Final Profiles
$700,000 Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Filly Trot Final (G1)
Sponsored by Armitage Farm
Nevis Peak will look to reach the acme of Breeders Crown glory like her dam, Ramona Hill, achieved in 2019. Her sire, Walner, won the freshman colt edition of the Breeders Crown in 2016. Her champion grandsire, Muscle Hill, won the 2-year-old colts and geldings edition of the Crown in 2008. Second in her elimination, Nevis Peak won her debut and multiple legs of the New Jersey Sire Stakes (NJSS) at The Meadowlands with sub-1:54 miles. The bay has competed in major stakes events including the Grade 1 Peaceful Way at Woodbine Mohawk Park and sports a record of 2-2-0 from seven starts.
Trained by Ron Burke (who won the 2014 edition of this race in a stakes-record 1:51.4 with champion Mission Brief) and owned by Burke Racing Stable, Crawford Farms Racing, Brad Grant and Lawrence Karr, Nevis Peak was bred by Hanover Shoe Farms and Crawford Farms. She was a $250,000 purchase at the 2025 Harrisburg Yearling Sale.
On her elimination: “It was tough. She didn’t clear until the three-eighths pole and she got beat by a horse out of the pocket. But now it leaves you to where you have to hope for a good draw. I think if she draws good, she can go with any of the fillies.” (She got post 1).
On her season: “It’s been in and out, but she needs Lasix, and now that not every place lets you use Lasix, it’s a little bit harder. Now that we’ve got her on Lasix, she seems like she’s pretty good.”
Best qualities: “She’s very fast. She’s as fast as any filly out there. We’ve just got to get her to behave a little bit, and let us go when we want to go, not when she wants to go.”
Birr Castle earned the bye to the final with her victory in the Grade 1 Jim Doherty Memorial at Harrah’s Hoosier Park on Sept. 18. Trained by Marcus Melander – he also conditions elimination winners Blue Ranger and Two Day Hangover – who won this race in 2021 with Joviality, the bay filly is 5-2-1 from eight starts, along with $516,786 in purse earnings. She dominated the $300,000 PASS Championship at Pocono Downs, stopping the clock in 1:53.4 to equal her lifetime mark and set a new stakes record for rookie trotting fillies on Sept. 7.
Bred and owned by Pheasant Hill Farm (Ed Lohmeyer), Birr Castle launched her career with three straight triumphs, starting with her debut at The Meadows on July 1. Her grandsire, champion Donato Hanover, won the freshman colt Breeders Crown in 2006.
On prepping Birr Castle without an elim: “She raced both weeks in Kentucky. The other ones that were supposed to race in the Breeders Crown just raced the first week. She raced good both weeks. She got a little bit lost on the front the second week, but she feels good here at home and everything seems fine. I think she’s going into the race in good form.”
Marcus continued, “She felt great training down, but you never really know. She felt like a small-track horse, but then she really surprised us that she had such good speed at the Meadowlands in early baby races. She raced in Pennsylvania and then continued to do good at Hoosier and the Red Mile. I definitely felt like she was a horse that could do good on the smaller tracks because she has such a great gait, but she seems to race good on all-size tracks. She’s versatile and has good manners and a good attitude. She’s just a very nice filly.”
“It’s a good race. I think we have three nice ones that can win but there are plenty of other good fillies in there too.”
Blue Ranger was sold as Hip 106 at the Ohio Selected Jug Yearling Sale and holds status as the highest-priced trotter ever sold at public auction in Ohio, at $210,000. An Ohio Sires Stakes champion, Blue Ranger equaled the Scioto Downs track record she set in Sept. when she stopped the teletimer in 1:53.1 in her Breeders Crown elimination victory. Marcus Melander trains the bay filly for owner Bender Sweden Inc. Bred by Spring Haven Farm, she is 3-0-3 from seven starts and has amassed $251,480 in purse earnings.
She is a full sister to Big Ranger, the 2025 Ohio Horse of the Year and 2025 Ohio 2-Year-Old Trotting Colt of the Year. Should they both win their finals, that would be a first for full siblings on the same card in the Crown series.
Blue Ranger’s sire, In Range, won a Breeders Crown elimination in the 2-year-old colt trot division in 2020, and finished second in the final.
“She won the sire stakes final at Scioto. It felt like she had a little dip after the sire stakes win going to Hoosier, but she feels like she’s back again. She raced pretty good in the slop when Orjan (Kihlstrom) drove her the first week at Lexington. It feels like she’s back into form again.”
“She felt sharp. I drove her at Hoosier and she was a little flat that day. She came back and raced really good at Lexington for Orjan (Kihlstrom), and she was good (in the elim). I drove her in the sire stakes final here, so she likes the track obviously. We had to do a little bit early there — that first half was hot enough. She was travelling good coming off the turn, and once (City Of Light) made a break and we could come out, she peeled off a helmet and ended her work strong”
Two Day Hangover competes for owners Brittany Farms LLC and Marvin Katz LLC. The filly, bred by Coyote Wynd Farms, took her $25,000 Breeders Crown elimination in a lifetime best 1:53.2. Earlier in the season, she set a divisional track record at Harrah’s Philadelphia in a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes event, trotting the mile in 1:53.3. Her grandsire, Father Patrick, won the 2013 Breeders Crown final for rookie colts and geldings, posting a 1 1/4-length score in 1:54.0 at Pocono Downs. She launched her career with three straight trips to the winner’s circle and sports a record of 4-1-2 from seven starts, with purse earnings of $246,450.
“She’s a really nice filly,” added trainer Marcus Melander said. “She really likes the five-eighths track. Hopefully she’ll get a good draw here and she’ll have an easy week. It’ll be exciting next week.”
Two Day Hangover was a $130,000 purchase at the 2025 Harrisburg Yearling Sale.
“Obviously, she did great in Pennsylvania all year. She maybe had a little bit of a dip as well there, even if she’s been racing good. Even if she races good on the bigger tracks, she has such great technique that the five-eighths (mile track) really benefits her as well. All three of my fillies have raced great on a five-eighths before.”
A bargain $25,000 purchase at the 2025 Lexington Select Yearling Sale, Shes A Home Run has seven top three finishes, 3-2-2, from nine starts. She was fifth in her Breeders Crown elimination but was elevated to fourth after a rival was disqualified to fifth for a pylon violation heading to the half. Shes A Home Run’s most notable victory to date came in a $58,150 Keystone Classic division at The Meadows on Sept. 16. She set her personal-best mark of 1:53.2 at The Meadows in August. Ronnie Wrenn, Jr., in search of his first Breeders Crown win in this division, gets the call.
Owned by 518 Group LLC and Ryan Smith, Shes A Home Run was bred by Steve Jones.
On her elimination: “She raced OK. She doesn’t go inside very good, so I think she would have been much better if she was on the outside. I don’t think that was the best effort we could have seen from her. We drew good for the final (post 5). Hopefully, they mix it up on the inside and you never know.”
On her season: “I was always really high on this filly. I really liked her all winter. She won her start before the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes final and did what I thought she was capable of doing, and then she got sick for the final and I had to scratch her. So, that knocked us back. It took a little bit more time to get over that than I hoped, but I think she’s probably going into the final just as sharp as she’s ever been. So, I’m optimistic.”
On her best qualities: “She’s really easy on herself, very nice to be around and work with. It’s hard to not like that kind. That’s a plus.”
Climatic Hanover, a $725,000 yearling purchase and half-sister to $1,719,521 earner Maryland, set a Hoosier Park track record of 1:52.2 when she took top honors in the Grade 2 $285,000 Kentuckiana Stallion Management for 2-year-old filly trotters on Sept. 25. Trained by Lucas Wallin (who also sends out Putitondad’stab), the bay filly is owned by K Andersen Racing Stable. Bred by Hanover Shoe Farms Inc., she has constructed a record of 2-3-0 from six starts, with purse earnings of $159,583. Her dam, Crucial, was sixth in an elimination for this race in 2019 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Climatic Hanover earned her first win in her third start, a 7 1/2-length romp at The Red Mile on Sept. 1.
