The Finalists
$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 Filly 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 elimination 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 $1,143,869 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.
$664,500 Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Filly Pace Final (G1)
Sponsored by The Red Mile
Sangria Summer posted a new track record of 1:49.3 in her Breeders Crown elimination for driver James MacDonald and trainer Luc Blais, scoring a :26.4 final brush in the process. Determination of Montreal, Quebec, owns the daughter by Captaintreacherous, who is out of the Shadow Play mare Shower Play p, 3, 1:50.2s ($438,435), herself a prolific performer on the Ontario circuit during her racing days. The victory was the ninth in 25 career starts and her eighth of the season, pushing her career earnings to $516,435. After earning $79,011 at 2, she has added another $437,424 to her coffers this season.
Sangria Summer’s best effort this season came in the $250,000 Lynch Memorial, when she posted a 1:48.4 clocking on Aug. 22. Her other victories this year came in the $150,000 Courageous Lady at Northfield Park in Cleveland on Oct. 10 in 1:51.1; the $103,553 PASS at The Meadows on Aug. 28 in 1:50.2 when she bested rival Say Goodnight by a neck in a nail-biting finish; the $123,200 Shady Daisy at the Meadowlands in 1:48.1 on Aug. 8; and a trio of tough overnight events at Woodbine when she consistently paced in 1:50.1 or faster.
Thoughts on her since buying her in May: “We thought she’d be a good sires stakes filly, and she’s better than we originally thought. She’s healthy and an easy keeper who looks out for herself and is very professional.”
From an earlier interview: “She’s a very nice horse, very professional. Wherever you go, she feels like it’s home. She doesn’t worry about this or that; she doesn’t worry about anything. She’s just a pleasure to be around. She’s got a nice gait, and she is very fast and tough. She doesn’t look like she gets tired. She can carry her speed well. It’s very exciting.”
On training pacers after being known for his success with trotters: “A good horse is a good horse, it doesn’t matter whether it’s a trotter or pacer. You just try to keep them happy and fit. That’s it. You just try not to mess them up and let them go the way they like.”
Whoomp was second in her Breeders Crown elimination for driver John DeLong and trainer Roger Welch, finishing a length behind the winning Hope Hill in 1:50.1, after a first-up trip. A terror in the Indiana Sire Stakes, the homebred Whoomp has amassed $748,101 for William C. and Jesse DeLong of Clinton, WI, and William P. DeLong of South Beloit, IL. The Indiana-bred by Rockin Image is the third foal out of the Sweet Lou mare Nightcap and is a full sister to Teelatini p, 3, 1:49.4s ($549,474) and to Saba Rock p, 4, 1:49f ($119,062).
As a freshman, she had eight wins in 13 tries, all in ISS competition, earning $349,601 for her connections with a mark of 1:50.4s, and has added another $398,500 to her bankroll this season via another five triumphs. Once again, she was a terror in the ISS ranks, with wins on May 25, June 13, July 11 (when she scored a lifetime best of 1:48.3s), Aug. 15, and in the $250,000 Final on Oct. 9, when she paced in 1:51.1.
On her elimination: “I thought it was fabulous. She’s never raced anywhere but Hoosier Park, and I’m stabled at Hoosier Park, so this was her first time away from home, basically. We got her here and she was just as fresh as could be. She fell right in like she’d been doing it her whole life, like she knew she was special. And she raced that way. I made a few minor adjustments, and she just swooped right around this racetrack. She got away third, and John (DeLong) made the right move to pull her when he did because when you have to be in the top four, you don’t want to take a shuffle. He just sat out there and then pulled the plugs turning for home and she had a lot of go. I thought she was a good solid second. I was very happy with her. She never took a misstep and handled the racetrack fabulous. I didn’t think it would be an issue, but you never know.”
On her career success: “My wife (Amy) has been her groom for two years and we just keep her happy. If you keep her happy, she performs. There really is no key to her. She’s just a perfect horse. She is so handy. She can pace a first quarter in :25 or :26 and the last quarter in :25 or :26. You can do that out of the gate, and you can shut her right down to a :29 second quarter. And then you can step on the gas and go another fast quarter. That would be her best quality to me. It’s fun working with your wife and we’re very proud of (Whoomp). It’s cool.”
“I won’t do anything different (this week) than we’ve done all year because it’s worked. The only thing different is to ship three hours home.”
Hope Hill won her Breeders Crown elimination handily in 1:50 as the 1-2 choice for driver Dexter Dunn and trainer Petter Engblom. It was her eighth triumph of the season and third straight victory, upping the daughter of Papi Rob Hanover’s seasonal earnings to $408,742 and her career earnings to $517,932 for owner-breeder Tom Hill of Cabus, Preston, UK.
As a freshman, Hope Hill won a trio of $30,000 Commonwealth Stakes in Kentucky as well as a Scioto overnight, with her best effort coming on Aug. 19, 2025, when she posted a 1:51.2 clocking. This season she has posted eight wins, two seconds, and three thirds in 15 starts, lowering her career mark to 1:48.3f at Oak Grove on July 15 in an $80,000 Kentucky Sire Stakes. She is the first foal out of the unraced Bettor’s Delight mare Ruth Hill. She also has victories in the $212,000 Garnsey Memorial and $76,000 Bluegrass at Lexington this year.
Say Goodnight was fifth in her Breeders Crown elimination to the winning Sangria Summer, beaten 5¼ lengths and timed in 1:50.3 for driver Tyler Buter and trainer Nicholas Devita. She left the gate and secured fifth, and despite posting a :26.4 final panel, did not advance on the eventual winner. The Papi Rob Hanover lass won the $125,000 Lynch Consolation at Pocono Downs on Aug. 22 in a career-best 1:50.1, a $30,000 PA All-Stars on May 11 in 1:51.2, and a pair of Pocono overnights this season.
She has amassed $209,644 this year after earning $184,606 as a 2-year-old and now has six wins, three seconds, and three thirds in 18 career outings, with a lifetime bankroll of $394,250 for owners David R. Hamm of Dagsboro, DE, and Glenn R. Phillips of Frankford, DE. Bred by Steve Jones of Montgomery, NY, Say Goodnight was a $50,000 yearling at the 2024 Goshen Sale, and is out of the Artsplace mare One Last Kiss p, 3, 1:53.3f ($178,417) and is a half-sister to Last Gunfighter (by Rocknroll Hanover) p, 7, 1:49f ($435,555) and to Kiss Me Onthebeach (by Somebeachsomewhere) p, 3, 1:48.3f ($321,750), among others.
A Clean Deal finished fourth, 2¼ lengths back to the winning Hope Hill in her Breeders Crown elimination, timed in 1:50.2. The daughter by Cattlewash was steered by Doug McNair for trainer Robert Fellows and raced evenly throughout the mile for owners N. Yolanda Fellows of Rockwood, ON; Blair C. Corbeil of Leduc, AB; Windermere Stable LLC of New York, NY; and James A. Ross of Wingham, ON. A winner of $602,854 in her career, A Clean Deal has five wins in 12 starts this year and $273,460 in seasonal earnings. She took her best mark of 1:49.3s in a wire-to-wire performance at Woodbine on June 26 in the $99,400 Ontario Sires Stakes for these same connections. She also captured a $101,269 Ontario Breeders Stakes on May 16 in 1:51.
A Clean Deal had a stellar freshman season, winning six of seven starts and earning $329,394, with multiple ON Sires Stakes triumphs, including a 1:50s clocking on Aug. 14, 2025, at Woodbine. She is the third and most prolific foal out of the Western Ideal mare Ideal Talker p, 4, 1:53.2f ($100,436) and is a half-sister to Bettor Talker (by Bettor’s Delight) p, 4, 1:52.1f ($46,861).
Darlin’s Angel was third to Hope Hill in her Breeders Crown elimination, timed in 1:50.1 and beaten just a length for driver Lauren Tritton and trainer Juan Cano. The homebred daughter of Captaintreacherous has four wins on the year in 12 starts, having earned $271,932 for owner Hot Lead Farm of Allentown, NJ. Her best effort this season came on Aug. 1 at the Meadowlands, when she won the $52,500 Tompkins Geers in a career mark of 1:49.2, staving off her rivals by two lengths. She also had triumphs in a $30,000 PA All-Stars at the Poconos on May 11 in 1:51; at Harrah’s Philadelphia on May 1 in a $52,577 PASS in 1:53; and in the $30,000 Home Grown at the Meadowlands on April 25.
Darlin’s Angel has career earnings of $347,524, having also won four of seven starts at 2, with earnings of $75,592. She is the 11th foal out of the prolific Bettor’s Delight mare Darlin’s Delight p, 4, 1:49.1 ($2,901,926)—herself a Breeders Crown contender who was second in the finals at 2 and 3. She is a half-sister to Darlinonthebeach (by Somebeachsomewhere) p, 3, 1:48.1 ($1,068,648).
On her elimination: “She raced good. I think she was a little short. She hadn’t raced for three weeks, so I think (in the final) she is going to be sharper. I hope so. We are going to stay here, we’re not going to go home (to New Jersey), because it’s really hard when you ship horses. Between us and (owner) Joe Parisi, we are really happy with the horse. She does a good job. I have no complaints. This horse has always been special to me. I’m very happy we got to the final, that was the main thing we had to do. Everything is good.”
“She’s a really nice horse to be around. When you train her, she only gets on the bit when you ask her. She doesn’t do anything crazy. You can race from the back, from the front; she does anything you ask of her.”
On her elimination: “It was a really good run from her. She needed it, too, and we’re really happy with her. She’s just such an easy mare. She does everything right and is a pleasure to sit behind. I’m just rapt that I’m here for the ride.”
“She’s very consistent and everything she does now is just a bonus. We’re all enjoying it.”
On going to a Breeders Crown final: “It’s special. It doesn’t happen very often. I’m very thankful to Team Cano and Hot Lead Farm for giving me the opportunity to sit behind her for her whole career. It’s just been great.”
She’s A Bulldog finished second to Sangria Summer in her Breeders Crown elimination, beaten just two lengths and timed in 1:50 for driver Yannick Gingras and trainer Ron Burke. The daughter of Bulldog Hanover has earned $208,746 this year from three wins, four seconds, and two thirds in 16 trips postward for owner-breeder Bradley J. Grant of Milton, ON. She’s A Bulldog had won the $106,500 ONSS on Sept. 25 in a career-best clocking of 1:49.2, as well as Pocono and Woodbine overnights earlier in the season.
At 2, she earned $379,326 for Grant with one win in nine starts, taking a freshman mark of 1:51.1 at the Meadowlands on Nov. 15, when she won the $357,000 Three Diamonds. Her dam Band Stand p, 2, 1:51.4 ($293,220) has also produced She’s A Bulldog’s full brother, the 2-year-old colt Totally Tyler p, 2, 1:49s ($211,495). She’s A Bulldog comes into the Breeders Crown Final with $588,072 in career earnings.
Unraced as a 2-year-old, Miss Jum Jabber has made up for it this season, earning $681,139 under the tutelage of trainer Brett Pelling and driver Andrew McCarthy. She finished third in her Breeders Crown elimination to Sangria Summer, timed in 1:50.1, but was a winner of the $400,000 KYSS on Sept. 20 at Lexington in 1:48, drawing off impressively by 3½ lengths. She also won the $300,000 PASS on Sept. 6 in 1:49.2 by a neck over rival Say Goodnight, as well as multiple KYSS legs, with 13 wins this season in 18 starts, along with three seconds and one third.
The daughter of Bettor’s Wish is owned by Pelling Racing LLC of Cream Ridge, NJ, and is out of the Captaintreacherous mare Treacherous Reign. Miss Jum Jabber was a $67,000 yearling purchase at the 2024 Lexington Sale.
Topville Lucky, a daughter by top pacing sire Sweet Lou, was fourth in her Breeders Crown elimination to Sangria Summer, clocked in 1:50.1 for driver Todd McCarthy and trainer Andrew Harris. Owned by the Punisher 11 Stable LLC of Freehold, NJ, Topville Lucky has seasonal earnings of $141,186 from two wins in 11 starts, including a 1:49.1 clocking in the $75,000 Bluegrass Stakes at Lexington on Oct. 3 of this year. She also won the $100,000 Nadia Lobell at Scioto Downs on July 18 in 1:50.2 this season.
At 2, Topville Lucky earned $372,000 from six wins in seven starts—with triumphs in the $72,000 International Stallion Stakes, the $82,000 Bluegrass Stakes, and the $400,000 KYSS Championship, as well as multiple KYSS and Commonwealth legs. She was bred by Jeremy Yoder of Topeka, IN, and sold for $27,000 as a yearling at Harrisburg, as the first foal out of the unraced Somebeachsomewhere mare Warrawee Winx. Her career earnings stand at $513,186.
“We’re going to add her to the Lasix program for the final. She’s been good, I just don’t think she’s the best one in the group. There are fillies that are really good this year. (Sangria Summer) is a freak, at the beginning of the year Be Perfect BG and Loua Dipa were the freaks, and then a couple of other fillies like Miss Jum Jabber came out. It’s been alternating who the best one is in that division, but (Topville Lucky) just hasn’t been able to put her name with them yet.”
$664,500 Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Colts & Geldings Trot Final (G1)
Sponsored by Dublin Valley Farm
American Power advanced to the Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Colt Trot final with a fourth-place finish in the first elimination. He was 2 1/2 lengths behind winner Diabolic Hill and timed in 1:51.4.
American Power started out his campaign three-for-three with victories in the Garden State and legs of the New Jersey Sire Stakes Platinum Series at the Meadowlands in May and June and would win the Grade 2 Dr. Harry M. Zweig Memorial at Vernon Downs in July. His most recent triumph came in a leg of the Kentucky Championship Series at The Red Mile in August. Overall, he has eight wins from 25 career starts with earnings of $620,820 and a mark of 1:50.
American Power is making his debut in the Breeders Crown as he did not race in the event at 2, but he is the product of two champions in Walner (2016 2-Year-Old Colt Trot) and Ariana G (2016 2-Year-Old Filly Trot and 2017 3-Year-Old Filly Trot).
On the elims: “American Power raced good. He got a good trip. He raced with shoes. We’ll see how the track is (this week) to see if we can pull the shoes or not. He’s raced barefoot a couple of times before and hopefully we can do it again. It all depends on the track.”
Big Ranger won the second Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Colt Trot elimination by 2 1/4 lengths in 1:51.1 after moving to the lead in the second quarter. With that victory he is now ten-for-ten in his career at Eldorado Scioto Downs.
A colt by In Range and out of the Tactical Landing mare Big Blue Bird, Big Ranger was sent out by Anette Lorentzon for owner Madison Global. Big Ranger, whose 2-year-old full sister Blue Ranger won her Breeders Crown elimination on Friday night, has 15 victories and one runner-up finish from 19 efforts, has earned $965,959 and returned $2.40 to win as the 1-5 favorite. Big Ranger was bred in Ohio by Spring Haven Farm and was a $25,000 buy at the 2024 Ohio Selected Jug Sale."He raced good all the way up to the Futurity, but unfortunately, he was sick there. We took a gamble and gave him the whole week off to try to get him good for this, Lorentzon said.”
"I’m very happy with the effort since he was no good last start, but you’d never know that. We thought he had bounced back because he was full of himself all week and tonight he felt really good warming up.”"He’s just a cool horse to be around. He’s always happy and super nice to be around. He’s not mean; he’s just playful. When you drive him at home, a 5-year-old could go out with him."
Big Ranger’s eight wins in 2026 have come in the Silver consolation of the Oak Grove Trotting Derby in Kentucky, Ohio Sires Stakes and Buckeye Stallion Series events, including the sire stakes final, the Ohio Breeders Championship and his Hambletonian elimination, which he captured in a lifetime-best 1:50. He came up a whisker short in the Hambletonian final after a thrilling battle with eventual champion Apex.
At 2 Big Ranger went seven-for-seven in the Buckeye State and was named Ohio’s Horse of the Year. He is making his Breeders Crown debut after he didn’t race in the event as a freshman. Overall, he has 15 wins and one second-place finish from 19 starts with earnings of $965,959.
The 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.
