Bythemissal, King Of The North conquer in Hoosier Grand Circuit

November 5, 2022, by Jacob Rheinheimer, for Harrah's Hoosier Park

Anderson, IN — Less than a week removed from the Breeders Crown at Woodbine Mohawk Park, Harrah’s Hoosier Park played host to Grand Circuit action for the sport’s top sophomores on Friday (Nov. 4), highlighted by the $200,000 Monument Circle, for 3-year-old pacing colts. Making his way back to the States following a third-place effort in the Breeders Crown Final, Bythemissal overcame the outside post nine, a fierce homestretch headwind, and nine of the best sophomore pacers in the game to add yet another trophy to his collection.

Driver Chris Page navigated the outside post from the outset, landing 1-5 favorite Bythemissal in fifth as Birthday and David Miller took the lead through an opening quarter of :26.4. Page gave Bythemissal his cue up the backstretch, sending the Little Brown Jug winner first-over and engaging his Ron Burke stablemate through a :54.2 half. Bythemissal forged clear to the lead entering the far turn, taking the field to three quarters in 1:21.3 before turning for home and bracing for a 20-mile-per-hour headwind in the stretch.

In the lane, Bythemissal felt the pressure of a two-pronged attack as stablemate Birthday rallied up the passing lane and a hard-charging Ponda Warrior (driven by Mark MacDonald) closed from second-over. The trio slugged it out to the finish line, and Bythemissal valiantly fended off his challengers, digging deep in the stretch to score by a half length in 1:49.3 over Birthday and Ponda Warrior, who finished second and third, respectively.

“He’s a horse that just knows how to win,” Page noted, “I got away close enough and I thought the fractions set up pretty well for me to make a move up the backstretch. This horse has never been passed yet in the lane, so I felt pretty confident if I could get him to the lead he would be tough to beat. I hopped on this horse when he was just winning a non-winners of two this spring, it’s been pretty special to go from there to winning the Jug and the Adios. All the credit goes to Ron Burke and the incredible job he’s done keeping this horse so good all year long.”

It was the 13th victory in 16 seasonal starts for the Ron Burke-trained Bythemissal, who is yet to miss the board in his career. Owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC, Eric Good, Rich Lombardo Racing LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC,

The gelded son of 2017 Monument Circle winner Downbytheseaside has banked $1,164,688 on the season, making him the third richest Standardbred of 2022 thus far behind only world champion Bulldog Hanover and North America Cup winner Pebble Beach.

In the co-featured $200,000 Carl Erskine, for 3-year-old trotting colts, King Of The North proved he still had plenty left in the tank following his stakes record Breeders Crown victory with a decisive 1:52.2 score. Leaving from post four as the heavy 1-5 favorite in the field of nine, driver Mark MacDonald put King Of The North into play early, landing the pocket as Delgado and Sam Widger cut the opening fraction of :26.2. MacDonald didn’t sit for long, pulling the right line on King Of The North as soon as the trotters hit the backstretch, quickly taking command through a half in :54.3. The 2021 Dan Patch Award winner kept the field at bay on the far turn, maintaining his lead through three-quarters in 1:23:1.

King Of The North turned for home two lengths clear and continued to shrug off the challengers in the lane, trotting away by three lengths on the wire behind the power of a :29.1 final quarter. Delgado held for second at 114-1, with a hard-charging Dover In Motion (Ricky Macomber Jr.) rallying from the backfield to pick up third.

“He’s really been good all year long,” MacDonald explained. “He’s never gone a bad race, and even when he has, he’s had a reason. He’s got such a great attitude, he’s just the perfect horse to be around in the barn, and he’s great on the track. We’re really happy it’s all come together here late in the season with him.”

It was the third victory of the season for King Of The North, with all of those victories coming in his last three tries of his 16-start sophomore campaign.

With the victory, King Of The North has gone over $500,000 in seasonal earnings, and he has now banked $1,130,867 lifetime for trainer Ray Schnittker, who bred and co-owns the colt as part of the Schnittker Ward partnership along with Arden Homestead Stable, Nolamaura Racing LLC and Steven Arnold. The royally-bred colt is part of the first crop of trotting sensation Walner and out of the two-time Dan Patch Award-winning Donato Hanover mare Check Me Out. King Of The North heads to Bally’s Dover next week for the Matron Stakes before potentially taking on older foes in the TVG Final at the Meadowlands in late November.

Not to be outdone by their male counterparts, a pair of six-figure stakes for sophomore fillies were also contested.

In the $110,000 Crossroads of America, the incomparable Indiana champion M-M’s Dream put an exclamation point on a nearly perfect season with a gutsy front-end score. David Miller guided the two-time Indiana Sires Stakes champion into fourth from post seven through the opening panel as Jordan Ross and long shot Jusmakinyalook set a :27.4 opening quarter. Miller mashed the gas pedal up the backstretch, giving M-M’s Dream her marching orders with a bold first-over move to take command at the :56.2 half. The field bunched up on the far turn as M-M’s Dream braced from a challenge from track record holder Cash Infusion (Atlee Bender) at three-quarters in 1:25.

The two fillies engaged in a slugfest down the stretch, with neither filly wanting to give an inch down the lane. M-M’s Dream appeared to be defeated as Cash Infusion put her nose in front, but rallied back through a gutsy :28.3 final quarter to forge back ahead by a neck in 1:53:3. Cash Infusion was valiant in defeat finishing second; Ohio Sires Stakes champion Gabbys C Note (Chris Page) rallied for third.

It was the 12th victory in 13 starts in 2022 for Henry Graber Jr. trainee M-M’s Dream, and her 18th career win in 21 lifetime starts.

Owned by Eleven Star Stables, Hillside Stables and Frank Baldachino, M-M’s Dream has earned $496,550 on the season and has gone over $750,000 in her career. Bred by Mervin Miller, M-M’s Dream is a daughter of Swan For All out of the Classic Photo mare Trading Places.

A compact but talented field of seven 3-year-old pacing fillies headlined the $100,000 USS Indianapolis Memorial, where Sea Silk posted a dominant score and gave Page a sweep of the sophomore pacing stakes. Taking advantage of her inside position, Sea Silk landed into the pocket as John DeLong sent Patsville to the front through a :26.4 opening quarter. Patsville remained unchallenged on the lead through a :55 half before leading the field onto the far turn and to three-quarters in 1:23 with Sea Silk looming on her back.

In the stretch, Sea Silk launched her bid from the pocket, quickly engaging the leader before powering two lengths clear with a :27.2 final quarter into the wind to score in 1:50:3. Patsville held for the second position, with Sea Silk’s fellow Ron Burke stablemate Galleria Hanover (Yannick Gingras) nabbing the show spot.

It was the eighth win on the season for the two-time Ohio Sires Stakes Champion and millionaire daughter of Downbytheseaside. Owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Knox Services Inc. and Hatfield Stables, Sea Silk is a winner of 17 of 25 lifetime starts and rapidly approaching her second consecutive half-million dollar season with $476,975 earned in 2022. Sea Silk was bred by Steiner Stock Farm of Ohio and is out of the Bettor’s Delight mare Silk Purse.