“She was very good. She’s still a little green, and it was her first time on a small track. Maybe we need to adjust a couple of things for the final, but I’m very happy with how she raced. It’s probably been 3-1/2 weeks ago that she raced, so she probably needed this race. I think she’s going to be a little better next week.”
On her season: “She’s a big filly, so we took our time and kind of aimed for the second part of the season. She’s been getting better and better for each start, so it’s worked out pretty good for us.”
On expectations: “They paid a lot of money ($725,000) for her and she is Maryland’s sister, so there have been high hopes probably since the day she was born, so it’s nice to be in the Breeders Crown final with her”
On the break in the Doherty: “Just a little baby mistake. We did a couple of changes after that and it seems like we figured that out, at least.”
On best qualities: “She’s very big, and I think she’s going to get better even next year. She has a lot of talent, and she’s very strong. She’s still maybe a work in progress, but she has unlimited talent, I think.”
In nine lifetime starts, Putitondad’stab has crafted a 1-3-3 line, the lone score coming in the Kentucky Goldenrod Series at The Red Mile on Aug. 5. She went on to finish second at 23-1 in the Goldenrod Series Final on Aug. 26. Fourth, placed third, in her Breeders Crown elimination, the bay filly is owned by Wiesman Farms LLC and Harbor Racing Stable LLC. Bred by Kentuckiana Farms LLC and Ecuries Daniel Plouffe, Putitondad’stab was a $140,000 purchase at the 2025 Lexington Select Yearling Sale.
Wallin sent out Delaney Hanover in the 2024 edition of this race. He won his first Breeders Crown in 2021 when Rebuff took the 2-year-old Colt & Gelding Trot final.
“She’s been nice since day one. She’s very good gaited and has a good attitude. She just does everything you ask. She raced pretty good in Lexington, and it worked out good for her (in the elim); she finished third and raced very good. She drew outside (post 7 for the final), unfortunately, so we need some luck from there.”
On her season: “She’s very consistent. She hasn’t raced bad a single time, so I’m very happy with how she’s been racing all year. Anything can happen in the final.”
Best qualities: “She doesn’t make any mistakes. She’s good gaited and very good mannered.”
Trained and co-owned by Åke Svanstedt alongside breeder Little E LLC (Jeff Gural), Dandelion Wine, third in her Breeders Crown elimination, won a $94,000 division of the Bluegrass Series – her lone victory to date – at The Red Mile in a lifetime-best 1:53 on Oct. 2. The brown filly is 1-3-2 from eight starts. Svanstedt, who also drives, won three consecutive editions, all three as trainer and two as driver, of this race – in 2022 with champion Special Way, in 2023 with Warrawee Michelle and in 2024 with Lady Landia (James MacDonald drove).
Her grandsire, Southwind Frank, went 17-6-1 from 26 career starts. The son of Muscle Hill recorded lifetime purse earnings of $1,946,693 and won the 2015 freshman Crown Colt Trot, finishing 2nd as a sophomore.
“She came home good and she fought to the end (in her elimination). But now she has a bad post (8) so (the final) must be a little over-paced, a fast half, if she is going to have a chance. She is good, but it’s hard from post 8 against such good horses. If she can get a check, I’ll be happy.”
Bred by Polly Hilliard, Kissme Ifyoucan is 4-2-0 from 10 starts, accompanied by $280,450 in purse earnings. Purchased at the 2025 Lexington Selected Sale for $160,000, she is trained by Todd Luther and owned by Greg Luther Racing. Kissme Ifyoucan took the $80,000 Kentucky Championship Series opening preliminary for her division in a 1:51.4 mile on Aug. 9. She debuted with a two-length win in 1:57.3 at Oak Grove on June 23.
Her grandsire, Malabar Man, won the Breeders Crown at two and three, was a Hambletonian winner and inducted to the Hall of Fame after his career concluded. He earned $2,143,903 over a 31-race career that yielded 26 wins.
Austin Hanners drove his first Breeders Crown winner, Always B Naughty, in the Grade 1 Mare Pace, last year at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
On her elimination: “She was OK. She got a little rough, so I think she’s getting a little too hot. But I was happy with her off of the stale date (not racing since Sept. 26).”
On making any changes: “I think I’m going to change her bridle up a little bit, and I’m probably going to go back to a blind, even though she’s a little warm, because I think she’s kind of losing a little focus out there. So, we’ll make that change, and hopefully we can draw good.” (She drew post 9)
On her season: “She’s had a good season for what she’s battled with. She’s had a bad liver infection, and then she bled up in Canada, so I tried to give her an easy couple of weeks. After (the elim), she should be a little bit tighter going into the final.”
On best qualities: “She does everything right. She’s just perfect. She acts like an older horse, and she’s done it since day one. Hopefully, it’ll carry over to next week.”
$700,000 Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Colts & Geldings Trot Final (G1)
Sponsored by Firethorn Equine
Trained by Åke Svanstedt, surprisingly in search of his first Breeders Crown win in this division, Yankee Boss sports a mark of 3-0-2 from nine starts, accompanied by $177,726 in purse earnings. Bred by Yankeeland Partners LLP and owned by Kiwi Stables LLC and Graham Grace Stables, the bay colt won his debut on June 28 at Pocono Downs, and was third, just a neck back of the winner, in the $300,000 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes (PASS) Championship on Sept. 7.
Yankee Boss earned his speed badge of 1:52.0 in a $91,000 division of the Bluegrass Series at The Red Mile on Oct. 1. His grandsire, Muscle Hill, won this Breeders Crown race in 2008.
“He was not on top, but he made the final. I hope he can be better now racing week to week. When we do that, he is always better the second time. He’s had a good year. Last time, when he won (Oct. 1 in Bluegrass division), he went a tough race. He left hard and he fought to win. He will fight, but he has talent also. He has everything (a horse needs)”
The bay colt has reached the podium in seven of his eight engagements (4-2-1), including a pair of victories to launch his career. His most notable victory to date came in the Kentucky Sire Stakes Championship Series on Sept. 20. The Anette Lorentzon trainee also won a division of the Grade 3 International Stallion Stakes at The Red Mile on Oct. 8. Whateverittakes AS recovered from an early bobble in his Breeders Crown elimination to finish third.
A homebred for ACL Stuteri AB, Whateverittakes AS will look to follow in the hoofsteps of his champion sire, Walner, who won this race in 2016, trotting the mile in 1:53.0. His champion grandsire, Cantab Hall, won the event in 2003, in 1:56.4.
On making a little break out of the first turn: We’re not sure what he did, if he looked at something, or what happened, because he never made a break before.
On his elimination overall: “He raced really good, and Tony (Hall) said that he still had a lot of trot at the end. He wasn’t going to over-race him after he made the break, so he was very happy with him. Now it’s just to hope that we can get a decent draw and get something in the final. That’s what we’re going to hope for.” (He got post 2)
On his season: I’m very happy with him. He’s a homebred, we’ve had him his whole life, and we had his mom for almost her whole life. So, it’s special.
On best qualities: He’s loves to be on the racetrack and he loves his job; he’s just a very positive horse.
On making any changes: We’re going to watch the replay, and we might add a small shadow rolling because it’s the first time he ever raced under the lights (in the elim). So, it could be something on the track that he looked at or something like that. We’re going to think about it and maybe do that. Other than that, we won’t make any changes.