“He felt like his old self. He was really strong and ready to go. He finished off that mile really easy. With trotters I think (having experience over the track) does help a lot. He knows this track, he likes it here and he’s won many times. He knows how to go fast here and that’s a big key. When some of the other ones might have to wait on the turn or something, you don’t have to wait on him”.
“He’s a real pleasure. They don’t come along very often, and he reminds me of really good horses that I’ve driven in the past. He’s a special animal. He’s just so fast and he’s so gifted off the car. He makes my job really easy. He’s cool. He’s good-gaited and he’s a lot of fun.”
Diabolic Hill was the winner of this year’s first Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Colt Trot elim as he rallied in the passing lane from the pocket to score by a quarter of a length in a lifetime-best 1:51.2.
"I think he was handled a little bit more aggressively (tonight). We stayed out of the (Kentucky) Futurity and protected him. He’s super-sharp and fresh, and I think that’s what gave him the edge tonight," said trainer Annie Stoebe. Following an eighth-place finish in his Hambletonian elimination, Diabolic Hill was put on Lasix, and Stoebe believes there was an adjustment period for him."I think it took a little bit for him to recover from [that], but now we have his weight good, he’s feeling great and he’s just healthy," she remarked, while adding about his training.
"I’ve learned with colts, it’s just follow the protocol. I do the same thing every time, and it’s really made a difference. He’s not nervous; he’s just ready." Stoebe also co-owns Diabolic Hill, a Muscle Hill-Crysti Dream colt, with partners Mario Mazza and Ac Crawford Racing Stable. Bred by Am Bloodstock and purchased for $300,000 at the 2024 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale.
Diabolic Hill’s other victory in 2026 came in an overnight event at Harrah’s Philadelphia on October 8. He was second in the Dr. Harry M. Zweig and Earl Beal Jr. Memorials, plus a leg of the New Jersey Sire Stakes Platinum and his Reynolds division at the Meadowlands.
As a freshman Diabolic Hill captured multiple New Jersey Sire Stakes legs, a division of the Kindergarten Series and his Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Colt Trot elimination. He was then second in the Breeders Crown final before he went on to take the Valley Victory at the Meadowlands.
In his career Diabolic Hill has seven wins, six seconds and three thirds from 20 appearances and has earnings of $744,905.
Diabolic Hill’s sire Muscle Hill won his elimination and the final of the Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Colt Trot in 2008 and the Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Colt Trot final in 2009 as part of his brilliant career.
Inexpressable came in third in the first Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Colt Trot elimination, finishing a length and three-quarters behind winner Diabolic Hill while timed in 1:51.4.
Inexpressable is this year’s MGM Yonkers Trot and Earl Beal Jr. Memorial champion, in addition to his win in the Kentucky Championship Series final at The Red Mile in a lifetime-best 1:49.3. He also posted victories in the Muscle Hill at the Meadowlands and an overnight event at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
As a 2-year-old Inexpressable captured the Kentucky Commonwealth Series final but did not appear in the Breeders Crown.
Overall, Inexpressable has a record of 7-1-4 from 16 outings to go with earnings of $686,670.
Inexpressable’s sire Walner captured the Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Colt Trot final in 2016.
On his elimination: “I was very happy with him. We’re going to make a couple of changes with shoes and equipment, and I think he will be good to go in the final.”
From a previous interview; “on winning by 4-3/4 lengths in 1:49.3 in Kentucky Championship on Sept. 20: I don’t focus very much on the time. Anytime you have a trotter going under (1):50, it’s impressive, but it’s more the way he did it coming first-up and drawing away from the others. He’s usually a colt, in the wins he’s had, that doesn’t really do more than he has to. So, I wasn’t surprised by the time and that he won, but more the way he did it.”
“It feels like he’s getting better and better with the tougher races he’s had. It’s experience, and confidence, as well. He didn’t race many times last year (five), and not against the best ones. I think these races have pushed him forward. And he takes care of himself so good between the races, that’s probably the key with the top horses.”
“He’s a big, beautiful colt, so I think he’s going to just get better and better. He covers a lot of ground and he’s strong. And he’s got a good attitude; that’s probably what I like about him most.”
Nix Nacken qualified for the Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Colt Trot final with a runner-up finish in the second elimination. He was 2 1/4 lengths behind winner Big Ranger and timed in 1:51.3.
Nix Nacken won Grade 1 stakes in the Canadian Trotting Classic and Kentucky Futurity this year and also tallied in the Earl Beal Jr. Memorial Consolation I, his New Jersey Classic elimination and the New Jersey Sire Stakes consolation. He has trotted in 1:50 twice, setting a world record for a 3-year-old gelding trotter.
At 2 Nix Nacken scored victories in a leg of the New Jersey Sire Stakes, the New Jersey Sire Stakes consolation and a Grand Circuit event at The Red Mile. He also competed in the Breeders Crown, finishing second in his elimination and sixth in the final.
In his career Nix Nacken has eight wins, five seconds and four thirds from 27 starts and has earned $944,318.
His sire Muscle Hill won his elimination and the final of the Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Colt Trot in 2008 and the Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Colt Trot final in 2009 as part of his brilliant career.
“Nix Nacken raced good again. He had some trot left and Scott (Zeron) was happy with him. Same with him, if the track is good we might pull the shoes again like we did in the (Kentucky) Futurity. He’s still in good form. He still had something left in the tank.”
Apex qualified for the Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Colt Trot final with a runner-up finish in the first elimination. He was a quarter of a length behind winner Diabolic Hill and was timed in 1:51.2.
Apex won the Hambletonian final this year at the Meadowlands in 1:49.2, the fastest mile in the history of “America’s Trotting Classic” and his lifetime mark. He also has victories in his division of the Stanley Dancer Memorial, the New Jersey Sire Stakes Platinum final and the New Jersey Classic final at the Meadowlands. Overall, he has a summary of 11-4-1 from 19 appearances and has banked $1,835,757.
At 2 Apex was the Dan Patch Award recipient for this group after he won six of nine starts and earned $870,599. He received a bye into the Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Colt Trot final by virtue of his victory in the “Win and You’re In” Peter Haughton Memorial and finished fourth in the Crown final.
Both Apex’s sire Walner (2016 2-Year-Old Colt Trot) and dam Mission Brief (2014 2-Year-Old Filly Trot) were Breeders Crown champions during their careers.
“Apex was OK. Obviously, you don’t like to get beat, but we’re going to put him on Lasix. He had some blood spots there. Before the (Hambletonian), if you look at the lines, he came home in :25.4, :26.1, :26.3, like every start. After the Hambo, it’s not been bad, but it’s been :27.3, :27.3, :27.2 – he just hasn’t really fired the last one-eighth like he used to do. He got very tired in the Hambo, and he might have bled. We’re going to put him on Lasix and hopefully that will help him a little bit.”
Strobe Lite, a supplemental entrant, raced in the first Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Colt Trot elimination and wound up making the final as the fifth-place finisher from the two eliminations with the higher seasonal earnings. He was 4 1/2 lengths behind winner Diabolic Hill and was timed in 1:52.1.
Thus far in 2026, Strobe Lite has victories in the SBOA Stakes final, two Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Series legs, and the Gold Super Final, all at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
In 2025, Strobe Lite tallied in a Gold Series leg, the Champlain Stakes and the Super Final. His resume earned him the O’Brien Award for his division.
Overall, Strobe Lite has seven wins, nine seconds and five thirds from 26 starts, has banked $704,243 and has a lifetime mark of 1:52.
Read The Room was the third-place finisher in the second Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Colt Trot elimination, ending up six lengths behind winner Big Ranger while timed in 1:52.2.
All four of Read The Room’s wins in 2026 came in legs of the New York Sire Stakes, and he was second in the final of that event. He finished a rallying second in the Grade 1 Kentucky Futurity as well at odds of 67-1.
As a 2-year-old, Read The Room won a Reynolds Memorial division at Tioga Downs and his Big Apple elimination at Vernon Downs. He did not compete in the Breeders Crown.
In his career Read The Room has a summary of 6-3-6 from 21 starts, has earnings of $475,900 and a lifetime mark of 1:53.2 taken at Tioga Downs this year.
Read The Room’s 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.
Captain Jordan got into the Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Colt Trot final with a fourth-place finish in the second elimination. He was 8 1/2 lengths behind winner Big Ranger and timed in 1:52.4.
Captain Jordan has made five trips to the winner’s circle this year, two times in overnight races, twice in the Pennsylvania Stallion Series and once at the Meadowlands in New Jersey-Standardbred Development Fund competition. He took his lifetime mark of 1:53.3 in one of his Stallion Series triumphs at The Meadows.
While he didn’t compete in the Breeders Crown, Captain Jordan was also a five-time victor as a freshman with tallies in the Simpson at Pocono, the Standardbred at the Delaware (Ohio) County Fair, the Pennsylvania All-Stars and the Pennsylvania Stallion Series (twice). Overall, he has a summary of 10-3-1 from 25 outings and has pocketed $206,800.
Captain Jordan’s sire Captain Corey was second in his elimination and fifth in the final of the 2020 Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Colt Trot and his dam Jordan Blue Chip was third in her elimination and seventh in the final of the 2017 Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Filly Trot.
On his elimination: “I was very happy with his elimination. He closed up well and off a three-week break. I thought it was very important that Chris (Page) got to know him, get a start underneath him.”
On his season: “His season has been up and down for the most part. Right now, he feels as good or better than he has all year. We’re very excited, Joe (Faraldo) and I, to have a horse in the Breeders Crown, and certainly this horse earned his way to get there.”
“For us, we don’t get a lot of opportunities to have a horse that we bought as a yearling to race as a 2- and 3-year-old and have them show enough and be strong enough to make the final. It’s so gratifying, so exciting, and we’re very thankful for the horse to have gotten us to this step, and to see him perform. Obviously, it’s a very deep group, a very tough race, and we will be hoping for the best.”
$664,500 Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Colts & Geldings Pace Final (G1)
Sponsored by Midland Acres
Gentleman’s Club provided one of the bigger upsets of the Breeders Crown eliminations, winning in 1:48.3f at odds of 26-1.
The colt, sired by Downbytheseaside, set his lifetime mark of 1:47.4 against conditioned company on June 26 at The Meadowlands. Gentleman’s Club finished third in the G1 $810,000 Meadowlands Pace and was the runner-up to Sweet Lovin Lou in the G2 $310,750 Cane Pace at The Meadowlands. The colt who is trained by Aaron Lambert and owned by Anthony LiCastro, Gentleman’s Club has earned $498,908 in his career and has 10 wins in 22 lifetime starts. Lambert has just one previous Breeders Crown starter, Agent Q, who was second in her 2016 Breeders Crown Final. He will be driven by Andy McCarthy in the final.
Gentleman’s Club’s dam, See You At Peelers, won the 2-year-old Breeders Crown filly pace in 2010 on her way to more than $1.5 million in earnings. She is also the dam of Champagne Room (Papi Rob Hanover) who starts in the Crown Mare Pace.
On his elimination: “When they mixed it up like that (going to the half), I knew Andy (McCarthy) was going to have to come first-up, and he just carried his speed and kept going. And that was it.”
“He’s just come back (this year) terrific and his attitude is amazing. He loves to do what he’s doing. He’s all class, really.”
On finishing 2025 with a win in Governor’s Cup: “It was good for him, and it was good for the owners. It was the way he should have finished up; I thought he deserved that win at the end of last year, and I think he deserved it again (in the elim).”
“We’re just hoping we can knock one of these big ones off. He’s been knocking on the door in them, and we’re hoping he can get one of them. It would be good for him, and good for the connections.”
“We’ll be back home (Sunday, in New Jersey), and he’ll have an easy week. Hopefully, we can get a good draw and a good trip and have a bit of luck.”
Melillo seized control early in his Breeders Crown elimination and defeated favorite Brandon Blvd by 1-1/2 lengths in 1:49.3f.
Melillo has enjoyed a strong season thus far, highlighted by a victory in the G2 Carl Milstein Memorial at Northfield Park in 1:50.4. An earner of $844,467 in his sophomore campaign, Melillo captured the $300,000 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Final at Harrah’s Philadelphia. In addition, he was second in the G1 $420,500 Delvin Miller Adios, G2 $300,000 Max Hempt Memorial, and G1 $550,000 Little Brown Jug. Owned by Burke Racing Stable, Jason Melillo, and Weaver Bruscemi, he will be driven by Ronnie Wrenn Jr. in the final.
Since making his first Breeders Crown start in 2009, Ron Burke has earned $16 million, started in 244 Crown finals and won 24 trophies. He’s won this division twice: with Sippinonsearoc (2025) and with Dorsoduro Hanover (2018).
“Melillo was great. He raced super. It was an easy half, but he was well within himself. It was a great prep mile, and it guarantees a good draw. I think whoever wins the Breeders Crown, there are like four that could be 3-year-old of the year. I don’t think anybody has locked it up yet.”
Melillo’s best quality: “He’s tough, just tough. He’s like every Sweet Lou, he just tries. There is a whole lot of try there.”
Kentucky Sire Stakes runner-up Funky Buddha rallied from off the pace to finish third in his Breeders Crown elimination behind Gentleman’s Club and Sweet Lovin Lou. Breeders Crown weekend is shaping up nicely for trainer Tony Dinges, as his two-year-old pacing colt Blazin Lou scored an impressive victory in his elimination last Friday. The pair represent Dinges first starts in Breeders Crown competition.
An earner of $398,720 lifetime, the son of Sweet Lou is owned by Rick Berks of Paris, Kentucky. Funky Buddha stepped out of the conditioned ranks in June to compete in the Kentucky Sire Stakes. He won two consecutive divisions of the Kentucky Sire Stakes at Oak Grove before winning a division at The Red Mile in a life best 1:47.2. He is one of three colts in the field to share that time. Most recently, Funky Buddha finished third in the G3 Bluegrass at The Red Mile prior to his Crown elim.
On his elimination: “I thought he raced good. He finally got a decent trip, and he keeps coming at the finish. But we’re going to need a little luck in there. We’re going to need just a little more (for the final).”
On his season: “I think he’s had a pretty good year. He’s had a few rough trips. Every time he gets in a race with the big ones, he ends up having to come first-up, but it was nice to not have to do that (in the elim).”
Best qualities: “He’s just so laidback most of the time and takes care of himself. He’s pretty handy; you can do whatever you want to do with him.”
Brandon Blvd rallied from off the pace and closed with a :26.2 final quarter to finish second in his Breeders Crown elimination. Brandon Blvd is trained by Andrew Harris, who previously won his first Crown title with Yo Tillie in 2025 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
A winner of nine of 12 starts as a sophomore, he has yet to miss the board this season. After finishing second in the G1 C$1,000,000 Pepsi North America Cup, he reeled off victories in the G1 $810,000 Meadowlands Pace, G2 $300,000 Max Hempt, $400,000 Kentucky Sire Stakes Championship, and G3 $79,000 Bluegrass. Owned by Punisher 11 Stable (owners Bruce Areman, William Pollock and trainer Andrew Harris), the talented colt has earned $1,570,842 in his career and holds a lifetime mark of 1:47.2. Brandon Blvd was fourth in his Breeders Crown Final at two. He will be driven by Dexter Dunn in the final, who won this division with Mirage Hanover in 2024.
On his elimination: “I thought the horse was great. He came a really big back half, but unfortunately with five-eighths-mile track racing, the trip is so dependent. We kind of got behind a horse that didn’t take us anywhere and we had to go three-wide early. He kept charging the whole way home, he just got taken out of the race. Dexter is really happy with him, so we go into this weekend and hope that things work out differently for us.”
“I think he’s as fresh as he was at the beginning of the year. I really do. He’s been one of those horses that has been fantastic to take care of, and we’ve managed his schedule to make sure that we could keep him sharp for the end of the year. In that way, I think he’s great and I think he’s probably the best horse in the race.”
Al Papi cut a stiff :26.1 first quarter in his elimination. After a ground-saving trip, he rallied to finish fourth for trainer Ron Burke and driver Yannick Gingras. Since making his first Breeders Crown start in 2009, Ron Burke has earned $16 million, started in 244 Crown finals and won 24 trophies. He’s won this division twice: with Sippinonsearoc (2025) and with Dorsoduro Hanover (2018).
