Chap. Seven is favorite in Breeders Crown

Chapter Seven, the 8-5 favorite in the $610,000 Breeders Crown for three-year-old trotters on Saturday at Woodbine Racetrack outside Toronto, is writing a new chapter in his story this fall.

After all manner of traffic problems en route to a fourth-place finish in the Aug. 6 Hambletonian, he's put together back-to-back stakes wins, one in a new lifetime mark of 1 minute, 52.4 seconds.

"After the Hambletonian, he was sick again," said trainer Linda Toscano. "After the Hambletonian, I thought it was real important that he not start right back in the Colonial and he was actually very good in Canada the last time he was up there [fifth in the Canadian Trotting Classic on Sept. 17]. Unfortunately, he was the victim of the post position gods, [getting Post 9 in the final]. It was just one of those deals where he couldn't have been in a worse spot.

"I have to give credit to the owners [Richard Gutnick of Blue Bell, Gary Cocco of Newtown Square, Southwind Farm of Pennington, N.J., and Jerry Silva of Long Beach, N.Y.] because they wanted to supplement him to the Futurity and I just thought that it might fry him.

"He struggled this year with his strength because he was sick earlier. I know how it is down there [at the Red Mile]. There's no greater race to win, but at the same time if you happen to get a hot day and with it being such a wide open group of horses this year, I was so afraid it could go three heats.

"They supported me on that and we were able to just take him down there and race him in the Bluegrass [on Oct. 9, a 41/4-length win in that career best 1:52.4]."

Chapter Seven has Post 4 Saturday and driver Tim Tetrick, who has driven him in his two most recent stakes wins.