Bred by SRF Stable, which co-owns with Knutsson Trotting Inc., Brochart Stable Inc., Svanstedt, and Midnight Sun, Jimdougie Armitage owns a 3-2-2 mark from seven starts. Raised and consigned by Armitage Farm LLC, the bay colt topped the second session of the 2025 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale, with a price tag of $750,000. Trained and driven by Åke Svanstedt, he won his Pennsylvania Sire Stakes (PASS) championship at Pocono Downs on Sept. 7. His grandsire Walner won the race in 2016. He arrives at the final off a third in his Breeders Crown elimination.
Jimdougie Armitage’s dam, Quick Bet, is a full sister to Dan Patch Award-winner and 2024 Crown Trot winner Winner’s Bet.
“He is getting better every race. He was fast before, in Pennsylvania, and then when he went to the Red Mile he was second (by a nose in a Bluegrass division) in (1):52. Now he raced (1):53 and came home in :27 (in his elimination) and was very good from a bad post (7). Now he has a good post (3) in the final; I’m happy with that”
“He’s a big horse and strong horse. He can do better and better. He feels very good”
Fashioning a modest price tag – he sold for $20,000 as Hip #113 at the 2025 Harrisburg Yearling Sale – Carbon Fiber, bred by Goran Falk and Christina Takter, has amassed $136,400 in purse earnings through 10 starts (2-1-2). Carbon Fiber’s 1:53 mile in the Kentucky Sire Stakes (KYSS) final at Oak Grove on July 14, is the fastest ever trotted at the oval by a two-year-old, eclipsing the 1:53.2 mark set by Endurance (2025) and Allegiant (2023), the latter of whom set the overall world trotting record when winning the Elitloppet earlier this year. Ron Burke trains for owners Burke Racing Stable LLC, Phil Collura, Knox Services Inc. and Frank Baldachino.
Carbon Fiber’s sire, champion Gimpanzee, won this race in 2018, and two subsequent Crown titles as well. His dam, Brunella, took the 2022 Matron Stakes at Dover Downs.
On the elimination: “He was really good. He had trot. He struggled in the last turn a little bit, we’ll work on him equipment-wise, but I was really happy”
Ron Continued, “He’s been good. He’s had ups and downs, but the last couple of weeks he’s finally been getting it figured out. I was able to take the trotting hobbles back off (for the elim), which I thought was a big deal. He’s way better without them; he has way more go”
“He’s just a high-speed horse. That’s the problem, it’s just teaching him to handle his speed. We went a long way (in the elim) to getting it done, doing the things we wanted with him. I’ve always thought he was a very talented horse”
A $65,000 purchase at the 2025 Lexington Select Yearling Sale, Lifetime Dreamer is owned by Åke Svanstedt Inc., Brittany Farms LLC, Bruni Racing Team and Suleyman Yuksel Stables. Bred by Brittany Farms LLC, he arrived at the Breeders Crown final off a three-length triumph in 1:52.4 in his elimination. On Aug. 8, Lifetime Dreamer and driver Yannick Gingras teamed up to capture the $180,000 Platinum Final of the New Jersey Sire Stakes in a world-record time of 1:51.1. His other wins include a six-length score in a division of the Bluegrass Series at The Red Mile on Oct. 1.
Svanstedt trains the bay gelding, who is 4-1-1 from eight starts, accompanied by $183,000 in purse earnings. Gingras is tied with John Campbell for the most wins (4) by a driver in this Breeders Crown division and set the stakes record of 1:51.4 with Karl in 2023, matched by Maryland the following year.
“He is a top horse. He has a very good attitude. He can do everything; he can leave fast and is very strong. You don’t know the attitude before you race with them, but he has gotten tougher and tougher for every race. He is a real racehorse. He is a world-record-holder, so of course he has the speed. But what I like best is the attitude. He is a winner. You can see that in the races. Yannick (Gingras) said he just wants to win. When he pulls him, he just takes off. You don’t need to ask him, he takes off by himself.”
On the final: We were lucky with the posts – 1 (Yankee Boss), 3 (Jimdougie Armitage) and 5 (Lifetime Dreamer) – so that was good.
Wrong Sounds Right came into his winning Breeders Crown elimination off a masterful triumph in the Grade 1 Mohawk Million on Sept. 26, a performance that saw the bay colt set the stakes and track record and equal the world record, courtesy of a 1:51.1 mile. The bay, bred and owned by Scott Farber (Runthetable Stables) is riding a four-race win streak heading into the Breeders Crown final. In his start ahead of the Mohawk Million, he stopped the teletimer in a then career-best 1:51.4 in the New Jersey Classic on Sept. 11. His record stands at 6-1-0 from eight starts, along with a field-best $598,750 in purse earnings. His grandsire, Broadway Hall, won the 2002 edition of the race.
Farber put Wrong Sounds Right in last year’s Standardbred Horse Sale auction in Harrisburg but bought him back for $35,000.
Farber is a second generation patron of the Campbell stable, and he and Jim teamed up to win the 2022 Hambletonian with Cool Papa Bell, returning a record mutuel of $106.00.
“He was super. That was the first time that I’ve moved him to the front like that, and he really liked it, and he finished up really strong.”
On post 6: That’s probably a good spot. The beauty of winning these (elims) is you know you’re guaranteed 1 through 6, and anywhere in there you can try to figure out a trip. So that’s a good spot.
On the elimination: I was very happy. Todd (McCarthy) said was well in hand. It was his first time racing on three turns, and he handled everything very well. That’s just kind of the way he’s been. Whatever we’ve thrown at him, he’s just been a real professional, and we couldn’t be happier with him than we were (in the elim).
He’s a good-looking colt and he presents himself well on the track. When he goes out to warm up, he’s got his ears up, and he likes to race. He knows when he’s at the racetrack that it’s race time, and he loves to race.
He’s a professional is the simplest way to put it. He can race anyway. (The elim) is the first time he’s ever really raced on the front end, but he can come first-over, he can follow cover; you can race him any way you want to race him.
On the final: I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of speed, but my colt is very versatile. Todd can pretty much race him any way he wants. Todd will figure that all out. The horse and Todd seem to have a great connection with each other. I’m sure there will be a lot of speed, and Todd will figure out whether he wants to be in it or not; that’ll be up to Todd.
On making any changes: No. I haven’t changed a thing on him since May 12. I changed his front shoes on May 12, and we haven’t changed anything on him since.
On whether he knew the horse had this potential: You never know training down, but he trained good all the time that we trained him down. My assistant Manny Quevedo actually trained him more than I did because I was training another one. Manny kept saying, ‘Boy, he feels good.’ We were training together and I go, ‘Yeah, he looks good too.’ He didn’t do anything wrong. He’s just one of those horses that did everything we asked of him, and he’s still doing it.
I’m very happy with the way he raced. My only real concern was that he hadn’t been on a small track before, but he passed that test like he’s passed every other one.
I’m very excited about the future of this guy. I’ve had some good ones, and I’m as excited for him as I’ve been for any of the other ones. Homebreds are very special. We’re bringing a crew from home (for the final). We’re very excited to be out here.
The runner-up in this year’s Mohawk Million broke stride early in his Breeders Crown elimination but earned a spot in the final as the fifth-place finisher with the highest seasonal earnings. The bay gelding, 2-3-2 from nine engagements, won the Grade 3 Champlain Stakes on Sept. 11 at Woodbine Mohawk, which yielded a career-best 1:53.4 mile. Bred by Fair Winds Farm Inc. and owned by Determination, the latter of whom teamed with trainer Luc Blais and driver Bob McClure to win the 2020 edition of this race with On A Streak. Access Now was a $200,000 purchase at the 2025 Harrisburg Yearling Sale.
Second in his debut, Access Now won his second race, the milestone score came on July 24 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
On the elimination: He (driver Bob McClure) said he took a funny step in the first turn and made the break, but after that he was good. It happens sometimes; a young horse, his first time here, but he came back good in the end. We’ll hope he’s over that for next week.