The winner of the G1 $420,500 Delvin Miller Adios at The Meadows, Al Papi has put together quite the resume this year. A son of world-record holder Papi Rob Hanover, he was runner-up in his G1 C$1,000,000 Pepsi North America Cup elimination (finishing fourth in the final), the G2 $200,000 MGM Grand Messenger final, the G1 Meadowlands Pace and the $300,000 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championship. Owned by Burke Racing Stable, J&T Silva-Purnel & Libby, Larry Karr and Weaver Bruscemi, the talented colt has earned $1,351,785 in his career.
“Al Papi was loaded. He got in a bad spot, finished where he needed to finish, but it seems like he’s adapted now to being able to race from the back, which makes him much more difficult to race against. We just tried it a couple of times and it’s actually working out.”
Sweet Lovin Lou was the runner-up in his Breeders Crown elimination to Gentleman’s Club, upping his sophomore earnings to $499,372. After a victory in an elimination of the G1 C$1,000,000 Pepsi North America Cup he finished sixth after an overland trip in the final. Sweet Lovin Lou broke through with a victory in the G2 $310,750 Cane Pace at The Meadowlands.
The son of Sweet Lou has put together a stellar season with three wins in 15 starts. Sweet Lovin Lou finished fifth in both the G1 $810,000 Meadowlands Pace and the G1 Delvin Miller Adios. Following a fourth-place finish in the G2 Max Hempt at Pocono trainer Daniel Lagace gave the talented pacer a month off. Since returning to the races, he has finished second in the G3 Simcoe, G3 $79,000 Bluegrass, and G2 Tattersalls, with a win in the G3 Jenna’s Beach Boy at Harrah’s Hoosier Park in September. This is the first Breeders Crown starter for Daniel Lagace, who co-owns as Lagace Stables with Edwin Buhler, Big Als Stables, and Brittany Farms Micki Rae.
On his elimination: “There’s not that much you can do when you get that far back, but he raced good and finished strong. He was a little aggressive, a little harder to handle. Last year, he was that way, but this year he’s been good. But (in the elim) maybe the cooler air made him feel a little bit fresher.”
On his season: “He’s always racing good and being a part of the race. He’s had a little bad luck with draws and trips, but that’s just racing.”
Best qualities: “He forgets about the last race really quick. He’s a very playful horse. He can go home after getting a real bad trip and he just plays – and plays sometimes maybe too hard.”
“We hoped he would be this kind of horse. Last year, he showed a lot of high speed, but he didn’t know how to control it. (Driver James MacDonald) did a phenomenal job teaching him and controlling him. Last year, James even said that he could be a high-end 3-year-old this year, but we had to make sure we controlled him a little bit. We had a training partner with him this year and we opened him up and had an open bridle. He doesn’t like the open bridle, but he likes to pay attention to all the other horses. When we trained him, we just let him sit a lot, didn’t pull him much, and he learned to sit. He’s been great this year. There have been a couple times this year he was a little aggressive but he’s a totally different horse than he was last year manners-wise.”
Odds On Mr Mamba, winner of the G1 C$1,000,000 Pepsi North America Cup, earned his place in the final as the fifth-place finisher with the most seasonal earnings in the two eliminations, edging Beau Jangles out of the final in the process.
A star on the Indiana Sire Stakes circuit, he competed against Grand Circuit company for the first time at Woodbine Mohawk Park, a move that proved successful, as he won the Pepsi North America Cup, the richest sophomore pace on the calendar. After finishing third in a leg of the Indiana Sire Stakes, his connections added Lasix before supplementing him to the G1 Delvin Miller Adios, where he finished third after winning his elimination. Following the G2 $300,000 Max Hempt, he took a month off and returned to action with a victory in a leg of the Indiana Sire Stakes before finishing a determined second in the $250,000 final.
Odds On Mr Mamba is owned by Odds On Racing (Dana Parham), and trained by the husband and wife team of trainer Melanie Wrenn and driver Peter. Pete Wrenn has earned just over $1 million driving in the Crown series. Perhaps his most noteworthy win came in the 1996 3-year-old Filly Trot when he drove Personal Banner to a head victory over the great Moni Maker, snapping her 19-race win streak.
Fragment, winner of the G2 MGM Grand Messenger at Yonkers Raceway, was third in his elimination for driver Jason Bartlett and trainer Petter Engblom.
Fragment captured multiple legs of the New York Sire Stakes this year, culminating in a dominant victory in the $300,000 championship final. He also finished second in the $197,100 Empire Breeders Classic and fourth in the G1 $550,000 Little Brown Jug. Fragment has earned $1,147,055 in his career and holds a mark of 1:49.3, established in a leg of the New York Sire Stakes at Tioga Downs on July 18. Jason Bartlett is seeking his first Crown in this division.
Cooperstown Boy punched his ticket to the final with a fourth-place finish at odds of 37-1, finishing ahead of North America Cup champion Odds On Mr Mamba.
Unraced at two, Cooperstown Boy has quietly put together a remarkable season and appears to be improving with every start. After recording a pair of victories in the New York Excelsior Series, his connections moved him up to the New York Sire Stakes, where he quickly added two more wins. He finished fifth in the $300,000 New York Sire Stakes Final. Before shipping to Columbus, the Jared Bako trainee tuned up with a victory against conditioned company at Yonkers, followed by runner-up finishes at Pocono and in Lexington. Bako is looking for his second Breeders Crown, following a win in 2025 with The Last Martini, who will race in the Breeders Crown again in 2026. Owned by NY Seb Inc., the son of Huntsville has earned $161,850 and will be driven by Doug McNair in the final.
On his elimination: “He was as good as he’s ever been. They came a wicked back half, and he was still coming at the wire, so I can’t complain.”
On his season: “He’s just progressively gotten better every week. We started him in the Excelsior Series in New York because he was so green and (driver) Colin Kelly did a phenomenal job educating him every week. He went a big mile at Tioga (winning an Excelsior in 1:51.4) and after that the owner wanted to try the next step up (the New York Sire Stakes). He was second to Fragment there, then he beat Fragment in the following week and then he won again. The (fifth in the NYSS) final was kind of just circumstantial; the way he was shod just wasn’t conducive to the track that day. Otherwise, he really hasn’t disappointed us ever. He just continues to get better.”
“The Huntsvilles are a funny breed to train, but when you get one that wants to be a good horse, they will go to the end of the world to be a good horse.”
$400,000 Breeders Crown Open Mare Trot Final (G1)
Sponsored by Allerage Farms
Moni Maker Stable homebred Tactical Moni will be making her first Breeders Crown appearance in the Mare Trot. The 4-year-old bay set her personal watermark of 1:50.3 in the 2025 Kentucky Commonwealth Series final for 3YO trotting fillies, which she won by three lengths at The Red Mile on Sept. 15.
No stranger to the winner’s circle with 11 victories from 19 lifetime starts, Tactical Moni rattled off a six-race win streak in 2025 that culminated in a Massachusetts Sire Stakes final triumph on Oct. 30 at Plainridge Racecourse. While winless in her first five starts this season, the Marcus Melander trainee had produced US$305,291 in total purse earnings for her career before her Oct. 16 prep.
On her prep race: “I was very happy with her; why shouldn’t I be after that prep race? It was a prep race, but she looked good doing it and looked very strong on the front. We closed her up a little bit, tried that, and Dexter was very happy with her. Obviously, it’s another race now with the final going for $400,000 rather than $20,000 but she at least showed that she’s in good form. Hopefully, she will get a good trip.”
“I don’t really know why she made that break at Dayton, and Dexter didn’t really know why either. We just take that as a little mistake. She seems fine and it was exciting to see her (in the prep race).”
Jurassic Hattie will be making her Breeders Crown debut when she faces the gate in the Mare Trot. The accomplished 5-year-old bay was named the 2025 Ohio Aged Mare Trotter of the Year after hitting the podium in 13 of 18 starts last season. On July 11, 2025, Jurassic Hattie set a track record for 4-year-old trotting mares at Scioto Downs in a 1:51.2 triumph.
The Stacey Van Huizen charge registered a personal best of 1:50.4 in a dominant six-length score on April 30, 2025, at Miami Valley. A Jerry Welch homebred, Jurassic Hattie’s stakes victories include the Tom Aldrich Memorial Trot (Aug. 15), Don Millar Ohio State Fair Aged Mare Trot (July 31), the 2023 Next Generation for 2YO trotting fillies, and multiple Ohio Sires Stakes legs. She owns a 17-15-3 line across 49 career starts (US$787,219 in purse earnings).
On her prep race: “She went just OK; I wasn’t totally thrilled. But she’s been so lightly raced this year, I do look for her to be a lot sharper (this) week racing seven days apart. It’s only been once or twice that we raced her seven days apart, and both times she raced very well. So, I’m looking for her to be better, but she’s in awful tough.”
Best qualities: “I drove her in her very first lifetime start in the Next Generation out here, and she won it in (1):56.2. Right then, I said she was the best-gaited trotter I’d ever sat behind. She is flawless. In my opinion, that’s the biggest reason she is a good horse. She is a perfectly gaited trotter.”
“Last year, we raced her in a couple of stakes races outside of Ohio and she was second in both of them, so we were looking forward to this year, but she hasn’t really been hitting on all cylinders yet. Hopefully, we have her good for next week.”
Under the radar as a US$8,500 purchase at the 2023 Midwest Mix Sale, Miracle Maven has ground her way to her first Breeders Crown appearance for owners Hillside Stables, Indiana Stables LLC, Frank Baldachino, and Beasty LLC. Highly successful in her native Indiana, where she was bred by Noah Wickey, Miracle Maven captured the 2025 Indiana Sire Stakes Super Final for 3YO trotting fillies by 5 ¼ lengths last October.
The 4-year-old bay also recorded major triumphs in the 2025 Crossroads of America and a division of the Miss Versatility Stakes this past May at The Meadowlands. Miracle Maven is currently 24th in earnings among North American aged trotters in 2026 (US$166,175). She stands at 15-9-4 across 36 starts overall (US$698,302).
“She’s probably a step below the best of the best, but it seems like if you trip her out and find room, she never gives up and usually gets a check. She’s had a good year. I think next year she might be a little bit better. She probably needed the 4-year-old year to move up to that group.”
Best qualities: “She does everything right. She has great attitude.”
Trained by Petter Engblom, brother of Per Engblom, Bravo Angel S returns to the BC Mare Trot after finishing seventh in last year’s edition of the race, held at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Through 15 starts this season, the 6-year-old bay sports a 4-2-1 line, with all four of her victories coming consecutively between April 3 and May 15.
Bravo Angel S recorded her personal mark of 1:51.2 in a 1 ¼-length Miss Versatility Series (fifth leg) victory at The Meadowlands on Sept. 5, 2025. Through 65 starts overall, Bravo Angel S has crafted a 14-11-8 record, along with US$379,536 in purse earnings. She was bred in Sweden by Kristina Liedman and is owned by Consus Racing Stable, Inc.
R Dutchess enters her second consecutive Breeders Crown final tied for the ninth-fastest mile by a North American aged trotter this season (1:50.2; Aug. 25 at The Red Mile; personal best). The 4-year-old bay finished fifth in last year’s 3-year-old Filly Trot final at Mohawk. R Dutchess is trained by John Butenschoen for owner Armitage Farm LLC. Her dam, The Ice Dutchess, captured the 2018 Peaceful Way Stakes and was named Canada’s top 2-year-old female trotter that year.
R Dutchess boasts signature wins in the Girl Power Mare Trot on Sept. 11 at The Meadowlands and in last year’s Grade 3 Simcoe at Mohawk. In 2026, she has earned US$282,768 in total purses, which ranks eighth among North American aged trotters and 27th among all aged horses. She was bred in Ontario by Coyote Wynd Farms.
On her prep race: “It was a good effort, first-up into a track-record mile. She put her head down and fought. Timmy (Tetrick) said she drove good, got around the track good; I’m happy with her. (Post) 5 should be a decent spot for her (in the final). The race lined up kind of interesting with the draw. But I was happy with the effort she gave. I wasn’t quite expecting a track-record mile in a prep race. That filly (Tactical Moni) raced phenomenal, but you expect that when you get to the Breeders Crown.”
On her year overall: “It’s been up and down. She’s had a lot of bad luck throughout the year, but she stayed fairly sharp. She’s put in some really good efforts, and she still seems to be pretty sharp here right now.”
“She’s shown (winning the Girl Power) that she can be competitive against all these same horses. She was real good at Dayton, unfortunately Yo Tillie didn’t carry her quite far enough and she had to flip three-deep a little earlier than hoping to and kind of lost a little bit of momentum. But she raced very good that day too. Racing the boys (in the Caesars Trotting Classic) was a little bit of a tough shot, but she didn’t embarrass herself there either, and there were some top horses in that race too. She’s held her own every start.”
On her best qualities: “She just wants to do it. She will drive however you want. She goes on the front, she’ll come first-up like she did (Friday); she’s just a very willing horse. She puts her head down and goes. There’s not many things she doesn’t like, so it’s just a matter of getting her into the right spot for the way the race plays out.”
Reigning Mare Trot champion Warrawee Michelle returns for her title defense after a pair of victories in the Grade 1 Dayton Oaks Derby (Oct. 3) and Grade 3 Miss Versatility Final for aged trotting mares (Sept. 24). Warrawee Michelle’s victory by a head in last year’s Mare Trot came in 1:50.2 – the fastest mile ever trotted in the Mare Trot.
The 5-year-old bay first struck against BC competition in the 2023 final for 2-year-old trotting fillies at Hoosier Park. While her quest for an eventual threepeat stalled out in 2024 (fifth in the 3YO trotting filly final), Warrawee Michelle has remained a force with US$1,795,994 in purse earnings across 39 starts (12-9-6). Her 2026 total (US$287,579) ranks seventh among aged North American trotters and 26th among all aged horses.
Trainer/driver Åke Svanstedt, who co-owns Warrawee Michelle with Santandrea Inc. and Young Guns, has won four of the last five BC Mare Trot finals, including the last three in a row, and holds the record for most trainer wins with four.
“She has post (6); that’s OK. She hadn’t been herself all summer, but now the last four races she’s been good again. She has changed for the better for some reason, maybe she does not like the hot weather. She’s been good in the fall every year. It could be that, when it cools down a little she comes into better form. She feels good when we train, so I hope she can do a good race.”
Trained by Carter Pinske, Woman Of Passion rolls into her first Breeders Crown with a 3-2-3 line and US$116,798 in total purse earnings on her ledger this season (15 starts). The 5-year-old, who enjoyed a pair of successful stints in the 2024 and 2025 Kentucky Sire Stakes programs (10 total victories), set her personal best of 1:50.1 at The Red Mile on Sept. 2, 2024 (2 ½-length KYSS fourth leg win).
Woman Of Passion’s dam, Womans Will, competed in the 2015 BC final for 2-year-old trotting fillies, finishing fourth at Woodbine. Owned by Al Libfeld, who bred the brown trotter with Marvin Katz, Woman Of Passion sports a 19-7-6 line, to go along with US$648,047 in purse earnings on her 47-start scorecard.
A two-time Breeders Crown participant, Delaney Hanover competed in last year’s 3-year-old Filly Trot final, finishing fourth after winning her elimination. She made her BC debut in 2024, finishing last in the 2-year-old Filly Trot final at The Meadowlands. Delaney Hanover’s full sister Delilah Hanover was seventh in the final of the Breeders Crown 2-year-old Filly Trot in 2021.
Trained by Lucas Wallin (Wallin Racing Stable Inc.), who co-owns Delaney Hanover with Wiesman Farms LLC and Shermay Stables, the 4-year-old bay is still searching for her first win of 2026 (6:0-0-2). Across 24 starts lifetime, the US$160,000 purchase at the 2023 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale has recorded a 7-3-4 line with US$629,597 in purse earnings.
Delaney Hanover won the Grade 1 Kentucky Filly Futurity at Lexington’s Red Mile on Oct. 5, 2025, setting her personal mark of 1:50.1.
