racetrack, as the top two- and three-year- olds in North America compete in eight races worth $5.7 million Canadian. With divisional and possible Horse of the Year bonours on the fine, the Breeders Crown is barness racing's championship evening. CTV Sporlsnet will televise a live two-hour show from 9 to 11 p.m. ET while ESPN2 will have a one-bour 'Crown' spe- cial from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Post positions for the tbree-year-old colt pace and colt trot werc drawn Tuesday aI a press conference in Toronto witb guest draw- masters boxer Bill 'Tbe Kid' Irwin and former Maple Leaf favourite Wendel Clark. Post positions for the other six finals were drawn on tbe weekend. Gallo Blue Chip the favourite Heading the $6U~680 Tbree-Year-Old Colt Pace, at 10:45 p.m. is Gallo Blue Chip, trained by Mark Ford, wbo bas been eslab- lished as the prohibitive 6-5 favourite. The gelded son of Magical Mike eamed a trip te, the final with a gutsy performance in bis elimination. Cballenged virtually every step, Gallo Blue Chip still managed to prevail by tbree-quarters-of-a-lengtb over On Line Service in 1:52, with Little Brown Jug winner Astreos third. Miltonian Chris Cbristoforou, wbo will driver bis father's colt Astreos, expects a very fast race given tbe post position draw. "I think with wbere Gallo Blue Chip drew (post six) il will make il lough on everyone," said Cbristoforou, wbo will start from post eight. "You have aIl the speed bornes on tbe outside and Gallo can leave well too. 1 expeet big, big fractions." Owned by Martin Scbarf of Lawrence, New York, Gallo Blue Photo by GRAHAM PAINE Chip is a leading candidate for not only divisional but also Homse Campbsllvllle's Blair Burgess with undlefeated tYlo- of the Year honours. He's won two $1 million races tbis year - year-old colt pacer Real Desire. the North America Cup and Meadowlands Pace - as well as Merchants drop another road game By STEVE LeBLANO The Champion The Jr. A Merchants have quickly gone from road wamrors 10 road kilI. Since taking five of ils first six games away from Memorial Arena, Milton bas gone tbree straigbt witbout a victory in hostile temrtory. And the team's past couple of road trips bave met witb rather humbling results - including the lateat to Hamilton's Mountain Arena Monday. Outmatched physically and between the pipes, the local juniors were dumped by the Kilty Becs 5-2. TMis marked their third losa in four games and dropped their record to 9-4-2. "In s nutshell ... goaltending," said Nick Slawson - Milton's director of hockey operations - referring to the main reason behind the loas. "We bave tc, bave better goaltending if we're going to reach our potential this year." JocI Cameron was chascd from the net befote the midway mark of the opening frame - surrendering three goals on juat tive aboIs. Replacement Anthony Marshall stopped the bleeding for a sizable chunk of the evening but did shlow a suspect tally in thse third which essentially ended bis club's corneback hopes. Netminding aside, the Merebants have been physicslly uninspiring as of late - s trend that's starting to concern Slawson. - "We're not thse big and tougb teans we once were," he noted. "Plus we're having tome slow stsrts -and it's becoming chronic." TIsaI was ccrtainly the case in Hamilton Monday. Milton felI behind 31 seconds into the night and whiîe steadily împroving fresh- man Kevin Amiuda evened thingn up just moments later, Uic teani was beat twice more in short order and pîayed catch-up the rest of theway. .Also scoring for Uic visitors was cap- tain John Nadalin. His powerplay matricer was assisted by Flavio Fagionni and Andy Rozak. Merchant notes: Flavio Fagionni and Ian LaBrash lesd teani tcoring wiUi eight goals spiece ... Milton squares off with Burlington