On his season: “He’s had a good year”, said Luc Blais. “He’s a very nice horse. He doesn’t need very much (equipment). I like him. I think the lines show what kind of horse he is. He doesn’t have too many bad races”
Trained by Nancy Takter, who won the 2023 edition with Karl, and driven by two-time winner Tim Tetrick (in 2016, with Walner; in 2021, with Rebuff), Presidente finished second in his Breeders Crown elimination. The bay colt’s grandsire, champion Donato Hanover, won the race in 2006. Owned by a partnership consisting of Black Horse Racing, Moni Maker Stable (who also bred him), Pryde Stables Inc., and Erik Anderberg, Presidente broke his maiden when he won a division of the Kentucky Championship Series at The Red Mile in August. He also took a $91,000 Bluegrass Series division on Oct. 1, setting his lifetime mark of 1:52.0.
His record stands at 2-4-2 from nine starts, accompanied by $238,148 in purse earnings.
On his elimination: “He raced well. He got a little tired finishing, but it was a big mile. Dexter Dunn is going to drive him in the final. When you play musical drivers and end up with the leading driver, that’s not always a bad thing.”
Best qualities: “He’s flawlessly gaited. He got around the track here great. He’s handy too. I’m sure Dex can figure out some sort of trip. I think (Wrong Sounds Right) is the horse to beat; he’s an exceptionally nice horse. He looks the part. He’s like a mix of Karl and Tactical Approach, like he would be in the middle of those two.”
A son of 2008 winner, champion Muscle Hill, Top Reacher’s champion grandsire, Cantab Hall, won the event in 2003. His dam, Top Expectations, was third in a 2017 Breeders Crown elimination for 2-year-old trotting fillies and was sixth in a 2019 Breeders Crown elimination dash in the Open Mare division. Owned by Daniel Plouffe, who co-bred with Alexandra Verret, the bay colt is trained by Marcus Melander, who has won the last two editions of this race – with Maryland in 2024 and last year with Spencer Hanover (as well as in 2018 with Gimpanzee).
He won a Platinum division split of the New Jersey Sire Stakes (NJSS) at The Meadowlands in July and scored a 24-1 upset in the opening leg of the Kentucky Championship Series, going on to finish third in the Championship Series final. Fourth in his Breeders Crown elimination, Top Reacher is 2-2-2 from nine starts, along with $160,338 in purse earnings.
On his elimination: “He’s had a couple of tough trips, and we didn’t really know where we had him, so he actually raced really well. Obviously, drawing the nine-hole, he’ll need a lot of luck. If he can pick up a check, I’ll be happy.”
$700,000 Breeders Crown 2-Year-Filly Pace Final (G1)
Sponsored by US Trotting
Cleveland Darby is a six-time winner in 10 seasonal starts for trainer Ron Burke. Racing almost exclusively in Ohio, the Downbytheseaside filly captured the Ohio State Fair stake and three Ohio Sire Stakes legs before annexing the $300,000 Championship by a length in a season’s best 1:51 over the Scioto Down oval. She followed that with a 1:53.2 triumph in Ohio Breeders Championship action at Delaware, securing Ohio Triple Crown honors.
Venturing outside the Buckeye State in her last start, Cleveland Darby finished fourth in her Grade 3 International Stallion Stake division, timed in 1:50.4. Bred by Carl Howard, the filly is a sister to millionaire and Open Pace finalist Woman Layer. She has earned $354,865 this season for her connections.
“Both (Cleveland Darby and My Taylors Swift) of them are great. They trained awesome (on Friday); we trained them together and trained them fast. So basically, they used that as a prep, and they’re ready to go”
“They’ve both had really good years, and My Taylors Swift is a couple photos from having a great year. I think they’re going in there as good as anybody in that division. (Cleveland Darby) is a good horse. She does everything well. This is her home track, and you’ve already seen in the first division (of Friday’s Breeders Crown 2-year-old filly trot elims won by Ohio Sires Stakes champ Blue Ranger) what that means”
Too Pink To Pass has yet to reach the winner’s circle in 2026, but she has had a series of near misses. In nine seasonal attempts, the Huntsville filly has registered four runner-up finishes. Racing in New York Sire Stakes, Too Pink To Pass has yet to finish out of the money for trainer Shane Tritton. She has been driven in every start by Lauren Tritton, with the best seasonal clocking of 1:50.2 coming in her last start, a fourth-place finish in the $250,000 Big Apple Pace Final.
Bred by Steve Jones and owned by Joshua Jay Graber of Quincy, Michigan, Too Pink To Pass has earned $108,825. The filly was a $77,000 Lexington Selected purchase.
“I’ve loved her from day one. She doesn’t really know how to race as well as she could be; I think she is a better filly than what she’s shown on the track. She has enormous speed, but the couple of times we’ve tried to use it, she gets lost. But she is getting much better now. We put her on Lasix after the (New York Sire Stakes) final at Yonkers and it has made a big difference. Her last two runs were lights out. They went (1):49 the last time and she never got out; she probably should have been second (rather than fourth in the Big Apple filly pace). That’s why we came, because she finally showed what we have been seeing all year. I just hope that with her early speed, that she can be in a spot where she can at least have a crack at it. They’re all good fillies, we just hope we can get a piece.”
“She’s got unbelievable speed. She doesn’t even know she’s doing it. She can run a quick quarter – the other day she went :25 the first quarter – but she doesn’t really know what to do with it after that. She’s got a great owner (Joshua Jay Graber of Michigan), he’s from out this way, and it’s so great that we can come out here with a live chance. He’s had some ups and downs, and he handles the downs as well as he handles the ups. Hopefully, we can do something for him.”
On being in the Breeders Crown: “We’ve won a few Breeders Crowns back home (in Australia), but we’ve never been to one here. We just wanted to bring the right horse. We definitely think she is capable; that she can hang with them. Obviously, there are some real nice ones in there, they wouldn’t be here if they weren’t, and we haven’t proven it like they have already. But I wouldn’t swap her for any and hopefully she can put a bit of icing on the cake for the season and come back good next year.”
We Want It All enters the final a perfect five-for-five on the season. Owned by Brad Grant and trained by Dr. Ian Moore, the filly started her career with a Prospect Series win before moving up to Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots competition. She won two legs and then collected the $100,000 (CDN) final in a seasonal best 1:51.4. Since the final score, We Want It All qualified October 16 at Woodbine, registering a 1:53.2 mile.
We Want It All sold for $200,000 at the Lexington Selected sale under the name Zitch Dog Sgt. To date, she has earned $67,970. She is a sibling to Breeders Crown champions Ammo and Always A Miki and millionaire and Crown finalist Maximus Miki, and her dam, Beach Gal, was a Crown starter.
JK Lady Liberty has finished first or second in each of her seven seasonal starts, tallying five wins for trainer Nancy Takter. The Captain Crunch filly raced second in her career debut at Harrah’s Philadelphia. JK Lady Liberty then ran off five straight wins, three of which came in Pennsylvania Sire Stakes legs. Piloted by Scott Zeron, the freshman captured the $300,000 PASS final in a career best 1:51.1.
JK Lady Liberty enters the final off a runner-up finish in a $117,740 Grade 3 Bluegrass division at The Red Mile, sprinting home in :27 and finishing a half-length behind leader Holy in 1:51.3. Bred and owned by 3 Brothers Stables, the filly is out of 2014 Dan Patch and O’Brien Horse of the Year and Breeders Crown champion JK She’salady. She is also a sister to two-time Breeders Crown finalist JK First Lady, a winner of over $800,000. Her sire, Captain Crunch, is a Crown champion.
“She trained super on Friday (Oct. 16). She is a super nice filly. I won my first two Breeders Crowns with her parents (JK She’salady in 2014 and Captain Crunch in 2018), so it would be fun to win one with her. When you say a homebred, she is like a true homebred. She looks a lot like her mom and she’s gaited a lot like her mom, so she looks like her mom on the track. But she’s got her dad’s size. Her mom wasn’t a big filly, but she’s got her dad’s size, which hopefully will help her at 3.”