On her prep race: “She was maybe a little short, but we had our training equipment with her for her prep race, and I think she’s going to be better (this) week when we put some racing stuff on her. But unfortunately, she drew on the outside, so she needs a lot of luck from there.” (She will start from post 8.)
“She’s been super good since day one. She’s a wonderful filly to work with, very uncomplicated. She does everything right.”
Walspea, the eighth-place finisher in last year’s 3-year-old Filly Trot final, returns to Breeders Crown action amid a strong 2026 campaign that has seen her go 3-3-3 from 12 starts. The 4-year-old bay’s US$228,575 earnings total this season ranks 12th among aged North American trotters and 37th among all aged horses.
Bred by Brittany Farms, Walspea registered her career mark of 1:50.2 in a 1 ¾-length Miss Versatility Stakes leg score on Sept. 4, 2026, at The Meadowlands – that mark is tied for the ninth-fastest among aged North American trotters this year. Walspea also captured the Grade 2 Dr. John R. Steele Memorial on Aug. 8 at The Meadowlands. Trained by Trond Smedshammer for owners Purple Haze Stables and M3 Racing Stable, Walspea finished second in the 55th edition of the Hambletonian Oaks on Aug. 2, 2025.
Her dam, Speak To Me, finished third in the 2015 BC 3-year-old Filly Trot final at Woodbine.
Yo Tillie, last year’s champion in the 3-year-old trotting filly division, searches for her second Breeders Crown title in the Mare Trot. The 2025 Dan Patch Award winner (3YO filly trotter) and New Jersey Horse of the Year was nearly perfect last season, going 11-for-12 with highlight victories in the BC final and Delmonica Hanover Stakes. She was also the leading female trotter in earnings with US$972,121.
In 2026, the 4-year-old bay has found the winner’s circle three times from 11 starts. Her wins include two legs of the Kentucky Sire Stakes for 4YO trotting mares and a leg of the Miss Versatility Series (Aug. 1). Bred by GBW Breeding Farms and Black Creek Farm, she is trained by Andrew Harris, who co-owns Yo Tillie with William Pollock and Bruce Areman (who race together as Punisher 11 Stable).
Yo Tillie is 22-3-2 from 35 lifetime starts (US$1,429,363).
“It’s been a bad year for her. This will be her last year. She just hasn’t come back the way I wanted. She’s had issues all year. It’s not that she doesn’t want to do it, she’s just fought tie-up issues, being in heat, liver issues – issues that would have never bothered her last year, they all bother her this year. This (race) will probably be one of her last ones and then she will go on to her career as a broodmare. She’s got a little bit of a bad draw (post 10) but if she’s good, she’s always been able to put herself in play.”
$443,000 Breeders Crown Open Mare Pace Final (G1)
Sponsored by Woodland Run
The Last Martini has enjoyed plenty of success in the Breeders Crown and that success continued with her third-place finish in her elimination. She rallied from off the pace behind 2024 Horse of the Year Twin B Joe Fresh and runner-up Francent N.
At two, The Last Martini finished second in the G1 Breeders Crown Final at The Meadowlands. At three, the camera could not separate her from world champion Miki And Minnie, as they hit the wire together, resulting in a 1:49.2 dead heat. This was only the second dead heat for a pacing win in Breeders Crown history. The victory was the first Breeders Crown win for trainer Jared Bako. The Last Martini has earned $1,281,636 in her career. As a four-year-old, she finished second in the G1 $230,400 Roses Are Red Final, fourth in the $75,000 Mohegan Cup, and fourth in the G3 $67,000 Allerage. Bako also trains Breeders Crown participant Cooperstown Boy. She is owned by Glenview Livestock Limited and will be driven by Doug McNair in the final.
On her elimination: “She was stellar. She was stellar last week in Lexington; Scotty (Zeron) came off and said, ‘Man, she was good.’ When Doug (McNair) was going out (in the elim), I told him what Scotty had said, and he came off and said, ‘You weren’t kidding.’ She’ll gap a little here and grab on there, but she always kicks home late.”
On her season: “Her season has been OK. At about the halfway mark of the year, I struggled with getting her to pace good. She’s kind of funny the way she paces, and she can get real steppy. She’s shown it in a lot of big races, and it’s probably cost her a lot of money. So, I was trying to iron her gait out, and honestly, I just put her back to the way she was. We changed her shoeing just a little bit before Lexington and it was night and day. She hardly throws a step in now. I think she’s going into the final very good.”
Best qualities: “Resilience and heart. Two things that are very hard to find, and she has both. She has a tremendous heart, and that’s what wins races. She is the epitome of a great horse, she really is. There are a lot of great horses in this race, but she belongs with them.”
Talk Curdy To Me, a daughter of Betterthancheddar, rolled from off the pace to finish fifth in her Breeders Crown elimination, in which the top seven finishers advanced. She is trained by Dave Menary, who earned his first Breeders Crown win in 2025 with Ervin Hanover at Woodbine Mohawk Park in a stakes-record 1:46.2.
In her six-year-old campaign, her stakes placements included fourth in the G1 Roses Are Red, third in the G3 $150,000 Clara Barton and fifth in the G2 $183,600 Milton. She has career earnings of $696,410, with 19 wins and a mark of 1:49.3. Talk Curdy To Me is owned by Pollack Racing LLC (Tom Pollack) and will be driven by Jason Bartlett in the final.
An earner of $168,827 in New Zealand and Australia, Francent N was purchased by her current owners and shipped to the United States in mid-July to join trainer Pat Lachance’s stable. In her elimination, Francent N made a first-over move at the half and dug in to finish a game second behind Twin B Joe Fresh.
Francent N earned a pair of wins in the Filly and Mare Open at both Yonkers and Woodbine Mohawk Park, followed by a victory in the G2 $183,600 Milton Stakes on Sept. 5, her last pari-mutuel start prior to the Crown elim.
She entered the Breeders Crown via a supplemental entry, following a 42-day layoff. Trainer Pat Lachance has had eight previous starters in the Breeders Crown Final but has never won. Francent N is owned by Ecurie CSL and will be driven by Louis Roy in the final.
On her elimination: “It was a pretty good effort. Off the gate she surprised me a bit. I thought she was going to leave a bit, and she got sideways. I don’t know if she saw something, but she kind of missed one or two steps there leaving the gate. Then I had to race her first-up, which wasn’t my plan necessarily off the bat, but she gives you all she has. We’ll see what happens (in the final). She is one of the two best, I think.”
“I only drove her twice (before the Breeders Crown). They supplemented her to the Milton and she won the elim, but still, I didn’t know what to expect because I didn’t use her too much in the elim. Then (in the final) I raced on the front, and she went a fast half in :53.3. I didn’t know if she was going to be tired, but she never was tired. She’s a very tough mare. She impressed me there. I hope she does again (this) week. I think she can carry that speed forever. Even (in the Breeders Crown elim), she never gave up. When Twin B Joe Fresh hit the last turn, she pushed on the accelerator there and we paced home pretty hard. Both of those mares must have a big set of lungs, I think.”
Rocket Deo will look to avenge her fifth-place finish in the 2024 Breeders Crown following a sixth-place effort in her elimination on Saturday.
Rocket Deo has four wins to her credit this year, all against Open company. She has faced some of the top mares this season in the G3 $100,000 Betsy Ross, G3 $150,000 Clara Barton, G1 $250,000 Dayton Distaff, and G3 $67,000 Allerage. With career earnings of $872,434, Rocket Deo has 23 wins in 57 career starts. Her most successful season came at three, when she captured the G2 $116,500 Glen Garnsey, G3 $85,000 Bluegrass, and G3 $101,000 Shady Daisy. She is trained by Brett Pelling, who has 13 Breeders Crown victories on his resume and more than $5.7 million in Breeders Crown earnings. He won this division with Caviart Ally in 2019.
Rocket Deo is owned by Morrison Racing Stables (Brian Gordon & Matthew Morrison) and will be driven by Tim Tetrick in the final.
Dam Rocklamation, an earner of more than $2.2 million herself, started in five Crown finals from 2010 to 2014. In the Mark Harder barn as a freshman, she moved to the Burke brigade as a 3-year-old, finishing fourth in her Crown event. In three subsequent years in the Mare Pace, she was fifth, second and second. She is also the dam of Rocknificent, who won the 2021 Crown Mare Pace, making Rocket Deo a full sister.
Tarapasta is one of two horses that chose a bye into the final. She kicked off the year in impressive fashion, winning two legs of the G2 Ursula McIntyre Filly and Mare Pacing Series and the $456,000 final at Yonkers Raceway. She finished second in the other three legs.
Tarapasta has been a consistent performer against some of the top Open mares in the Buckeye State. She is owned by Greg Luther Racing LLC and trained by Todd Luther. The brothers teamed up to win their first Breeders Crown in 2025 with Always B Naughty, who set the stakes record of 1:48.1 in the Open Mare Pace. Austin Hanners will drive Tarapasta in the final.
The 2024 Horse of the Year, Twin B Joe Fresh, is fresh off a three-race winning streak, with victories in the G1 $250,000 Dayton Distaff, G3 Allerage, and her Breeders Crown elimination. Her connections opted to race in the elim rather than risk an outside post in the open draw, even though she could have received a top money earners’ bye. She won her elimination easily in 1:49.4f by a length. She is seeking her second Crown trophy in this division.
Trained by Hall of Famer Chris Ryder, Twin B Joe Fresh has earned $3,292,420 in her career and holds a mark of 1:47.3. During her six-year-old campaign, she has also won the G2 Dorothy Haughton Memorial and G3 Clara Barton, with runner-up finishes in the G3 Perfect Sting and G2 Lady Liberty. She is owned by Chris Ryder, driver Dexter Dunn, Peter Trebotica, and Barry Spak.
“I was impressed again. Dex is just raving about her. She’s relaxing; she’s been better the last three starts. We raced her at (Harrah’s Philadelphia) in an overnight and she was a little bit out of control, so we changed the bridle and I think it’s helped her a lot. I think she’s as good as she can be.”
“She just continues to give us thrills. It’s terrific. I have to pinch myself. One day it’s going to be over and it’s going to be a little glum. It’s just a great ride and you’ve got to enjoy it; she’s just a fantastic mare. I know a lot of people come to watch her, they’ve been following her for a while, and I’m just pleased she can keep producing.”
On not taking a bye: “It’s a tough choice. We decided not to take it because we didn’t want to risk a bad post. You either take it or you don’t, but I’d rather it wasn’t offered to me, and I wouldn’t have to confuse myself. But it looks like we did the right thing.”
“She had a bit of a slow start this year, but she’s back in form and back to her best. She felt great post parading. She can leave the gate as fast as you want to and she relaxes after that. I couldn’t be happier these last three starts with how she is.”
“It’s been an absolute dream run with her. It’s once in a lifetime to own a great mare like her.”
Champagne Room enters Saturday’s Breeders Crown Final with three wins on the season, including two against Open company at Harrah’s Hoosier Park. In her elimination, driver Ronnie Wrenn Jr. saved ground throughout the mile. She finished fourth.
Champagne Room competed in a Breeders Crown elimination as a two-year-old and finished sixth. She has earned $454,793 in her career and holds a mark of 1:48.4. She is owned by Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi, Larry Karr, and Knox Services. She is trained by the sport’s leading trainer, Ron Burke, who has had 24 Breeders Crown wins. Champagne Room will be driven by Ronnie Wrenn Jr. in the final.
Champagne Room’s dam, See You At Peelers, won the 2-year-old Breeders Crown filly pace in 2010 on her way to more than $1.5 million in earnings. She is also the dam of Gentleman’s Club (Downbytheseaside), who starts in the 3-year-old Colt Pace.
“She bled for the first time, so she will be on Lasix (this) week. I think that could make a big difference for her. I’m excited to see her race. We thought she should have finished a little bit better (in the elim) and the fact that she bled explains a lot. I’m hoping for a big improvement.”
Although Rodeo Drive Deo has only one win to her credit this year, she has earned $140,561. She finished seventh in her Breeders Crown elimination, just making the final.
As a three-year-old, Rodeo Drive Deo captured the G1 Jugette and finished fourth in the G1 Breeders Crown Final. This season, she finished fourth in the G2 Lady Liberty and fifth in the G1 Roses Are Red Final. Her best finish against Grand Circuit competition came in the G1 $250,000 Dayton Distaff, where she finished second. She is owned by Mark Robinson, Steve Stewart, and Harold Lee Bauder, trained by Ron Burke, and will be driven by Yannick Gingras in the final.
“She needs a better draw. She’s only competitive when she draws where she can be in the race without having to be used too hard. With a better draw, she would be better.”
Unreasonable, trained by Andrew Harris, is the other mare to take the offered bye into the Breeders Crown Final. She is coming off a third-place finish in the G1 Dayton Distaff.
Unreasonable made her Breeders Crown debut as a two-year-old under former trainer Erv Miller and finished fifth in the final as a three-year-old. This season as a 4-year-old, she won a leg of the Kentucky Sire Stakes and captured the $75,000 Mohegan Cup at Pocono. Unreasonable was second in both the G2 $165,750 Dorothy Haughton and G3 $150,000 Clara Barton and finished third in the G3 $153,200 Perfect Sting. She has career earnings of $1,049,380 and is owned by Punisher 11 Stable LLC (Bruce Areman, William Pollock and trainer Andrew Harris). Andrew Harris won his first Crown title last year with Yo Tillie and has purse earnings of $835,773 in the series. Unreasonable will be driven by Todd McCarthy in the final.
“She got the widest post (9) and that’s a tough spot for her against those types of mares. She’s going to have to figure something out, and don’t know if Todd (McCarthy) has magic hands, but hopefully he can figure something out. But it’s a lot to overcome.”
“Her season has been great. She’s had a fantastic season and she’s only 4. I’m thrilled with the way she’s progressed. It’s been a long year for her because we started her at Oak Grove (in April), so she’s getting ready for a break. But she will come back next year and hopefully have a little bit more of a dominant year if horses like Twin B Joe Fresh don’t come back. That’s what we need. She’s a freak. (Unreasonable) has been knocking heads with Twin B Joe Fresh and just can’t get to her. I don’t know if there are many that can, though. But there is no doubt that the two that are the strongest right now seem to be Francent and Twin B Joe Fresh, and then I think we’re probably third best. But the post position makes it very tough. It will be interesting to see how that works out.”
$600,000 Breeders Crown Open Trot Final (G1)
Sponsored by Hanover Shoe Farms
2025 champion French Wine finished sixth in his Breeders Crown elimination for driver Jason Bartlett and trainer Nancy Takter. However, the son of Bar Hopping has had productive years in the past despite this most recent disappointment, having earned $1,789,727 lifetime for owners Daniel Plouffe & Jean C. Plouffe of Bromont, QC, and One Legend Stable of Miami, FL. He was last year’s Breeders Crown champion in this same division, winning the final in 1:50.1, a new stakes record, by a neck over Periculum. He was a KYSS champion at 2, and a PASS champion at 3.
Bred by Marvin Katz and Al Libfeld, French Wine took his career mark of 1:50 in that KYSS Championship at age 3 for driver Andy Miller and trainer Julie Miller. He is the ninth foal out of the Conway Hall mare Creamy Mimi T, 3, 1:53.4 ($927,169), who was fifth in her 3-year-old Breeders Crown contest in 2008, as well as the Hambletonian Oaks winner that year. French Wine is a half-brother to French Laundry (by Muscles Yankee) T, 3, 1:52.4 ($652,823).
On his elimination: “He raced good. He needed the race. First-up was probably a little overaggressive with him considering that the last race was pretty much a throw-away race because he had the nine-hole (in the Dayton Trotting Derby), so he should be a lot sharper (in the final). He’s honest, but he needs to draw well. It’s a good group of horses, but he’ll be all right.”
On his season: “I think he’s been pretty good. He’s consistent. He is what he is. He’s a good boy and he always shows up. I think if he would have gotten a little room in the Maple Leaf Trot maybe he would have won that, but he was locked in. He raced super there.”