in a home-and-Isome week- end teries beginning tonight at Memorial Arena at 8 p.m. Sundsy the teamas are at Central Aient forsa 7:3.0 p.m. start. captured 15 of 23 staris and banked over $1.9 million. Amongst bis challengers are Astreos, tbe second cboice aI 7-2, and Messenger champion Ain't No Stopn' Him, the 4-1 third choice. tn the $562,948 Three-Year-Old Colt Trot, scheduled for 8:15 p.m., Credit Winner bas been installed tbe 8-5 morning fie favourite. Tbe colt is on a five-race win streak, including Salurday's elimination. In tbal race, Hambletonian winner Yankee Paco made a break wbile moving 1e, challenge the leaders and unfortunaîely did not qualify for the finaI. Credit Winner bas won six of 13 starts ibis season and over $1.3 million in bis career. The Per Eriksson-trainee also won the recent Kentucky Futurity at Lexington. His rivais include Dr. Roneraîl, wbo won bis elimination by one- and- three-quarter lengtbs in 1:55.3, two seconds faster than Credit Winner. Unbeaten colt heads up richest race The ricbest race of the evening is the Two-Year-Old Colt Pace, at 10:15 p.m., il's wortb $871,475 and is beaded by undefeated Real Desire. A perfect seven-for-seven, Real Desire, lrained by Blair Burgess of Campbellville sbowed bis beels te, Metro Pace winner Pro Bono, Best in bis elimination, wînning by two lengtbs in 1:53. On October 4, Real Desire set a world mark of"1:50.4 in Lexington. The 7-5 momning fie favourite is expected te, be dri- yen once again by Trevor Ritchie, substituting for recèntly- injured Randy Waples and will leave from post tbree. Pro Bono Best, co-owned and trained by Wbitby's Des Tackoor, will try to ture the tables on Real Desire. A winner of seven in Il starts, including the ricb Metro Pace at Woodbine for earnings of $509,717, the son of Cambesî drew pont eigbt witb John Campbell and is listed at 7-2. Betiors Deligbt won the other elimination in track record lime of 1:51.3, and is the 4-I third cboice. Prelzel Hanover bas been established as a slight 5-2 favourite in the $755,911I Two-Year-Old Filly Trot, at 7:15 p.m. She finisbed second fast Friday 10 the fasiesi of the elimination winners, Syrinx Hanover - ber first defeat after three wins. Tbougb Arts Value was a close second to Popeors Penny in ber elimination, she is the 5-2 favourite in the $783,484 Tbree-Year- Old Filly Pace ai 7:45 p.m. Popcorn Penny, the 3-I second choice and fellow elimination winner Sbifty B. the 7-2 third cboice, are the other major contenders Banker Hall fastest in eliminations 'Me $705,889 Two-Year-Old Colt Trot, ai 8:45 p.m.. features the fastesi elimination winner Banker Hall, as the early 3-I favourite. The second choice, aI 7-2, is Cbasing Tail, who fin- ished a close second te0 Banker Hall in 1:57.2. The $7 15,080 Two-Year-Old Filly Pace, at 9:15 p.m.. brings togther the division's leading-money winner Dex The Balîs, along witb an impeccably bred duo of Gothie Lady and Lady MacBeach. Dcx The Balîs, the second choice at 3-t1, captured ber elimina- tion impressively afier replusing a challenge from Castanet Hall in 1:543. It was ber sixtb win in Il starts and she's now eamed $536,889 witb ber biggest score coming in the $700,000 She's A Great Lady at Woodbine. Gothie Lady, the 5-2 favourite, won ber elimination in identical time, 1:54.3 decisioning favoured Lady MacBeach, the 7-2 third choice, is also a daugbter of 'Crown' champions Jennas Beach Boy and Sbe's A Great Lady. The $602,680 Tbree-Year-Old Filty Trot, witb a post time of 9:45 p.m., shapes up as a battle between elimination winners and stablemates Bold Dreamer at 5-2 and Day For Night ai 3-I1. Both fillies are daugbters of Doneraîl and are trained by Cbuck Sylvester, who is tied witb Robert Mctntosb for mosi Breeders Crown wins, 12. amongst Irainers.