“She knows to win. She’s very honest. She figured out what she’s supposed to do, which is nice when 2-year-olds actually do that and they don’t just go out there and go through the motions.”
Positive Process owns a record of 1-5-0 from nine attempts in 2026. The Captaintreacherous filly opened her career with five consecutive runner-up performances in Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and All-Stars competition. Finishing out of the money in the $300,000 PASS final for trainer Petter Engblom, Positive Process broke through for her lone victory at The Red Mile, winning an overnight by nearly four lengths in 1:53.3.
The filly turned in back-to-back sixth-place efforts in graded stakes action at Lexington, competing in a division of the Bluegrass and International Stallion Stake in consecutive weeks and registering a 1:51 beaten time. A winner of $65,304, Positive Process is the first foal from Breeders Crown starter Ideation Hanover. The freshman brought $65,000 at Harrisburg last year.
My Taylors Swift enters the final after racing seventh in Lexington in a $118,740 Grace 3 Bluegrass division. In the race, she took command for driver Ronnie Wrenn Jr. shortly after the opening quarter and led the field through fractions of :53.4 and 1:22 before fading in the stretch for a 1:51.3 clocking. The Captaintreacherous filly began her career with a 1:52.4 triumph in Pennsylvania Sire Stakes competition.
My Taylors Swift then reeled off four straight runner-up efforts in PASS and Kentucky Championship Series events before finishing fourth in the $300,000 PASS final. She returned to The Red Mile and finished second to Seaside Ubeaut in the $400,000 Kentucky Championship Series final, timed in 1:49.3. The Ron Burke pupil has earned $216,613 this season.
“Both (Cleveland Darby and My Taylors Swift) of them are great. They trained awesome (on Friday); we trained them together and trained them fast. So basically, they used that as a prep, and they’re ready to go”
“They’ve both had really good years, and My Taylors Swift is a couple photos from having a great year. I think they’re going in there as good as anybody in that division. (Cleveland Darby) is a good horse. She does everything well. This is her home track, and you’ve already seen in the first division (of Friday’s Breeders Crown 2-year-old filly trot elims won by Ohio Sires Stakes champ Blue Ranger) what that means”
Cowboy Candy has been a force to be reckoned with on the New York Sires Stakes circuit. The So Surreal filly has captured eight of 10 seasonal starts, at one point winning six consecutive. Trained by Aaron Lambert, Cowboy Candy secured six NYSS legs before taking the $300,000 final by 2 3/4 lengths in a time of 1:55.2
Her most recent win came in the $250,000 Big Apple Pace final. Sent off as the favorite for driver Jason Bartlett, Cowboy Candy finished 4 1/4 lengths in front in a lifetime best 1:49.2. Plucked from the Goshen Yearling Sale for $27,000, the filly has earned $347,450 to date.
A four-time winner in seven attempts, Seaside Ubeaut enters the final on a two-race win streak for trainer Andrew Harris. The Downbytheseaside filly qualified for the $400,000 Kentucky Championship Series final after winning a leg and finishing third in another. Driven by Dexter Dunn, she dashed home in :26.3 to record a lifetime best 1:49.2 effort and win by a length over My Taylors Swift. She won again at The Red Mile in her last start, racing fourth throughout and sprinting home in :26.3 to capture the Grade 3 Bluegrass division in another 1:49.2 clocking.
Owned by Punisher 11 Stable LLC, Seaside Ubeaut has earned $330,370. She was a $500,000 Lexington Selected sale purchase. Her dam, Warrawee Ubeaut, is a two-time Breeders Crown champion and two-time Dan Patch Award winner. Seaside Ubeat’s sibling, Ubrute, is a 2025 Breeders Crown finalist.
“She’s a really, really nice filly; tough draw. (Post 8). There’s not a slanted gate here, so it makes it very tough to get involved; everything has kind of got to go right. I’m sure with that kind of money ($700,000) there will be more racing than in the eliminations when they get to the half in :57. Hopefully, there will be some racing, and we can pick up the pieces.”
“She’s gotten better with every start. She was really hard to deal with at the beginning of the year, but the more we’ve raced her, the more sensible she’s become. She has flat-out speed, but she’s got to gain a few other qualities for next year. She’s got to get a little patience, she’s got to get a little bit of manners, but she’s been getting those all throughout the year. I’m really looking forward to next year because I think she’s going to develop into a really nice filly next year.”
Tempting Flames has finished first or second in each of her nine career starts, registering five trips to the winner’s circle. Trained by Michael Hitchcock for owner William Hartt, the Catch The Fire freshman has raced exclusively in Ohio, reeling off five straight from late July to late August, taking her 1:50 mark in the process.
Tempting Flames has raced second in back-to-back starts. She paced a length behind Cleveland Darby in the $300,000 Ohio Sire Stakes Scarlett Championship at Scioto Downs, then finished three-quarters of a length behind the filly in the Ohio Breeders Championship at Delaware. Tempting Flames enters the final after two qualifiers at Hollywood Gaming Dayton Raceway. She paced second in her initial attempt, timed in 1:52.3, followed by a front-stepping 1:51.3 effort. Purchased for $52,000 out of the Ohio Selected Jug Sale, Tempting Flames has banked $321,012.
Aceandaten will contest the Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Filly Pace Final after a runner-up performance in the $350,000 (CDN) Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Final. In that event, the favored Cattlewash filly paced home in :27 to finish a length behind Jersey Bulldog, who smashed the Canadian, track and OSS records with her 1:48.1 victory. Aceandaten was timed in 1:48.2.
Three times a winner in 2026, and hitting the board in seven of 10 starts, Aceandaten finished third in the Grade 3 Champlain and raced fifth in the Grade 1 She’s A Great Lady, timed in 1:50 in both races. Each of her three victories have come in Ontario Sires Stakes action for trainer Gregg McNair. A $70,000 London Classic Yearling Sale purchase, she has earned $180,644 to date.
$700,000 Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Colts & Geldings Pace Final (G1)
Sponsored by Woodbine Entertainment
Blazin Lou drew post position eight in the first of two Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Colt Pace eliminations Friday (October 16) at Eldorado Scioto Downs. Steered by Dexter Dunn, the son of Sweet Lou sat fourth early and moved first-over just before the half-mile marker, advancing on the leader Eastie Boy through the last turn. In the stretch, he paced away from the field via a :25.3 last quarter to win by 3 3/4 lengths in a time of 1:50.4.
Blazin Lou has won 5 of 11 seasonal starts for trainer Tony Dinges and is currently riding a three-race win streak. Bred by Cornerstone Stock Farm and owned by Rick Berks of Paris, KY, the colt’s victories include a pair of preliminary legs in Kentucky Sire Stakes - Commonwealth Series action and triumphs in divisions of the Grade 3 Bluegrass Stake and Grade 3 International Stallion Stake, where he took his 1:49.1 mark. Blazin Lou was a $110,000 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale purchase and now possesses earnings of $169,550.
On the elimination: “I was expecting him to race good. I didn’t know what kind of trip we would get from out there, but I didn’t think it really mattered as long as everything went smooth. I kind of expect a pretty good effort out of him every week.”
On making any changes: “I haven’t made any changes, and I think I’m going to leave everything the way it is.”
On his best qualities: “Just that he’s so professional about everything. He’s just like a mature racehorse. He’s kind of been that way all along. It helps.”
On his first Breeders Crown: “It means a lot. I never really thought much about it, and here I am. I think (the week leading up to the final) is going to be good. I’m going to be pretty busy, so it’ll keep my mind off of it a little bit.”
Mr Bear and driver Marcus Miller sat third along the pylons in the first of two Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Colt Pace eliminations Friday (October 16) at Eldorado Scioto Downs, then used the passing lane to kick home in :26.2 to finish third, six lengths behind winner Blazin Lou. The Rockin Image colt clocked the mile in 1:52.