Gimpanzee Dancer finished fifth in his Breeders Crown elimination for driver David Miller and trainer Chris Beaver. The 4-year-old son of Gimpanzee, a three-time Breeders Crown champ, has earned $737,717 thus far lifetime, with $370,175 of those dollars earned this season for owners Chris Beaver and Carolina Acosta of Radnor, OH, and Derek Ivany of Toronto, ON. He took his lifetime best clocking of 1:50.4 this year in a $35,000 KYSS at The Red Mile on Aug. 25, drawing off by three lengths. To date this season, he has eight wins and five seconds in 18 starts, with other triumphs coming in the $100,000 KYSS at Oak Grove on May 16 as well as numerous other victories at Miami Valley.
During his career Gimpanzee Dancer has plied his wares in the KYSS at both Oak Grove and Cumberland Run, with triumphs that saw him earn $140,625 at 2 and $226,917 at 3. He was bred by Derek Ivany of Toronto and is the first foal out of the Deweycheatumnhowe mare Weslynn Dancer T, 6, 1:53.1f ($451,200), a Breeders Crown contestant in 2019.
On the elimination: “He didn’t get a great trip. He’s got the stamina to go with the best ones, but he needs the race to set up right for him to get a big piece.”
From a previous interview: “He really is a good horse. He doesn’t have the tactical speed that always puts him in the right position, but he can go with them. If a race sets up for him where he doesn’t have to sprint the first quarter or the last quarter to be involved, he can be there with them. Some of them can just trot a faster fraction than he can, that’s what it comes down to. He’s a grinder, but he makes a lot of money grinding.”
“What has helped him a lot as a 4-year-old was all those Kentucky races. He pretty much walked through those races, and that really helped. But what I’ve been looking for is for him to step up and race well against the top horses, and I thought he did in (the Caesars Trotting Classic on Sept. 25) at Hoosier. I’ve seen him getting better. The family is that way. His mother got better with age, and I’ve had sisters to his mother that were the same; they always seemed to get better as they got older.”
The 8-year-old Lexus Kody was seventh in his Breeders Crown elimination for driver Ronnie Wrenn Jr. and trainer Ron Burke. This rugged son of Archangel has career earnings of $2,274,213 for the Pennsylvania-based partnership of Burke Racing, Weaver Bruscemi, and Phillip Collura, having trotted his finest mile as a 7-year-old on Aug. 30, 2025, at Woodbine, when he crushed his competition in the $459,900 Maple Leaf Trot in 1:49.1. Last year also saw him earn $1,317,651 for his connections, after winning his Breeders Crown elim in 1:49.4 at Woodbine, before finishing third to French Wine in the final.
Unraced at 2, Lexus Kody has been the model of consistency over the years, with only one season (age 4) that saw him earn less than $130,000. Lifetime, he has 40 wins, 22 seconds, and 13 thirds in 103 career starts. He is the second and top-earning foal out of the Ken Warkentin mare Lexus Helios T, 3, 1:54.1s ($228,621) and has full siblings in Lexus Ranger T, 4, 1:53.1f ($179,032) and Lexus Angel T, 2, 1:56.2s ($48,456).
“Lexus got caught at the back and we did what we needed to do, we made the final. I think they’ll both be better next week.”
On Lexus Kody’s season: “It’s just kind of been tough. Last year, nothing went wrong. This year, nothing has gone right. But he can still win the race. Now he just has to rely on a good draw.”
Emoticon Legacy prevailed easily in his Breeders Crown Open Trot elimination. The son of Walner, out of the Kadabra mare Emoticon Hanover, was the 1-10 favorite and did not disappoint his backers with another stellar performance, stopping the timer easily in 1:51.4 for driver Bob McClure. Owned by Determination of Montreal, QC, Canada, Emoticon Legacy notched his fourth victory of the season in ten starts and upped his seasonal earnings to $319,916 and his career bankroll to $1,437,447.
Conditioned by Luc Blais, this homebred has 15 career triumphs, six seconds and one third in 27 trips postward. Emoticon Legacy’s best effort this season came when he won the $250,000 Charlie Hill Memorial Trot over this same oval on Sept. 12, setting a new track and world record of 1:50.2 for 4-year-old trotting stallions.
“He’s a superstar,” McClure confirmed of his charge. “Last year he could bully his way around a lot more and this year he’s had to learn a few things. With Super Chapter not being in here, I felt he had a really good shot to win. His biggest asset is his lungs—he can carry his speed a long way and he can pull through a situation where he might not have the greatest trip and still give you a great effort.”
McClure admitted he’d prefer Emoticon Legacy to have a mid-inside post for the final.
“On a five-eighths, I’d say the best post for him would be the three or four hole,” McClure stressed. “Having the rail or two-hole would definitely be a disadvantage.”
He was third in the $446,400 Maple Leaf Trot and second in the $250,000 Dayton Derby to Super Chapter and won at Woodbine this season as well. Emoticon Legacy’s dam, Emoticon Hanover, was a Breeders Crown champion at ages 4 and 5.
On his elimination: “I think he raced super good. Right now, I think he feels very good. I’m very happy with him. He’s healthy and everything looks very good. I’m very happy with the way he’s progressed this season. Now, we are in the final, and that was the first goal. I have a good feeling. That is a good horse. He is a good one to have in the barn.”
Antognoni S finished third in his Breeders Crown elimination, trotting in 1:52.2 for Yannick Gingras.
The 6-year-old son of Father Patrick spent the first two years of his career racing in Europe as a 3- and 4-year-old with six wins and $61,324 earned. When he came stateside in 2025, he did no less than earn $481,537 for trainer Ron Burke, winning, among others, the $250,000 MGM 1¼-mile Grand Prix Trotting Series Final at Yonkers on Dec. 19, 2025, by an impressive ten lengths in 2:25.3.
Bred by Pellpac AB of Sweden and owned by Burke Racing, Weaver Bruscemi, FAC Racing, and Yannick Gingras, Antognoni S has added another $306,816 to his coffers this year, lowering his mark to 1:50.4f in the Maxie Lee Invitational at Harrah’s Philadelphia on May 24. He has been the model of consistency for his connections, rarely missing a check in his 58 career starts, with 28 wins, seven seconds, and seven thirds for a total of $849,677. He is the third and most prolific foal out of the Credit Winner mare Bouncing Bax T, 4, 1:54.3f ($444,9890).
“Antognoni raced great. He’s been good all year. We’ve been really happy with him. He’s very fast. He’s just a fast horse. He can probably out-trot anybody for an eighth of a mile.”
Go Dog Go was a strong second in his Breeders Crown elimination for driver Scott Zeron and trainer Carter Pinske. The homebred 4-year-old Greenshoe gelding is owned by Wiesman Farms LLC of Middle River, MD, and Al Libfeld of Pickering, ON, and to date has racked up $727,504 in career earnings. He had two impressive victories at Oak Grove, on April 27 and May 4, in KYSS action, and on July 28 at the Red Mile against similar competition, scoring in 1:50.3.
His finest effort came last year as a 3-year-old, when he stopped the timer in 1:49.3 on Sept. 27 in an $87,000 Bluegrass division. He was also third as a 2-year-old in the $700,000 Breeders Crown final at The Meadowlands in 2024 and won a $90,000 KYSS that year as well. He is the second and most prolific foal out of the unraced Muscle Hill mare Primary Target.
On his elimination: “We came up here hoping he behaved and could get into the final, and I was really pleased with the effort. Scotty (Zeron) said he was comfortable, drivable, so hopefully we draw good and have some luck (in the final).”
On his season: “Extremely frustrating. He showed at times that he belongs in the group, that not only could he go with them, he could contend with them. Then other times, he’d just revert back to immaturity, or whatever you want to call it, bad behavior. We ended up gelding him after the Maple Leaf Trot final, which was a good excuse to kind of give him a break. He missed a month and then I qualified him (Oct. 1 at the Red Mile) and he ran there. I just threw the book at him after that and changed all his rigging around. I don’t know if it’s just the time or the rigging, but he’s finally got his head on his business. He’s a horse that gets your hopes up all the time. No exaggeration, he’s two to three steps quicker than any horse that I’ve ever been around, but it’s all up in his head. He’s got the gait and the tools to do it, he just has to keep his head on straight. I just hope he has a good week, and that he draws good and we have some luck.”
On To Norway, a 4-year-old gelded son of Muscle Massive, took a bye to the Breeders Crown Open Trot and goes in the open draw. A winner of 38 of 47 career starts, On To Norway was teamed with trainer Ron Burke early in his 3-year-old career, and soon took the Indiana trotting scene by storm, winning 23 of 24 starts in 2025, and earning $636,294 for owners Burke Racing of Fredericktown, PA, Frank Baldachino of Harvey Cedars, NJ, Black And White Stable of Milroy, IN, and Michael Rosenthal of Las Vegas, NV.
This season has seen On To Norway continue to dominate the trotting ranks, winning 11 of 14 starts, with two seconds and another $626,750 in his coffers. Especially impressive was his 1:48.3 clocking in the Stan Bergstein Graduate Series on July 4 at The Meadowlands, when he bested rival Super Chapter by a neck with regular driver Yannick Gingras in the sulky. Most recently he posted a 1:52 clocking in winning the ISS Open Trot at Hoosier Park and upped his career earnings to $1,287,131. Bred by Bennett Farms, Inc., of Fremont, MI, On To Norway is the third foal out of the Donato Hanover mare One Class Act T, 3, Q1:57.3 ($54,680).
Super Chapter, who is on the cusp of being a three-million-dollar earner (with $2,949,066 lifetime), also took the offered bye into the Breeders Crown. The son of Chapter Seven has had back-to-back $1 million earning seasons at ages 3 & 4 for trainer Marcus Melander, driver Dexter Dunn, and owners Jeffrey Snyder of New York, NY; Arthur Pronti of Jersey City, NJ; and Hanover Shoe Farms of Hanover, PA, who also bred the trotter.
As a 2-year-old Super Chapter was second in his Breeders Crown elim and fifth in the final after a season that saw him win several New York Sires Stakes legs, winning five of 11 races and $521,260, with a mark of 1:52 he scored in the $80,000 International Stallion Stakes at Lexington. At 3, he was second by half a length to Meshuggah in the $600,000 Breeders Crown at Woodbine, before ending the season by winning the $163,050 Matron at Dover Downs in 1:51.2. He also won the $416,000 KYSS Final as well as several KYSS legs, the $300,000 Beal at the Poconos in 1:50, and his Hambletonian elimination in 1:51.1 before finishing second to Nordic Catcher S in the final.
This season Super Chapter has won seven of nine starts, including the $1 million MGM International at Yonkers on Sept. 12 in 2:22.3 for the 1¼-mile contest; the $250,000 Dayton Derby on Oct. 3 in 1:50.2; the $446,400 Maple Leaf Trot Final in 1:49.3 on Sept. 5; and the $281,200 Cashman at The Meadowlands on Aug. 8 in 1:50.1. He was also second in the $425,000 Hambletonian Maturity by a neck to On To Norway.
Super Chapter is the fifth and most successful offspring of the Cantab Hall world champion mare Lifetime Pursuit T, 3, 1:50.4 ($1,065,586).
On taking the bye: “I think you should always take a bye if you have the opportunity. You never know what can happen in an elimination. You can be interfered with, you can take a bad stop. You lose the opportunity to win the elimination and draw (post) 1 through 6, but sometimes you have to gamble a little bit. Also, three weeks between races has never been any problem for him.”
Up Your Deo is another seasoned campaigner. The 6-year-old finished fourth in his Breeders Crown elimination for trainer-driver Åke Svanstedt, timed in 1:52.3. This homebred son of Walner has career earnings of $1,376,352 for owners Åke Svanstedt of Wrightstown, NJ, Suleyman Yuksel Stables of Delray Beach, FL, Deo Volente Farms, LLC, of Flemington, NJ, and Van Camp Trotting Corp., of Port Perry, ON. Up Your Deo has 11 wins, six seconds and 10 thirds in 56 career starts, with his best years coming at ages 3, 5, and 6.
This season Up Your Deo won the $200,000 Bob Miecuna Invitational at Yonkers in 2:23.2 (1¼ miles) on Sept. 12, and a $39,000 Yonkers Invitational on May 21 in 1:55. He was a Breeders Crown contestant in 2025 but did not finish on the board in either his elim or in the final. At age 3 in 2023, he won his Breeders Crown elim in 1:53.1 at Hoosier Park and was second in the final to Tactical Approach. That year also saw him win the $300,000 Beal at Pocono Downs in 1:52.3 and the $300,000 MGM Yonkers Trot in 1:53.3. He is the first and most productive foal out of the Cantab Hall mare Grand Stand T, 3, 1:58.2f ($14,060).
$662,000 Breeders Crown Open Pace Final (G1)
Sponsored by Hunterton Farm
Women Layer punched his ticket to the Open Pace final after capturing the first elimination for aged pacers in 1:48.4 on Saturday (Oct. 17). The 5-year-old gelding began closing the gap on leader Best Chip in the stretch before seizing command in the final 40 yards and reaching the wire three-quarters of a length clear.
Inside the top three in 48 of 58 lifetime starts (33-10-5), Women Layer has won eight of 19 starts in 2026, headlined by a 17-1 upset in his division of the Grade 2 Sam McKee Memorial on Aug. 8 at The Meadowlands. Trained by Virgil Morgan Jr., Women Layer enjoyed a stellar 2025 campaign (18:13-2-2), led by a personal-best and Scioto Downs track record (4YO pacing geldings) 1:47.3 score on Aug. 25. The bay has banked nearly US$1.1 million in purse earnings for his career.
“We just wanted to prep him for this all along. Probably about five or six weeks out, I started talking to (co-owner) Eric Cherry about it and looking for the right path. The Lexington race (an Open on Oct. 10) turned out perfect. I don’t want to say it was a soft field, but we got the 6-hole on a mile track in a six-horse field, and it was just a nice prep. Yannick gets along with him great, and he couldn’t have come into this better.”
“When we got him (in October 2024), he’s a difficult horse to train, but he’s extremely fast. He pretty much dominated Kentucky, so it was by design this year to see if he could take the step forward. You never know, but he has. He’s matured and he’s a really nice racehorse. He’s so tactical off the gate and obviously, speed wins races.”
Best Chip will make his first start in a BC final after a runner-up effort in the first elimination for aged pacers on Saturday (Oct. 17) at Scioto Downs. The 4-year-old bay led at the three-quarter pole before giving way to Women Layer in the final 40 yards. After a modest 2025 campaign, Best Chip burst onto the scene in 2026 with major victories in the Grade 1 Canadian Pacing Derby (Woodbine Mohawk Park) and the Grade 2, 1 ¼-mile Aria Invitational Pace (Yonkers Raceway).
Trained by Joseph Bongiorno, Best Chip holds the fastest mark of the season in North America at 1:46.1. He is currently 2nd in earnings among North American aged pacers and 4th among all North American aged horses in 2026 (US$537,055). Best Chip is 9-5-1 through 17 starts this season and 14-9-6 from 55 starts overall (US$602,709).
On his elimination: “I thought he raced good. He was definitely sharper, I think, than he was at Dayton in his last start. (At Dayton) he was up there kind of lollygagging on the lead and (in the elim) he was swelled up like he is when he’s good. I just think I dragged everybody into the race going a little slower than that group is used to. I didn’t want to be overzealous and go crazy up front and get him run by, and I thought he would be able to win off those numbers. I think I just got out-sprinted because at the wire he was still grabbed into me and wanting to go. There is a difference between getting beat with your horse (overly tired) and getting out-sprinted.”
On his season: “He’s been nothing but a miracle. We bought the horse (in April), and he took to our program and developed into a top free-for-all open horse. Right now, I think he’s got as good a shot as anybody to be the older pacer of the year. To have a horse like that in your stable is special. And to do it for these owners, they’ve been good to me and we have a ton of horses together, has been a really fun ride. You never know when you buy a horse that was doing what he was doing – I just think he was going through the motions a little bit – but he always, to me, showed speed and that’s why I wanted to buy him. I trained him and really took a liking to him quickly. After his first start (a win over a sloppy track in a conditioned race at the Meadowlands) … I knew there was something there. I obviously didn’t know he would be this caliber, but he’s just kept developing.”
