Loua Dipa (Sweet Lou) took over the No. 1 spot in the Week 3 edition of the Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll released Wednesday as previous leader Odds On Mr Mamba dropped to second following his first loss of the harness racing season.
Odds On Mr Mamba, who topped the rankings for the first two weeks, finished third in the third leg of the Indiana Sire Stakes this past Friday at Harrah’s Hoosier Park. He received 12 of 35 first-place votes, the same total as idle Loua Dipa, but trailed the new No. 1 by 25 points.
Miki And Minnie, who became the fastest-ever 4-year-old female pacer at Plainridge Park with a 1:49.1 win in the Fillies and Mares Open Handicap last week, remained No. 3 in the rankings. She received eight first-place votes and 281 points to complete a tightly grouped top three.
The next four horses in the poll – Brandon Blvd, Super Chapter, Ervin Hanover and On To Norway – were idle last week. Spencer Hanover, who was No. 4, dropped to eighth after making a break in the MGM Yonkers Trot this past Friday.
Rounding out the Top 10 were idle Apex and newcomer Endurance, who won the Currier & Ives in a stakes-record 1:52.4 at Hollywood Casino at The Meadows.
Prince Hal Hanover, who was idle, dropped out of the Top 10, one point behind Endurance.
The Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll, which will continue weekly on Wednesdays through the Grand Circuit season, does not determine year-end awards. The members of the U.S. Harness Writers Association vote on all Dan Patch Award division winners plus Trotter of the Year, Pacer of the Year, and Horse of the Year.
Rankings based on the votes of harness racing media representatives on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.
Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown Standardbred Poll: Week 3 – 7/1/2026
|
Rank |
Name (First-Place Votes) |
Age/Sex/Gait |
Record |
Earnings |
Points |
Pvs |
|
1 |
Loua Dipa (12) |
3fp |
4-3-1-0 |
$203,732 |
313 |
2 |
|
2 |
Odds On Mr Mamba (12) |
3gp |
4-3-0-1 |
$437,400 |
288 |
1 |
|
3 |
Miki And Minnie (8) |
4mp |
4-3-0-1 |
$153,550 |
281 |
3 |
|
4 |
Brandon Blvd (1) |
3cp |
4-2-2-0 |
$271,580 |
161 |
5 |
|
5 |
Super Chapter (1) |
4ht |
2-2-0-0 |
$50,000 |
134 |
8 |
|
6 |
Ervin Hanover |
6hp |
2-2-0-0 |
$50,400 |
111 |
7 |
|
7 |
On To Norway |
4gt |
5-4-1-0 |
$70,500 |
103 |
6 |
|
8 |
Spencer Hanover |
3ct |
5-4-0-0 |
$391,932 |
96 |
4 |
|
9 |
Apex |
3ct |
2-1-1-0 |
$118,750 |
72 |
9 |
|
10 |
Endurance |
3ct |
4-3-1-0 |
$220,588 |
64 |
— |
ALSO: Prince Hal Hanover 63; Be Perfect BG 54; Antognoni S 33; Periculum 18; Beau Jangles, Nezuko Kamado S 14; Fragment 11; Captain Albano, Louies Girl N, Miss Jum Jabber 10; Mossdale Ben N 9; Lexus Kody, Lou Hill 7; Bookie J, Ken Hanover, Swiss Lights 6; Captain Optimistic, Tarapasta 5; A Clean Deal, Inexpressable 4; Twin B Joe Fresh 3; Big Ranger, Logan Park, Oh Look Magic 1.
NOTE: Antognoni S received one first-place vote.
by Ken Weingartner, for the USTA