Entering the Breeders Crown elimination, the Erv Miller-trained colt won eight of 10 starts in the Hoosier State, finishing second twice. Competing at Harrah’s Hoosier Park, Mr Bear captured five Indiana Sire Stakes legs and raced second in the $250,000 Super Final for freshman colt pacers. He also collected a victory in the $75,000 Grade 3 Elevation at Hoosier Park, matching his best clocking of 1:50.3. Purchased at the Midwest Standardbred Horse Sale for $50,000, Mr Bear’s seasonal earnings stand at $294,625. Owner Ken Duffy (D & M Trading II LLC) was one of the connections behind 2024 Open Pace winner Coach Stefanos.
On the elimination: “I was tickled with the way he raced. He was pacing as hard as anybody right to the wire, and that’s what I was hoping for. He was good (getting around the track). It’s a good track, really well banked. That turn isn’t that much sharper than the one here at Hoosier, so it didn’t throw him for any loops. (Ocean Party) hung up a little bit more than I thought he was going to in the last turn, but (Mr Bear) was able to turn gears pretty well in the passing lane. That made me happy.”
On the draw (post 2): “It gives us a chance, for sure. We’ll have options from there. It looks like it’s going to be a really good race. The other division was super sporty, so there will be a lot of action, and we should be able to be right in it”
Ocean Party punched his ticket to the final with a fifth-place effort in the first of two Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Colt Pace eliminations Friday (October 16) at Eldorado Scioto Downs. Driven by Chris Page, the Ron Burke trainee led the field through a 27-second opening quarter before being shuffled to second. He remained along the pylons the rest of the way, then paced home in 27 seconds to finish 7 1/4 lengths off winner Blazin Lou. Ocean Party paced the mile in 1:52.1.
Ocean Party is winless in 12 seasonal starts, but has finished second five times. He finished a nose back in the $300,000 Ohio Sires Stakes Championship for freshman pacing colts in a time of 1:49.4, and led every call in his Grade 3 Bluegrass Stakes division before being headed by Stonebridge Blitz in 1:52.2. Ocean Party was also runner-up in a $104,000 division of the Grade 3 International Stallion Stake at The Rd Mile. A $50,000 Lexington Selected purchase, his earnings stand at $193,956.
“Sometimes he’s his own worst enemy, he won’t calm down. He was a little hot (in the elim), so we might have to go back to the drawing board as far as rigging him for next week.”
Starstruck Dreamer and Todd McCarthy raced fifth through a :55.1 opening half then moved first-over to challenge leader Shalom Hanover in the second Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Colt Pace elimination Friday (October 16) at Eldorado Scioto Downs. A head back at the top of the stretch, the Captaintreacherous colt put away the leader with a 26.3 last quarter and held off a late charge from Night Surfer to win by three parts of a length in 1:50.2.
A winner in six of seven starts, Starstruck Dreamer’s lone defeat came in the $300,000 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes final where he was headed at the wire by Shalom Hanover. Trained by Noel Daley, the colt established a 1:48.4 world record on a five-eighths-mile track at Harrah’s Philadelphia on August 14 en route to winning a PASS division. Now a winner of $230,500, Starstruck Dreamer was a $105,000 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale purchase. He is the first foal from two-time O’Brien Award winner Scarlett Hanover, a two-time Breeders Crown finalist, finishing third as a freshman and second as a sophomore.
On the elimination: “I was just looking for him to get in there, really. He’d been sick on me, so he’s trained three light trips in the last week; that’s all he’s done in a month. I knew he was no longer sick, but everything pointed to him not being ready, and he won it anyhow.”
“He was supposed to race one or both weeks at Lexington, that’s why I got him qualified (on Sept. 22), and then he came up sick after the qualifiers. We’ve really been fighting that. That’s why he hasn’t started. That’s five weeks or something. So, this was a good effort. If he improves any off that, which we expect him to, he’s going to be hard to beat as long as he comes out of it all right. I wasn’t really looking for him to have that hard a run, but he seems fine.”
On best qualities: “He’s just a natural. He’s the best 2-year-old I’ve had, the most natural of the 2-year-olds that I’ve had. Whether he ends up the best horse, I don’t know. I’ve had some good ones; My Little Dragon went 6-for-6, and Pebble Beach was good, but this fella is better than them at this stage. Everything is so easy for him.”
“We knew he was nice, but I didn’t know he was like this. In his first qualifier, we took him off the gate and clocked him in his last three-quarters in 1:22 at the Meadowlands, so we knew he was pretty good. And then the afternoon he won at Pocono (in 1:49.4 on Aug. 3) he just did it so easy. Then he came out and went (1):48 the next week, so we were pretty sure he was a good one by then.”
On his elimination: “He was really strong. Shalom (Hanover) raced great too; they’re two horses that haven’t raced in a little while, so they probably needed the start under their belt. But he finished up really strong there.”
Shalom Hanover took control after a :27.1 opening panel in the second Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Colt Pace elimination Friday (October 16) at Eldorado Scioto Downs. Setting fractions of :55.1 and 1:23.2, the favorite led the field into the stretch before finishing third, a length off winner Starstruck Dreamer. The Papi Rob Hanover colt was timed in 1:50.3.
Shalom Hanover entered the elimination a perfect seven-for-seven in 2026. The Dr. Ian Moore trainee claimed victory in the Tompkins Geers, Grade 3 Dream Maker, Grade 3 Nassagwya, two Pennsylvania Sire Stakes legs and the $300,000 final, where he took his 1:49.2 mark. After winning a Metro Pace elimination by open lengths, the colt was scratched from the final. A $50,000 Harrisburg purchase and sibling to two-time O’Brien Award winner Scarlett Hanover, Shalom Hanover has earned $327,476.
On his elimination: “He raced well, but I couldn’t prep him the way I wanted for that race. To be at that level, I just didn’t have enough time. I had to give him time to recover from that retention barn injury he incurred in his forearm (causing him to be scratched from the Metro Pace final Sept. 26) and his training was the qualifier on (Oct. 9), that was it. He’ll be better (this) week, I’m hoping, and he drew OK (post 5) so we should be all right.”
Eastie Boy and driver Ronnie Wrenn Jr. took control of their Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Colt Pace elimination Friday (October 16) at Eldorado Scioto Downs after a 27-second opening panel, then clicked off fractions of :56.3 and 1:24.4 before yielding to winner Blazin Lou in the stretch. The favorite finished 3 3/4 lengths behind the winner in second, timed in 1:51.3.
The Sweet Lou homebred has hit the board in eight of 10 seasonal starts, recording four wins. His biggest victory this season is a 1:49.2 triumph in the $1 million (CDN) Grade 1 Metro Pace at Woodbine Mohawk Park, where he earned the bulk of his $538,912 bankroll. Eastie Boy is a full-brother to two-time Dan Patch Award winner and 2024 Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Colt Pace Final winner Louprint.
On Eastie Boy’s elim: “He was sick all last week, and I thought he was all right. Not to take anything away from the winner, I thought the winner was a very impressive winner, but I think my horse is better than that. So, we’ll have to work on him and hopefully get him totally healthy by next week. He seemed a little bit more stressed (Friday) than I thought he should have been, so they’ll get blood (Saturday) and see where we’re going with him.”
On best qualities: “He’s just a really, really good horse. He just tries hard. He’s a brother to Louprint and Shacarri; that mare (Rockin Racer) just seems to make horses that try their hearts out. He continues to get better, so I’m really happy with him.”
Night Surfer and Dexter Dunn reached the quarter first (:27.1) and then enjoyed a pocket trip behind favorite Shalom Hanover in the second Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Colt Pace elimination Friday (October 16) at Eldorado Scioto Downs. In the stretch, Dunn moved the Downbytheseaside colt to the inside and dashed home in :26.4 to finish a quarter length behind winner Starstruck Dreamer for second, timed in 1:50.2.