Dandy Ideal, the narrow runner-up in last year’s final for 3YO pacing colts and geldings, returns to the Breeders Crown after winning the second elimination for aged pacers in 1:48.4. The 4-year-old bay powered past 11-5 choice Prince Hal Hanover in the final stages, edging him by a neck. The elimination victory was Dandy Ideal’s sixth from 11 starts this season, which includes a stakes-record matching 1:47.2 Dan Patch (G1) win on Aug. 14 at Hoosier Park (tied with Sweet Lou in 2014 and Lather Up in 2019).
Dandy Ideal’s speed badge of 1:47.2 is tied for the seventh-fastest mile among aged pacers in North America in 2026. The gelding, trained by Brett Pelling for owners Susan Oakes and Alan Johnston, currently ranks 20th in purse earnings in the division this season (US$269,250). Overall, Dandy Ideal sports a 22-6-3 line, with US$1,343,507 in purse earnings from 40 starts.
“I drove him as a 2-year-old and he won the Matron, and I really liked him then. Then he came back as a great 3-year-old, and he has been battling ever since. He’s beaten me a lot, so he is a very nice horse.”
“He hadn’t raced in three weeks, so I thought the best way to get him into the final was not to beat him up. He responded. I got a good trip, second-over. He’s a good horse; he’ll do it either way. I just like getting to drive him. He was loaded. I don’t know if he was mad at me or just fresh, but he was wanting to race. He’s not used to being taken off the gate that much. Being (off) that long, I didn’t know how tight he would be, so I just thought that was best for the horse.”
Calicojack Hanover, who finished second-last in the 2025 Open Pace final, earned a shot at redemption in the 2026 edition with a fourth-place effort in the second elimination for aged pacers. Trained by Ron Burke, whose four Open Pace victories tie him with Bob McIntosh for the most all-time, Calicojack Hanover recorded his speed badge of 1:48.4 twice in 2026.
The 5-year-old bay first achieved the mark in a half-length victory at Mohawk on May 2 before matching it on Aug. 15, also at Mohawk. For the season, Calicojack Hanover sports a 4-3-2 line from 18 starts. Across 60 starts overall, he is 15-12-3 (US$485,620) with his signature score coming in the Grade 2 Charles Juravinski Memorial Cup final on May 18, 2025, at Flamboro Downs.
On his elimination: “I thought he raced really good, just a little bit too much left line, couldn’t get to the inside. It was our second start with him, and he was better again. I think that (this) week he could even be better. I’m excited to race him. He’s a little bit quirky and we’ve got to get him to be a little bit more gritty, but I think it’s coming.”
Prince Hal Hanover, the fourth-place finisher in last year’s final for 3YO pacing colts and geldings, strides into the Open Pace final following a runner-up placing in the second elimination for aged pacers. A neck behind winner Dandy Ideal, Prince Hal Hanover has finished outside the top three just once through 18 starts this season (6-7-4). The 4-year-old bay finished second in the Grade 1 Canadian Pacing Derby on Sept. 5 and captured the Grade 3 Allerage for male pacers in his final start before the BC elim.
Prince Hal Hanover currently leads all North American aged pacers in earnings this season with US$668,831. Among all aged horses, he is second to Super Chapter. In 2025, he collected major victories in the Delvin Miller Adios Pace and the Grade 2 Carl Milstein Memorial. Through 49 lifetime starts, Prince Hal Hanover is 16-16-7 (US$1,786,712). The Open Pace final represents his third career start in a BC final.
On his elimination: “He just gives a good performance every time he races. Dayton was the only time he didn’t make the top three in all his starts this year, and that’s because he got locked in. (Laughing) I said, ‘Don’t do that again, Toddy.’ Probably three-quarters of his starts have been all first-up, and the rest of them are on the front. He’s just tough as nails and just keeps right on going.”
From earlier this year: “He has become one of my favorite horses of all time. Just his whole demeanor and the way he is so ultra-consistent. He can race any way – from a hole, from the back, on the front – and he gives you all he’s got every time out. I don’t even recall the last time he’s gone a poor race for us. And that’s (racing) all over the place. We’re at different tracks every week with him. That says a lot too.”
Ken Hanover secured his spot in the Open Pace final as the fifth-place elimination finisher with the highest seasonal earnings. His total of US$367,691 ranks ninth among all North American aged pacers and 12th among all aged horses in 2026. Ken Hanover competed in the 2025 Open Pace final at Mohawk, landing in third. He achieved his personal mark of 1:47.3 in the elimination for last year’s final (1 ¼-length win).
Ken Hanover has produced a 4-3-0 line from 14 starts this season, headlined by a commanding 2 ¾-length Grade 2 Jim Ewart Memorial score on Sept. 12 at Scioto Downs. The 6-year-old added several signature wins in 2025, including the Grade 2 Sam McKee Memorial (second split), Grade 3 Allerage Open Pace at Lexington’s Red Mile, and Grade 2 Battle of Lake Erie, which he won in a world record clocking of 1:48.3 for older pacing stallions on a half-mile track (Northfield Park). Across 72 starts overall, Ken Hanover is 25-13-12 (US$1,566,545).
On his elimination: “We kind of got away in a bad spot, I thought. Then he had to come first-up off a slow half. He hung there as best he could. They all came home good, he came home in :26.4 and got beat 2-1/2 (lengths). It would have been nice to have a helmet in front of him, but that didn’t materialize. We got lucky enough that we got to stay (for the final, as the fifth-place finisher with the most money this year). Hopefully, we get a little better trip going forward; I don’t think they’re going to get to the half in :55 this week. We’ll put our best foot forward and see how it goes.”
“He came out of it good. We turned him out Sunday morning and he was happy to get outside. He ran, played, kicked, bucked there for 10 or 15 minutes and then he went to eating the grass. So, he’s feeling as good as he can feel, I think. Hopefully, he puts in a good effort for us.”
Admiral Hill advanced to the Open Pace final after producing a comfortable fourth-place finish in the first elimination for aged pacers on Saturday (Oct. 17) at Scioto Downs. The bay gelding, trained by Petter Engblom, crossed the wire in 1:49.1 – three-quarters of a length ahead of fifth-place finisher Ken Hanover. This will mark Admiral Hill’s second career BC appearance, as he finished sixth in the 2023 final for 3-year-old pacing colts and geldings.
Bred by Thomas Hill and owned by Morrison Racing Stables, Admiral Hill owns a 4-4-2 line from 19 starts this season. The 6-year-old is 31-13-10 from 82 starts overall (US$908,253). Signature wins include the 2024 KYSS final for 4YO pacing horses (personal best 1:48 mile) and the 2023 Kentucky Commonwealth Series final for 3YO male pacers. His maternal grandsire, Rocknroll Hanover, won the 2005 BC 3YO Colt & Gelding Pace final.
A late rally in the first Open Pace elimination on Saturday (Oct. 17) vaulted Surreal Ideal to a third-place finish and a spot in the final. The 8-year-old gelding unleashed a field-best :25.4 final quarter to reach his first-ever BC final. Prior to the elim, Surreal Ideal won the Dayton Pacing Derby Consolation by a neck on Oct. 3.
The bay, trained by Vernon Beachy for owners 518 Group and Gitup Racing, has made 146 starts in his career, producing a 46-32-26 line, to go along with US$758,022 in purse earnings. Surreal Ideal reeled off 13 straight wins between Aug. 30, 2025, and April 24, 2026, headlined by a personal best 1:47.2 mile on Oct. 25, 2025, at Mohawk. In 2026, Surreal Ideal is 5-5-4 across 18 starts.
On his elimination: “I’m very happy with him. He was flying late. If he draws good, he’s got a legit shot. He’s always there. He’s a small horse that tries really, really hard. Those horses are hard to come by.”
“We entered three horses (Surreal Ideal, 3-year-old filly trotter Victorianas Secret and 2-year-old filly trotter Shes A Home Run) and all three got to the finals. We can’t complain about that.”
Reigning Open Pace champion Ervin Hanover began his title defense by finishing third in the second aged pacer elimination on Saturday (Oct. 17) at Scioto Downs. The 6-year-old bay delivered a historic performance in last year’s final, cruising to a 3 ¼-length decision in a stakes record 1:46.2 with Dexter Dunn in the race bike. The mark bested Bulldog Hanover’s previous stakes record (1:46.4) and established Ervin Hanover as the fastest pacer ever on Canadian soil.
Ervin Hanover was a multinational sensation in 2025, earning both Dan Patch (Older Male Pacer) and O’Brien Award honors (Older Pacing Horse of the Year). The Dave Menary charge has remained impressive in 2026, producing six wins from 11 starts, headlined by a Grade 3 Dave Brower Memorial score on July 4 at The Meadowlands. The tally in 1:46.3 is tied with Captain Optimistic for the second-fastest mile by aged horses in North America this season.
Breeders Crown Finals Drivers
All money is USD unless otherwise noted with “C$”
Jason Bartlett2 BC trophies
- Won two Breeders Crown finals at Woodbine Mohawk Park in 2025, getting the first trophy of his career with 2-year-old male trotter Spencer Hanover and adding the second with French Wine in the Open Trot.
- Capped his 2025 season by being named the Dan Patch Award Driver of the Year by the U.S. Harness Writers Association after leading North America in purses, with $16.7 million, and finishing second in wins, with 803. Both totals were career highs.
- Got career victory 12,000 in May 2026 at his home track, MGM Yonkers Raceway.
- Top wins this year include the inaugural $500,000 Oak Grove Trotting Derby, with Spencer Hanover, and the Grade 2 MGM Grand Messenger Stakes, with Fragment.
- Has been no worse than 3rd in wins and 5th in purses in North America since 2022.
- In the Top 10 for purses each of the past 13 years, with nine appearances in the top five.
- In the Top 10 for wins 11 of the past 12 years.
- Ranks 10th all-time in driving wins and 9th in purses, with $189 million.
- Has won 14 driving titles at Yonkers and leads the standings there again this year.
- Born and raised in Maine, where he started his harness racing career before establishing himself as a top driver at Yonkers.
- Spent his formative years working with his grandfather, Dick Bartlett, and mother Sonia.
- Focused on basketball in high school and college but turned his talents to racing on a regular basis in the early 2000s.
- Received the Rising Star Award from the U.S. Harness Writers Association in 2008.
- Inducted into the Maine Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.
Brady Brown
- Making his Breeders Crown debut and guided Little Road to victory in her elimination for 3-year-old filly trotters.
- Wins this season include the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes championship with Little Road.
- Has won over 100 races and $1 million in purses for nine consecutive years, including 2026, with career highs of 187 victories and $2.06 million in 2022.
- Won more than 1,600 races and $17 million in purses in his career.
- Received the inaugural Walter “Boots” Dunn Rising Star Award, at the age of 22, at the Pennsylvania Fair Harness Horsemen’s Association banquet in 2016 after finishing fourth in the driver standings on the state’s fair circuit.
- Followed his grandfather Robert “Brownie” Brown and father, Terry Brown, into the sport and jogged his first horse at age 10.
Tyler Buter
- Has appeared in three previous Breeders Crown finals since making his debut in the event in 2013.
- Wins this year include the Dan Patch Stakes (G1) with Dandy Ideal and the $125,000 James M. Lynch Memorial consolation with Say Goodnight. Finished a neck behind Miss Jum Jabber in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes championship at 64-1 with Say Goodnight.
- Set career highs in 2025 for wins with 455 (8th best in North America) and purses with $7.78 million (11th).
- Has won more than 360 races and $7.31 million in purses this year, putting him in the Top 10 in both categories.
- In his career, he has won over 5,600 races and $82 million in purses.
- Grew up in Manchester, Mich., and followed his father Todd into harness racing. Got his first win at the Gladwin, Mich., fair before his 17th birthday.
- After successful stints in both Michigan and Illinois, relocated to the East Coast in 2010.
John DeLong
- Has appeared in four previous Breeders Crown finals, all at Harrah’s Hoosier Park, since making his debut in the event in 2017.
- Won the Caesars Trotting Classic (G2) with On To Norway in September at Hoosier.
- Guided On To Norway to 26 consecutive victories from April 2025 to May 2026 before the trotter shipped east from Indiana to compete at the Meadowlands.
- Has topped $4 million in purses five times in six years, including 2026. Missed by less than $47,000 in 2024.
- Set his career high for purses, $4.48 million, in 2021.
- Won nearly 4,500 races and more than $52 million in purses in his career.
- Captured the driving title at Running Aces, in Minnesota, in its inaugural season in 2008 at the age of 19.
- DeLong’s family, which operates a worldwide agricultural-distribution business based in Clinton, Wis., has been involved in harness racing for decades and is one of only two families enshrined in the Wisconsin Harness Racing Hall of Fame.
- His father Jesse (better known as Jay) is a trainer and occasional driver, and DeLong got his first-ever win in 2005 with a horse trained by his uncle William (Bo).
Dexter Dunn23 BC trophies
- Won two Breeders Crown finals at Woodbine Mohawk Park in 2025, with 3-year-old pacing filly Miki And Minnie and Ervin Hanover in the Open Pace.
- Miki And Minnie and Ervin Hanover were divisional Dan Patch Award winners in 2025.
- Set the record for Breeders Crown trophies in a year – six – in 2024 at the Meadowlands.
- Debuted in the Breeders Crown in 2018 and has won at least two trophies every year since 2019.
- His 23 trophies are tied with Tim Tetrick for 7th all time among drivers.
- Has won 23 of 77 lifetime Breeders Crown finals – a 29.9% victory rate.
- This year, he has won seven Grade 1 stakes, including with Apex in the $1 million Hambletonian and Super Chapter in the $1 million MGM Yonkers International Trot. His remaining G1 victories were with Super Chapter in the Maple Leaf Trot and John Cashman Memorial, Brandon Blvd in the Meadowlands Pace, Athena’s Girl in the Peaceful Way, and Twin B Joe Fresh in the Dayton Distaff Pacing Derby.
- Co-owns Twin B Joe Fresh, who was the 2024 Dan Patch Award Horse of the Year.
- Drove a record eight of the 12 horses to receive divisional Dan Patch Awards in 2024.
- Won 2,226 races in New Zealand, where he led the Premiership in victories for 10 consecutive years, before moving to the U.S. in 2018.
- Has won more than 2,700 races in North America.
- Led all drivers in North America in purses in 2024, 2022, 2021 and 2020. Ranks No. 1 in purses this season, with more than $13 million.
- Has won $108 million in purses since arriving in the States and topped $10 million in purses in eight consecutive years. His $108 million puts him $10 million from joining the top 25 drivers in history for North American purses.
- Five-time U.S. Harness Writers Association’s Driver of the Year.
- Won the 2015 World Driving Championship representing New Zealand.
Yannick Gingras27 BC trophies
- Won a Breeders Crown final at Woodbine Mohawk Park in 2025 with 3-year-old male pacer Sippinonsearoc.
- His 27 Crown trophies are tied for 5th, with Mike Lachance, among all drivers in history.
- Has won multiple Breeders Crown trophies in a year on eight occasions.
- Captured his first Breeders Crown in 2007 with 3-year-old female trotter Southwind Serena, at odds of 50-1 at the Meadowlands.
- Known for his association with male pacer Foiled Again, who retired in 2018 as the richest horse in harness racing history, with $7.63 million in lifetime earnings. Foiled Again and Gingras won the 2013 Breeders Crown Open Pace at Pocono Downs.
- This year, he has won five Grade 1 stakes so far: the Hambletonian Oaks with Nezuko Kamado S (extending his record for wins in the race to seven), Hambletonian Maturity with On To Norway, Adios with Al Papi, William Wellwood Memorial with Ocean Storm, and Kentucky Filly Futurity with She’s Moni.
- Led all drivers in North America in purses in 2023, with $15.1 million. Also led the sport in purses four consecutive years, 2014-2017.
- Has been no worse than third in purses for the past 14 years and ranks No. 2 this season with more than $11 million.
- Ranks No. 4 in career driving purses, with $272 million.
- Has won more than 9,800 races lifetime.
- Has driven three Dan Patch Award Horse of the Year winners: Tall Dark Stranger in 2020, Hannelore Hanover in 2017, and JK She’salady in 2014.
- A third-generation horseman from Quebec, Gingras arrived in the U.S. in 2001 and established himself as a top driver at Yonkers Raceway.