Now a winner in five of seven starts, the Virgil Morgan Jr. trainee claimed victory in a trio of Ohio Sires Stakes legs before finishing third in the $300,000 Championship. He also scored an Ohio Breeders Championship event at Delaware with Dunn in the bike. Purchased at the Ohio Selected Jug Sale for $67,000, Night Surfer has earned $264,910 this season. His 1:50 clocking came in a qualifier at The Red Mile leading into the elimination.
Stonebridge Blitz and Ronnie Wrenn Jr. got away fourth along the pylons in the second Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Colt Pace elimination Friday (October 16) at Eldorado Scioto Downs, and the duo never changed position. They patiently raced along the inside, shuffled to sixth, then used the passing lane to their advantage, sprinting home in :26.1 to finish fourth, 1 1/2 lengths behind winner Starstruck Dreamer in a time of 1:50.3.
Trained by Ron Burke, the son of Tall Dark Stranger has hit the board in six of 11 starts, recording two wins. A $40,000 Lexington Selected purchase, the gelding entered last Friday’s eliminations off three strong starts. Stonebridge Blitz raced second to Mr Bear in the $75,000 Grade 3 Elevation at Hoosier Park, then won in back-to-back weekends at The Red Mile, taking the Grade 3 Bluegrass in 1:52.2 before scoring the Grade 3 International Stallion Stake in a season’s best 1:49.4. He is now a winner of $167,692. His dam, Shouldabeenatd, was a Breeders Crown finalist as a freshman.
“He was good too. That was sneaky. He was in a bad spot and was an easy fourth. He drew a little bit outside (post 8), but he picks Yannick (Gingras) back up for (the final) and Yannick has done real well with him. That’s going to be all right. That race is going to be crazy; there are so many horses that can win. They’re going to race.”
On recent form: “We made a bit change on him three starts ago, and he’s able to be held now, and that’s been the whole difference with him. Before, he was about half out of control. Now, he’s easy going, so we’re happy”
L A Captain and Bob McClure raced sixth through an opening quarter, bided their time second-over through middle fractions of :56.3 and 1:24.4 and then sprinted home in 26 seconds flat to finish fourth, six lengths off winner Blazin Lou in the first of two Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Colt Pace eliminations Friday (October 16) at Eldorado Scioto Downs. The Captaintreacherous colt paced the mile in 1:52.
Trained by Luc Blais, L A Captain has reached the winner’s circle once in 10 starts this season. He is graded stakes placed, with a runner-up effort in the Grade 3 Dream Maker and third in the Grade 3 Nassagwya. L A Captain took his 1:53 mark in late July at Woodbine, but paced in 1:51.1 in the Nassagwya, where he finished a length back of the winner. The colt’s 2026 earnings stand at $58,468. He was a $200,000 Harrisburg purchase, and the first foal from the dam.
“I think he is getting better and better. (In the elim) he closed very good. But we got (post) 9, which is not the best spot. It’s going to be a tough race. But he’s the kind of horse I like. I think he’s just going to keep improving. He does everything right. From the first day, he was on the job and very smart, a little bit immature but I think with age he’s going to be a better horse. He seems better now than at the beginning of the season. He’s more mature, more focused.”
$664,500 Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Filly Trot Final (G1)
Sponsored by The Meadowlands
Storybook Love was the third-place finisher in the final Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Filly Trot elimination to secure her spot in the final. She was three lengths behind winner She’s Moni and timed in 1:54 flat.
Storybook Love’s lone victory so far as a 3-year-old came in a division of the Simcoe Stakes at Woodbine Mohawk Park on September 4. She was the runner-up in both the New York Sire Stakes final at Yonkers and the Grade 1 Elegantimage final at Woodbine Mohawk.
In 2025 Storybook Love was the Breeders Crown champion for this division and also took her elimination. In addition, she was victorious in her elimination of the Big Apple at Vernon Downs and in an overnight race at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Her resume led to her winning the O’Brien Award in Canada.
Her overall record shows five wins, ten seconds and four thirds from 27 efforts, a bankroll of $759,555 and a mark of 1:52.2, taken in her Breeders Crown victory a year ago.
Her sire Chapter Seven won his elimination and the final of the 2011 Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Colt Trot and the final of the Open Trot the following year.
On her elimination: “I thought she raced great, a ground-saving trip. We drew the rail for the final, so we’re looking good.
On season: In the middle of the year, maybe she got into some tough racing, but she had some bad allergies. We’re finding that right now, she’s really turning the corner, which is kind of the same as what happened last year. I think it’s the time of year. It’s not a bad time to turn the corner. She’s about in the same spot as she was last year, so we’re pretty happy.”
Victorianas Secret moved on to the Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Trot final with a third-place finish in the second elimination. She was half a length behind victor Little Road and timed in 1:53.3.
Victorianas Secret has won eight of her 12 starts this year, with her signature triumph coming in the Grade 1 Delmonica Hanover at Pocono. She’s also captured overnight races at The Meadows, her Oak Grove Trotting Oaks elimination, her division of the Currier And Ives, the Moni Maker and a pair of Kentucky Championship Series prelims.
As a 2-year-old she went one-for-eight in the win column, with that success coming in the Kentucky Sire Stakes at Oak Grove. She did not participate in the Breeders Crown.
In total Victorianas Secret has a summary of 9-3-3 from 20 starts, has earned $453,531 and took her mark of 1:50 at The Red Mile.
Her sire Tactical Landing won his elimination and the final of the Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Colt Trot in 2018.
On her elimination: “I was a little disappointed. We’re going to scope her and see if there is anything going on there. I thought with those fractions she should have won. But we still made it in. She was sick in her last start (Sept. 20 Kentucky Championship) in Kentucky, so she had a little break, and we qualified her at The Meadows. Overall, not too bad. After the draw (post 2), the rest is the racing gods.”
On her season: “She’s obviously hurt herself in some spots, but overall, I think she’s had a good year.”
She’s Moni held sway on the front-end to win the third Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Filly Trot elimination by a neck in 1:53.2.
That was She’s Moni’s third straight win, as she also captured the Kentucky Championship Series final and the Kentucky Filly Futurity at The Red Mile prior to that. Earlier in the year, she took an overnight event at the Meadowlands and a leg of the Kentucky Commonwealth Series.
She’s Moni raced just once as a 2-year-old, winning a Kentucky Wildcat Series race at The Red Mile. She did not participate in the Breeders Crown.
“I always thought that she was my best filly,” trainer Nancy Takter said. “She was my best filly last year training down. Unfortunately, she had a little injury that we had to take care of and give her time off. So she came back from that and she hasn’t had any issues from that all year. It was a matter of just getting her into racing and making up for lost time, not having a lot of starts at 2. She always had the ability. She’s a very gifted filly, probably one of the most gifted I’ve been around.”
For her career, She’s Moni has six wins, two seconds and a third from 12 starts and has a bankroll of $443,606. She owns a mark of 1:50.1 taken at The Red Mile.
She’s Moni’s sire Walner captured the Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Colt Trot final in 2016. Her dam Thats All Moni was a two-time Breeders Crown participant. She won her elimination and was sixth in the final of the 2016 2-Year-Old Filly Trot and tenth in the final of the 3-Year-Old Filly Trot in 2017.
Nezuko Kamado S won the opening Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Filly Trot by a nose from first-over in a track record clocking of 1:51.2.
That was Nezuko Kamado S’s seventh win of the year, with her marquee victory coming in the Hambletonian Oaks. She also tallied in a New York Sire Stakes leg and the Empire Breeders Classic at Vernon Downs, a division of the Reynolds and the Del Miller Memorial at the Meadowlands and a Kentucky Championship Series leg at The Red Mile.
As a 2-year-old Nezuko Kamado S prevailed in two New York Sire Stakes legs, the Kentuckiana Stallion Management, her Big Apple elimination and the final and her Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Filly Trot elimination. She was third as the favorite in the Breeders Crown final.
For her career, Nezuko Kamado S has 13 wins, three seconds and a third from 22 starts, has banked $1,141,805 and has a lifetime mark of 1:50.1 at the Meadowlands.
Her sire Chapter Seven won his elimination and the final of the 2011 Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Colt Trot and the final of the Open Trot the following year.
On the eliminations: “Nezuko raced great, first-over, and it was nice to see her get back to winning a race. She really got around Scioto good. I’m confident going into the race.”
“Nezuko feels very sharp. I think she was very sharp in the (Kentucky Filly) Futurity as well, but she did a little miscue there. But she feels great.”
On her elimination: I thought I’d be first up no matter how I shook that race, and I was very happy with even being first-up, just giving her every chance to win. The one thing I didn’t want to do was rush her really, really hard the first two steps out of the gate. Obviously, we’re under pressure to be top three in this specific division out of all the others being top four with a fifth (place finisher). At the same time, I thought that being first-up gave her every opportunity to win, and she delivered. (Tim Tetrick’s) horse (Madam Cheval) was giving a hell of a run in the last turn, and I was still laboring off of him. And then when his started to tire a little bit, it gave mine that second wind to just dig on by, and she felt good up there. Hats off to (Jason Bartlett’s) horse (Custom); she raced phenomenal from behind (missing by a nose).
Supplemental entrant Little Road captured the second Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Filly Trot elimination, rallying in the passing lane from the pocket to win in 1:53.3.
Little Road won a leg and this year’s Pennsylvania Sire Stakes final, in addition to a division of the Colonial Oaks and Keystone Classic. Her other victories came in overnight races at The Meadows.
In 2025 Little Road was six-for-nine in the win column, with her stakes victories coming in a leg of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes consolation. She was not eligible to race in the Breeders Crown as a 2-year-old.
A homebred filly for trainer Roger Hammer by Fordham Road out of the Great George Two mare A Little Laid Back, Hammer decided to pay the $72,000 supplement fee to make Little Road eligible for the Breeders Crown after a sophomore campaign where she’s earned nearly $300,000.
“She made the money this year and it was the first horse that I raised to have a shot at the Breeders Crown,” Hammer said after the race.
“I wanted to give her a shot. She doesn’t like the passing lane that well. She’s better when you pull her to the outside and come with her, but I figured with where she’s sitting I’m into the final, if nothing happens. It’d mean a lot [to win a Breeders Crown].
"This week, she’ll go home tonight and she’ll train lightly on Thursday,” Hammer also said, “then come back out on Saturday for the retention barn. I hope she’s ready again.”
Overall, Little Road has a summary of 16-4-2 from 25 starts, has earnings of $373,150 and a mark of 1:52 flat taken at The Meadows.
On the elimination: “The trip was perfect. The only horse I wanted to follow was Ronnie’s (Victorianas Secret driven by Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) and luckily, with me having the rail and my filly being as handy as she is, I was able to out-foot everybody off the gate and get covered back up behind Ronnie. (Turning for home) she felt perfect. I was just waiting for the passing lane. As soon as I started edging her toward the passing lane, I could already feel her getting ready to hit two more gears.”
“To win (the elimination) for Roger Hammer, who won the Hambletonian, is something special. I’ve told people that when he supplements horses into things like this, he’s not doing it just to be in it, he’s in it to make money or win.”
On her best qualities: “She’s so handy and great to drive, you can do whatever you want, whether you want to leave with her and race her from off the pace.”
On getting to the Breeders Crown final: “I don’t even think I slept (Friday night) before this race, to be honest, I was that excited about it. It’s still just mind-blowing to be in it. I’ll probably (be able to sleep) this week until Thursday, then Friday night I probably won’t sleep at all. (Laughing) I don’t change the routine; if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.”
Setyoursightshigh was the runner-up in the second Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Filly Trot elimination. She was half a length behind winner Little Road and was timed in 1:53.3.
She has three victories in 2026, winning the filly division of the Dr. Harry M. Zweig Memorial (in a life’s-best 1:51.4), her Hambletonian Oaks elimination and an Ohio Sires Stakes leg at Scioto.
In 2025 Setyoursightshigh was the Dan Patch Award winner for this division as she didn’t miss the exacta in 11 starts. She won multiple Kentucky Sire Stakes legs, plus The Next Generation, two Ohio Sires Stakes legs and the final of that event. She was also second in both her elimination and the final of the Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Filly Trot. Overall, she has a summary of 10-8-1 from 23 outings, has earnings of $955,366 and a mark of 1:51.4.
Her sire In Range won his elimination and was second in the 2020 Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Colt Trot final and fifth in his elimination and third in the 2021 Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Colt Trot final
On the eliminations: “Setyoursightshigh raced good, first-over as well, and got second. She’s raced good all year as well. They’re both in good form, so it will be exciting”
Custom rallied to finish second in the first Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Filly Trot elimination. She was a nose behind winner Nezuko Kamado S and was timed in 1:51.2.
She has four victories this year. She won her elimination of the Oak Grove Trotting Oaks, a New Jersey Sire Stakes leg, a division of the Reynolds and the New Jersey Classic final.
As a 2-year-old Custom visited the winner’s circle three times, taking an overnight event at Pocono, plus a leg and the final of the New Jersey Sire Stakes-Standardbred Development Fund. She did not compete in the Breeders Crown.
For her career, Custom has seven wins, a trio of seconds and three thirds from 19 starts, has pocketed $340,203 and has a lifetime mark of 1:51.2.
Custom’s sire Walner captured the Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Colt Trot final in 2016.
Southwind Chaska came in third in the first Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Filly Trot elimination. She was a length and a quarter behind winner Nezuko Kamado S and was timed in 1:51.3.
She is a one-time winner thus far in 2026, having captured the Continentalvictory on Hambletonian Day at the Meadowlands in a life’s-best 1:51.2.
As a 2-year-old Southwind Chaska had six victories, prevailing in two New Jersey Sire Stakes legs, her New Jersey Classic Series elimination, a leg of the Kindergarten Series and in a pair of Grand Circuit appearances at The Red Mile. She was fifth in her elimination and eighth in the final of the Breeders Crown.
Overall, Southwind Chaska has a summary of 7-4-3 from 20 starts and has earned $350,240.
Her sire Tactical Landing won his elimination and the final of the Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Colt Trot in 2018
On her elimination: “I said that in this race she could win or she could be last because it was a tough field. Maybe she is a little tired of the mile tracks and will be better at this track with the short stretch and everything. She was better (in the elim) anyway, so hopefully she is better next week. She got a bad post (8), so we’ll see. You never know, it’s horse racing. You have to be in the final to get the check. At least we’re there.”
On this season: “I think she has been unlucky. In the (Hambletonian Oaks elim), she was close to going to the final and then she won the consolation (the next week) easily. She is better than she has shown. Hopefully, she is going to be even better next year. She has everything a good horse needs, she is fast, she is strong and big, and good behind the gate. She is a complete horse. I think she could be a good older racehorse or a very good broodmare.”
Busy Miss Lissy S was the runner-up in the third Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Filly Trot elimination. After a first-over trip, she finished a neck behind winner She’s Moni and was timed in 1:53.2.
Busy Miss Lissy S has three victories this year. She won her Hambletonian Oaks elimination, a division of the New York New York Mile at Yonkers and the Delmonica Hanover Consolation I at Pocono.
In 2025 Busy Miss Lissy S won six times. She captured three legs and the final of the Kindergarten Series to go with two overnight events at Pocono. She did not compete in the Breeders Crown.
Overall, Busy Miss Lissy S has a summary of 9-2-3 from 19 starts, has earned $353,040 and has a lifetime mark of 1:51.4 taken at the Meadowlands.
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