- In 2003, Gingras received the Rising Star Award from the U.S. Harness Writers Association and in 2004 he moved his base to the Meadowlands. He has won eight Big M driving titles.
Tony Hall
- Debuted in the Breeders Crown in 2017.
- Has appeared in five Crown finals, with a best finish of fifth with 3-year-old male trotter Golden Wall AS in 2022 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
- Wins this season include the Kentucky Championship Series final and a division of the International Stakes (G3) with Whateverittakes AS, trained by his wife, Anette Lorentzon.
- Has won more than 7,300 races and $71 million in purses lifetime.
- Set his career high for purses in 2022 with $5.68 million. Has driven on a more limited basis since then, with 500 or fewer starts.
- Surpassed $3 million in purses in 15 of 16 years from 2008 to 2023.
- Has been a top driver in Ohio and at The Meadows in Pennsylvania during his career, including a driving title at Scioto Downs in 2013.
Austin Hanners1 BC trophy
- Won his first Breeders Crown in 2025 at Woodbine Mohawk Park with Always B Naughty in the Mare Pace. Also finished third with 3-year-old pacing filly Skywalker Sea.
- Made his Breeders Crown debut in 2024, finishing third in the Open Trot with Hillexotic.
- Set career highs for wins and purses in 2024, with 239 victories and $4.35 million. He won 206 races and $4.31 million in purses in 2025.
- Topped $1 million in purses for the first time in 2022 and received the Peter Haughton Memorial Award, presented by the Ohio chapter of the U.S. Harness Writers Association, for being a rising star in the sport.
- Got career win 1,000 in July at Eldorado Scioto Downs.
- Has totaled $18 million in purses in his career.
- Is the son of trainer Alicia Hanners. His father, Brad, accumulated nearly 5,000 wins as a driver before passing away at age 43 in 2015 following a battle with cancer.
- Younger brother Luke also is a driver.
Jody Jamieson3 BC trophies
- Captured his first Breeders Crown in 2007 with 2-year-old male pacer Santanna Blue Chip, who was trained by his father, Carl.
- Added two trophies in 2011, with 3-year-old female pacer Monkey On My Wheel and Frenchfrysnvinegar in the Mare Trot.
- This year, his top win so far came with Redland Rocket Man in the Grade 1 Little Brown Jug at the Delaware County Fair in Ohio.
- Has won more than 9,100 races and $140 million (USD) in purses in his career, good for 15th all-time among drivers.
- Became the first Canadian-based driver to surpass C$150 million in earnings in 2024.
- Ranks No. 5 in purses in Canadian starts this year, with more than $4.1 million.
- Led all North American drivers in wins in 2009, with 796.
- A two-time winner of the World Driving Championship, in 2001 and 2011. He will represent Canada again in 2027 after winning Canada’s 2026 National Driving Championship for the third time.
- Received the 2006 Rising Star Award from the U.S. Harness Writers Association.
- His father, Carl, was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2013.
James MacDonald2 BC trophies
- Won two Breeders Crowns in 2024, with 2-year-old trotting filly Lady Landia and older male pacer Coach Stefanos, at the Meadowlands.
- This year, he has won four Grade 1 stakes so far: the C$1 million North America Cup with Odds On Mr Mamba, Roses Are Red with Miki And Minnie, James M. Lynch Memorial with Sangria Summer, and Elegantimage with Nuance.
- Top wins in 2025 included the Hambletonian Oaks (G1) with Conversano.
- Has received five consecutive O’Brien Awards as Canada’s top driver.
- In 2025, he led all drivers in Canada in purses and tied for second in wins. He has topped the purse standings for five consecutive years and is first again in 2026.
- In 2024, he became the first Canadian-based driver to surpass C$12 million in purses in a single season, finishing with C$12.3 million.
- Led all drivers in Canada in wins from 2021 to 2024.
- Has won more than 4,600 races in his career and $74 million (USD) in purses.
- A two-time winner of the World Driving Championship, in 2025 (hosted by New Zealand) and 2017 (hosted by Canada).
- Brother of drivers Mark MacDonald and Anthony MacDonald.
Andrew McCarthy6 BC trophies
- Won his sixth career Breeders Crown in 2024, with 3-year-old trotting colt Sig Sauer, who went on to receive Dan Patch Award divisional honors.
- In 2019, McCarthy became the eighth driver in history to win at least four Breeders Crown finals in a year. He became the first to accomplish the feat without driving a favorite.
- His remaining Crown came with 3-year-old male trotter Jujubee in 2021. Jujubee was named a divisional Dan Patch Award winner and Trotter of the Year.
- Got North American driving win 4,000 in August at The Red Mile.
- A native of Australia, McCarthy has raced in North America since 2007. He has won more than $95 million in purses during that time.
- Set career highs for wins with 315 and purses with $8.72 million in 2021.
- Has exceeded $6 million in purses each of the past eight years.
- Other top career victories include the 2020 Hambletonian (G1), with trotting filly Ramona Hill, and the 2024 Kentucky Futurity (G1), with Sig Sauer.
- McCarthy is a third-generation horseman. His brothers Todd, now in the U.S., and Luke, who raced in the U.S. in 2009, are successful drivers and his father John is a highly regarded trainer.
Todd McCarthy2 BC trophies
- Got his second Breeders Crown trophy in 2025 at Woodbine Mohawk Park with 3-year-old filly trotter Yo Tillie, who went on to receive her division’s Dan Patch Award.
- Won the 2022 Breeders Crown for 3-year-old male pacers with Pebble Beach at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Pebble Beach received the Dan Patch Award for best 3-year-old male pacer.
- This year, his top win so far came in the Mohawk Million (G1) with Wrong Sounds Right at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
- McCarthy, the younger brother of driver Andy McCarthy, moved to the U.S. at the end of August 2020.
- Had contemplated leaving Australia to continue his career in North America for several years but watching Andy win four Breeders Crowns in 2019 helped convince him to do it.
- Has won more than 1,500 races and $51 million in purses in North America. Won 1,109 races in Australia prior to moving.
- Set career high for purses in 2024, with $9.67 million.
- Ranked 6th in purses among all drivers in North America in 2025 with $9.35 million, the third time he topped $9 million in his career.
- Won two million-dollar races in 2022, the Hambletonian (G1) with Cool Papa Bell, and the North America Cup (G1) with Pebble Beach.
- Joined brothers Andy and Luke as the winning driver of at least one $1 million race, an unprecedented accomplishment for brothers. Andy won the 2020 Hambletonian with Ramona Hill. Luke has won multiple Miracle Mile trophies in Australia.
- Received the Rising Star Award from the U.S. Harness Writers Association in 2021.
Bob McClure4 BC trophies
- Won his fourth Breeders Crown in 2025 at Woodbine Mohawk Park with 2-year-old male pacer Beau Jangles, who went on to be named Horse of the Year in both the U.S. and Canada after going undefeated in 12 starts.
- Captured the 2023 Breeders Crown for 3-year-old pacing fillies with Sylvia Hanover at Harrah’s Hoosier Park. Sylvia Hanover went on to be named Canada’s Horse of the Year as well as a Dan Patch Award divisional winner in the U.S.
- Also won the 2022 Breeders Crown for 2-year-old female pacers with Sylvia Hanover at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
- His top win so far this year came in the She’s A Great Lady (G1) with Jersey Bulldog.
- Has won nearly 3,900 races and more than $49 million (USD) in purses in his career.
- Finished No. 1 in purses in Canada in 2020 and was named Canada’s Driver of the Year.
- Has been no worse than eighth in purses in Canada each of the past 10 years, including second in 2025 and 2018. Ranks 4th this year.
- Led Canada in wins in 2017 and 2016 and was third in 2018 and 2015.
- Raced primarily at Canada’s “B” tracks before moving to the main stage of the Woodbine-Mohawk circuit in December 2017.
- In 2019, McClure won the Hambletonian (G1) in his first try, guiding Forbidden Trade to the victory for trainer Luc Blais. Forbidden Trade was named Canada’s Horse of the Year.
- Received the 2019 Rising Star Award from the U.S. Harness Writers Association.
Doug McNair3 BC trophies
- Got his third Breeders Crown trophy in 2025 at Woodbine Mohawk Park when he drove The Last Martini to a dead-heat win (with Miki And Minnie). It was the second dead heat for win in Breeders Crown history (Perfect Sting-Summa Cum Laude, 2020, Hoosier Park).
- Won the 2022 Breeders Crown Mare Pace with Grace Hill at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
- Previous Crown came in the 2017 Breeders Crown for 2-year-old male pacers with Stay Hungry, who went on to receive an O’Brien Award at the end of the season.
- Has won more than 5,200 races and $83 million (USD) in purses in his career.
- Set career high for purses with C$7.25 million in 2024.
- Led all drivers in Canada in purses in 2017 and has been in the Top 5 for each of the past seven years. Ranks No. 2 this year.
- Topped C$5 million in purses 13 times in 15 years, including 2026.
- Multiple winner of the Lampman Cup, for the top driver on the Ontario Sires Stakes circuit, including in 2024.
- Represented Canada in the 2022 World Driving Championship and finished second.
- Son of trainer Gregg McNair.
Mattias Melander
- Debuted in the Breeders Crown in 2019.
- Has appeared in three Crown finals, with a best finish of second with 2-year-old male trotter Rome Pays Off in 2019.
- Drives on a limited basis – usually 140 to 160 races a year – for his older brother, trainer Marcus Melander.
- Already set his career high for purses this year with over $830,000.
- Has more than 175 wins and $4.7 million in purses in his career.
- Wins this season include a Kentucky Championship Series leg with Top Reacher and a Grand Circuit victory in the Lady Suffolk with Ygritte.
- Came to the U.S. and worked for Hall of Fame trainer Jimmy Takter, the winningest trainer in Breeders Crown history. Planned to return home after a year, but Takter talked him into staying.
Brett Miller3 BC trophies
- Got his first Breeders Crown trophy in 2015 with Pure Country, who won the final for 2-year-old female pacers to cap a 10-for-10 campaign on her way to divisional Dan Patch Award honors.
- His second came in 2016 with 3-year-old male pacer Racing Hill and the third in 2017 with Split The House in the Open Pace.
- Wins this year include the $100,000 Tom Aldrich Memorial Trot with Jurassic Hattie at Northfield Park.
- Became the 15th driver in North American history to reach 11,000 wins in May at Eldorado Scioto Downs.
- Ranks 17th among all drivers in history with over $131 million in purses.
- Followed his grandfathers and dad, Del S. Miller, into the sport.
- Participated in his first matinee race at the age of 14 at a fair, and won with a horse trained by his cousin, David Miller. In 1992, Miller got his first pari-mutuel win with a horse trained by his father.
- Was a leading driver in Ohio before turning his attention to the East Coast. He won the Meadowlands Racetrack driving title for the 2016-17 meet.
- Returned to Ohio in 2019 and has captured driving titles at Hollywood Dayton, Miami Valley, and Eldorado Scioto Downs.
David Miller30 BC trophies
- Became harness racing’s all-time leader in North American driving purses in February when he broke John Campbell’s record of $299.89 million. Has now exceeded $304 million in career purses.
- In April, he became the 5th North American driver to reach 15,000 career wins.
- Tied with Ron Pierce for No. 3 all time in Breeders Crown wins, behind John Campbell (48) and Brian Sears (35).
- Set the then-record for most Breeders Crown driving wins in a single year – five – in 2015 at Woodbine Racetrack. Dexter Dunn broke the record in 2024, with six.
- Has won multiple Breeders Crown finals in a year eight times in his career.
- Won Breeders Crown trophies with three Dan Patch Award Horse of the Year recipients, Test Of Faith (2021), Always B Miki (2016) and No Pan Intended (2003).
- Captured his first Crown in 2000 with Magician in the Open Trot.
- Always B Miki and Magician are in the Harness Racing Hall of Fame.
- Finished among North America’s Top 10 drivers in victories seven times from 1991 through 1998 before moving from Ohio to the East Coast and becoming a force at the Meadowlands and on the Grand Circuit. He moved back to Ohio toward the end of last year and is the meet’s current leading driver.
- Returned to the Meadowlands on Hambletonian Day and won a division of the Sam McKee Memorial (G2) with Women Layer.
- Finished among the top five in purses 25 of the past 27 years.
- Three-time Dan Patch Award Driver of the Year.
- Received the 1993 Rising Star Award from the U.S. Harness Writers Association.
Marcus Miller1 BC trophy
- Won his Breeders Crown in 2016, with 2-year-old pacing filly Someomensomewhere, who was trained by his father, Erv Miller.
- Victories this season include the Elevation (G3) with Mr Bear on Sept. 25 at Hoosier Park.
- Has won nearly 5,300 races and $71 million in purses in his career.
- Topped $3 million in purses for 13 consecutive years, including 2026.
- Started driving regularly in 2009 and won multiple driving titles on the Chicago circuit before moving to the East Coast in 2013.
- Relocated to Indiana in December 2024.
- Received the 2016 Rising Star Award from the U.S. Harness Writers Association.
- Represented the U.S. in the 2017 World Driving Championship, where he finished third.
Chris Page
- Has a best final finish of second, with 2-year-old filly pacer Sea Silk in 2021, since making his Breeders Crown debut in 2018.
- Top wins this year include the Dayton Pacing Derby (G1) with Harrisburg Heist.
- Established career highs for wins with 592 (5th best in North America) and purses with $9.02 million (9th) in 2025.
- Got career win 8,000 in July at Eldorado Scioto Downs.
- Has won more than $92 million in purses in his career.
- Leading driver at Eldorado Scioto Downs in 2026. Has topped the standings at Scioto six previous times and finished second on eight occasions.
- Fulfilled a childhood dream by winning the 2022 Little Brown Jug with Bythemissal at the Delaware County Fairgrounds in Ohio.
- Got involved in harness racing by helping his uncles, who were hobby horsemen, at the county fairs in Ohio. He attended his first Little Brown Jug in 1993, won by Life Sign, which cemented his love of the sport.
Todd Ratchford1 BC trophy
- Won his first Breeders Crown in 2025 at Woodbine Mohawk Park with 2-year-old filly trotter Storybook Love in his career debut in the event. Ratchford and Storybook Love also won their Crown elimination. She was named a divisional O’Brien Award winner.
- His top win so far this year came with Storybook Love in a division of the Simcoe Stakes (G3). They finished second in the Elegantimage Stakes (G1).
- Began his driving career in 2023 after playing professional hockey in Europe and the United Arab Emirates.
- Topped C$1 million in purses this year for the third consecutive year, including a career-best C$1.83 million in 2025.
- Has won more than 200 races and $3.05 million (USD) in purses in his career.
- Received Canada’s 2024 Future Star Award.
- Is a fourth-generation horseman whose second cousin on his mother’s side of the family, Hall of Fame driver Paul MacDonell, is an eight-time Breeders Crown winner.
Louis-Philippe Roy1 BC trophy
- Won his Breeders Crown in 2022, with 2-year-old male trotter Gaines Hanover, at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
- Second with Nijinsky in the 2024 final for 3-year-old male pacers at the Meadowlands.
- Won the 2024 North America Cup (G1) with Nijinsky.
- This year, his top wins so far include a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes championship with 2-year-old male pacer Shalom Hanover, Ontario Sires Stakes titles with 3-year-old male trotter Strobe Lite and 2-year-old filly trotter Verily, and the Milton Stakes (G2) with older female pacer Francent N.
- Wins in 2025 included the Kentucky Futurity (G1) and Canadian Trotting Classic (G1), with Emoticon Legacy.
- Has won more than 3,200 races in his career and $51 million (USD) in purses.
- Led Canadian drivers in purses and wins in 2018.
- Surpassed C$8 million in purses in 2024 and 2025, ranking 3rd in Canadian earnings last year and 2nd the previous season. Also was 2nd in 2022 and 2023.
- Set career high for purses in 2025, with C$8.66 million.
- Spent six years flourishing on the Quebec fair circuit before making a name for himself at Hippodrome 3R (Trois-Rivières), which propelled him to regular drives on the Woodbine-Mohawk/Ontario circuit.
- Received Canada’s Future Star Award in 2016.
- Graduate of the University of Quebec at Rimouski. For the first two years of his driving career, he also worked as a financial analyst for a telecommunications company.
Tim Tetrick23 BC trophies
- Tied for 7th with Dexter Dunn in all-time Breeders Crown wins, with 23.
- Captured Breeders Crowns with three Dan Patch Award Horse of the Year recipients: Confederate (2023), JK She’salady (2014) and Chapter Seven (2012).
- Has won multiple Breeders Crown trophies in a year six times, with a high of four in 2012.
- Collected his first Crown in 2007 with Artistic Fella in the Open Pace at Mohawk.
- This year, his top wins include the Canadian Pacing Derby (G1) with Best Chip, Cane Pace (G2) with Sweet Lovin Lou, and an Ohio Sires Stakes championship with 3-year-old male trotter Big Ranger, who was second by a nose in the Hambletonian (G1).
- Became the 6th driver in North American history to win 15,000 races, reaching the milestone in September at The Red Mile.
- Ranks 3rd all-time in North American purses with more than $297 million, trailing only David Miller ($304 million) and John Campbell (nearly $300 million).
- Has been in the Top 10 for driving wins in each of the past 21 years.
- Won a single-season record 1,189 races in 2007.
- No. 1 in purses seven consecutive years, 2007-13, and again in 2018 and 2019.
- Four-time Dan Patch Award Driver of the Year.
- U.S. Harness Writers Association’s Rising Star in 2007.
- Grew up in Illinois and followed his father, Tom D. Tetrick, into the sport. Brothers Tom T. and Trace also are involved in harness racing. Trace is the all-time leader in driving wins at Harrah’s Hoosier Park.
Lauren Tritton
- Making her Breeders Crown debut.
- Has already established career highs with more than 360 starts, 68 wins and $1.25 million in purses (first million-dollar season) in 2026.
- Picked up a Grand Circuit victory with Darlin’s Angel in the Tompkins-Geers Stakes in August at the Meadowlands. Finished second with Darlin’s Angel in the James M. Lynch Memorial (G1), Jugette (G1) and Shady Daisy (G3).
- First female driver in Meadowlands history to win three races on a card, in 2025.
- Won the 2023 Battle of Lake Erie (G2) with Lochinvar Art A, who was trained by her husband, Shane.
- Approaching 200 career wins in North America and $2.7 million in purses since the Trittons moved to the U.S. in 2020.
- Prior to moving, won more than 900 races, including 10 Group 1 races, in Australia.
Peter Wrenn2 BC trophies
- Won his first Breeders Crown final in 1994 with 2-year-old female pacer Yankee Cashmere and added the second in 1996 with 3-year-old female trotter Personal Banner.
- Did not appear in the Breeders Crown again until 2017 when he drove Shnitzledosomethin to a second-place finish in the final for 2-year-old male pacers at Harrah’s Hoosier Park.
- Has won more than 10,700 races (16th most in North American history) and $84 million in purses in his career.
- Wins this season include a preliminary-round division of the Indiana Sire Stakes with Odds On Mr Mamba, trained by his wife, Melanie.
- Followed his father, Howard, into the sport. Wrenn cleaned his first stall at the age of 6 and drove in his first race at the age of 14.
- Wrenn’s brothers Gary, Ron and Mark also won races as drivers and trainers. His nephew, Ronnie Wrenn Jr., is also a two-time Breeders Crown winner.
Ronnie Wrenn Jr.2 BC trophies
- Got his second Breeders Crown in 2025 at Woodbine Mohawk Park with 2-year-old filly pacer Loua Dipa. She went on to be named a divisional Dan Patch Award winner.
- Won his first Breeders Crown in 2024, with 2-year-old male pacer Louprint, at the Meadowlands. Louprint was a divisional Dan Patch Award winner.
- Made his Breeders Crown debut in 2023.
- This year, his top wins include four Grade 1 stakes: Fan Hanover and Jugette with Loua Dipa, Delmonica Hanover with Victorianas Secret, and Metro Pace with Eastie Boy.
- Has won more than 9,300 races and $85 million in purses in his career.
- Led all drivers in North America in wins in 2013, with 714, in only his third full season.
- Repeated as North America’s leading driver in 2014, with 847 victories.
- Finished 2nd in 2018, 2020, and 2023.
- Set his career high for purses with $9.05 million in 2025. Has earned more than $8.50 million in 2026.
- His father won nearly 2,000 races as a driver. After his father passed away in 2014, Wrenn changed his colors to his dad’s black and maroon in tribute to him.
- Wrenn’s uncle, Peter Wrenn, is a two-time Breeders Crown winner.
Scott Zeron9 BC trophies
- Got his ninth Breeders Crown in 2025 at Woodbine Mohawk Park with 3-year-old male trotter Meshuggah.
- Won a Breeders Crown in 2024 with 3-year-old trotting filly Allegiant, who went on to capture divisional Dan Patch Award honors.
- Finished second in four finals the past two years – all by a neck or less.
- Has won at least one Breeders Crown each of the past six years.
- Pulled off the biggest upset in Breeders Crown history in 2020 at Hoosier Park, guiding 3-year-old male pacer Sandbetweenmytoes to victory at odds of nearly 204-1.
- This year, his wins include two Grade 1 stakes: the Canadian Trotting Classic with Nix Nacken and Jim Doherty Memorial with Birr Castle.
- Has won more than 4,960 races in his career and $128 million in purses. Ranks 21st in history in purses.
- Exceeded $9 million in purses each of the past three years, including a career-best $10.07 million in 2023.
- Surpassed $100 million in career purses in 2023 and joined Tim Tetrick (30) and Yannick Gingras (34) as the only drivers to reach the milestone before the age of 35.
- Twice led all Canadian drivers in wins (2010 and 2011) before relocating to the U.S. near the end of 2013.
- Received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the U.S. Harness Writers Association.
- Was the U.S. Harness Writers Association’s 2023 Driver of the Year.
- Won the 2016 Trotting Triple Crown (Hambletonian, Yonkers Trot, Kentucky Futurity) with future Hall of Famer Marion Marauder. The then 27-year-old Zeron was the youngest driver to win a harness racing Triple Crown.
- One of 12 drivers in history to win the Hambletonian (G1) at least three times.
- His father, Rick, has won more than 8,100 races as a driver and nearly 2,500 as a trainer.
Breeders Crown Finals Trainers
All money is USD unless otherwise noted with “C$”
Benoit “Ben” Baillargeon
- Has appeared in 12 Breeders Crown finals, posting two seconds and four thirds.
- Most recent final was in 2023, when he finished third with HP Mama B in the Mare Trot.
- Wins this season include an Ontario Sires Stakes championship with Strobe Lite, who also was a Super Final winner at age 2 in 2025.
- His horses have earned more than C$1 million in purses 21 times in the past 22 years, including 2026, and topped $2 million seven times during that span.
- Best year in purses was 2020 when he was just shy of C$3 million and finished second in the trainer standings for money won in Canadian races.
- Approaching 2,800 in career victories and $44 million (USD) in purses.
- First full season on Ontario’s Woodbine-Mohawk circuit came in 2001 and he finished fifth in the trainer standings. Within a decade, he twice finished second.
- Prior to moving to Ontario, Baillargeon had a successful stable at Hippodrome de Montreal.
- He was introduced to harness racing by his father Gaetan, who trained and drove. His older brother, Mario, is an accomplished driver, with more than 7,800 wins.
Jared Bako1 BC trophy
- Captured a Breeders Crown in 2025 at Woodbine Mohawk Park when The Last Martini finished in a dead heat with Miki And Minnie in the 3-Year-Old Filly Pace. It was only the second dead heat for win in Breeders Crown history.
- Made his Breeders Crown debut in 2024, finishing second with The Last Martini.
- Victories this season include New York Sire Stakes legs with Cooperstown Boy. The Last Martini finished second, behind Miki And Minnie, in the Roses Are Red (G1).
- His horses have earned over $2.7 million four times, including 2026, with a career best of $2.94 million in 2024.
- Within 10 wins of his career high of 134 set in 2023.
- Started stable in 2018 and has won more than 670 races and $13 million in purses.
Matt Bax1 BC trophy
- Made his debut in a Breeders Crown final in 2025 at Woodbine Mohawk Park and won with 2-year-old filly trotter Storybook Love, who also won her elimination.
- Prior to Storybook Love, he previously started one horse in an elim, 3-year-old male trotter Southwind Coors in 2023.
- Took over the family’s training stable from his father, John, in 2023.
- John Bax won a Breeders Crown in 2001, with 2-year-old trotting colt Duke Of York. Duke Of York was an O’Brien Award winner that year and John was named Canada’s Trainer of the Year. John was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2025.
- Matt Bax has won 130 races and more than $3.8 million (USD) in purses in his career.
- His top win so far this season came with Storybook Love in a division of the Simcoe Stakes (G3). Storybook Love finished second in the Elegantimage (G1) and New York Sire Stakes championship.
- Other past stars for the stable included Goodtimes, who was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2004.
Vernon Beachy
- Starting horses in the Breeders Crown for the first time.
- In 2024, he shared training duties on 3-year-old filly trotter Allegiant, who won a Breeders Crown that year with Linda Toscano at the Meadowlands. Allegiant was a divisional Dan Patch Award winner and sold for $925,000 at the 2024 North American Standardbred Mixed Sale. Since then, the mare has risen to stardom overseas, most notably winning this year’s Elitlopp in a world-record 1:48 at Stockholm’s Solvalla Racecourse.
- Wins this season include the Delmonica Hanover Stakes (G1) and Moni Maker (G3) with Victorianas Secret.
- Already set his career high for purses this year with over $2.3 million, smashing his previous best of $833,016 established in 2025.
- Approaching 400 lifetime victories with over $6 million in purses.
- Grew up in Dover, Del., and began working with harness racing horses in his early teens. He started his own stable in 2011.
Chris Beaver
- Finished second twice in Breeders Crown finals, with 3-year-old male trotter Triumphant Caviar in 2009 and with 2-year-old male trotter Moonshiner Hanover in 2016.
- Wins this season include two Kentucky Sire Stakes titles with older male trotter Gimpanzee Dancer, a division of the Stanley Dancer Memorial (G3) with Endurance, and a division of the International Stallion Stakes (G3) with Special Day.
- His horses have earned over $2 million 11 years in a row, including 2026, with a career best of $3.08 million in 2021.
- Has won over 1,700 races and $39 million in purses in his career.
- Was 23 when he bought the horse that changed his life. Her name was Raging Samantha and Beaver and his mother, Johanna, purchased the future stakes-winning trotter at a yearling auction in 1995 for $9,500. A graduate of Stetson University, Beaver had been thinking about heading to veterinary school, but he became immersed in racing thanks to Raging Samantha and her exploits.
- Family has been involved in harness racing since the mid-1950s.
- Beaver’s grandfather, Henry, got the family started and his father, Charlie, enjoyed success as a trainer (and owned several horses with the late Academy Award-winning actor Don Ameche).
Luc Blais4 BC trophies
- Won his first Breeders Crown in 2012 with 3-year-old male trotter Intimidate, a horse he co-owned.
- Next two trophies came with older female trotter Emoticon Hanover, the mother of Emoticon Legacy, in 2017 and 2018.
- Most recent title came in 2020 with 2-year-old male trotter On A Streak.
- Intimidate, Emoticon Hanover, and On A Streak were O’Brien Award winners.
- In addition to her two trophies, Emoticon Hanover twice finished second in Breeders Crown finals. She appeared in five finals during her career.
- Blais-trained Forbidden Trade won the 2019 Hambletonian and was named Canada’s Horse of the Year.
- Wins this season include three graded stakes with Sangria Summer – the James M. Lynch Memorial (G1), Courageous Lady and Shady Daisy (both G3) – plus the Charlie Hill Memorial (G2) at Scioto Downs with Emoticon Legacy and a division of the Champlain (G3) with Access Now.
- His horses have earned over C$1 million 11 years in a row and over C$2 million nine times, including 2026.
- Has won more than 1,300 races and $28 million (USD) in his career.
- Received the 2021 O’Brien Award of Horsemanship.
- Got hooked on racing at an early age, watching his father, a salesman, race his own horses on the Quebec fair circuit.
- Spent time in banking and construction before getting involved full-time in racing.
- Worked for several stables, including Canadian Hall of Famer Yves Filion’s Bayama Farms, before going on his own. He now trains for information-technology mogul Serge Godin’s Determination stable.
Joe Bongiorno1 BC trophy
- Making his Breeders Crown debut as a trainer.
- Won the 2019 Breeders Crown Open Pace, as a driver, with American History.
- Debuted as a driver in the Breeders Crown in 2016.
- Started his training stable in 2024 and has won over 500 races and $9 million in purses since then.
- Wins this season include the Canadian Pacing Derby (G1) and Aria Invitational Pace (G2) with Best Chip.
- On the verge of his first 200-win season this year after missing by three victories in 2025.
- His horses have earned a career-best $3.95 million this year.
- As a driver this year, he has over 200 wins and $4 million in purses. Lifetime, he has more than 3,400 victories and $55 million in purses.
- Was the 2010 Amateur Driver of the Year, awarded by the U.S. Harness Writers Association, and the 2011 USHWA Monticello-Goshen chapter’s Rising Star Award winner.
Ron Burke24 BC trophies
- Leads active trainers in Breeders Crown trophies, with 24. Ranks second overall behind Jimmy Takter’s 34 wins in finals.
- Leads in all-time Breeders Crown earnings, with $16.04 million.
- Won two Breeders Crowns in 2025 at Woodbine Mohawk Park with 3-year-old male pacer Sippinonsearoc and 2-year-old filly pacer Loua Dipa, who went on to receive her division’s Dan Patch Award.
- Has won multiple Breeders Crown trophies in a year on eight occasions, including three in both 2017 and 2018. Jimmy Takter and Åke Svanstedt are the only other trainers to win at least three trophies in multiple years.
- Among his Breeders Crown champions were 2017 Horse of the Year Hannelore Hanover, who beat the boys in that season’s Open Trot, and Foiled Again, the sport’s all-time leading money-winner with $7.63 million, who won the 2013 Open Pace.
- Hannelore Hanover and Foiled Again are in the Hall of Fame, as are Burke-trained Breeders Crown champs Sweet Lou and Mission Brief.
- This year, his top wins so far include six Grade 1 events: the Fan Hanover and Jugette with Loua Dipa, Hambletonian Maturity with On To Norway, Adios with Al Papi, Metro Pace with Eastie Boy, and Dayton Pacing Derby with Harrisburg Heist.
- Took over the family’s training stable from his father Mickey, the 2006 Trainer of the Year, in late 2008.
- On his way to leading North American trainers in both wins and purses for the 18th consecutive year.
- Broke his own record for purses in a year when his stable banked $31.5 million in 2025.
- Reached $400 million in career purses earlier this month at Lexington’s Red Mile. Only two other trainers, Jimmy Takter ($130 million) and Erv Miller ($121 million), have reached $100 million since the inception of official trainer stats in 1991.
- Got career win 17,000 in July at the Meadowlands when Bythemissal won a division of the William R. Haughton Memorial (G2). Virgil Morgan Jr. is No. 2 on the training victory list, with a total approaching 8,200.
- Set the record for wins in a year with 1,157 in 2023, one of six years with more than 1,000 triumphs.
- Burke Racing Stable (with partner Weaver Bruscemi LLC) has been the sport’s Owner of the Year four times – 2013, 2018, 2024 and 2025 – and Breeder of the Year in 2025.
John Butenschoen
- Has hit the board four times (two seconds, two thirds) in Breeders Crown finals. He finished second in 2024 with 3-year-old trotting filly R Melina. He also was second in 2002, with Plesac in the Open Trot.
- Wins this year include the $188,200 Girl Power Mare Trot with R Dutchess in September at the Meadowlands in a field that included six other 2026 Breeders Crown Mare Trot finalists.
- Won the 2024 Kentucky Filly Futurity with R Melina.
- Top victories this season have come with multiple stakes winner R Dutchess.
- Has topped $1 million in purses in 13 of the past 14 years.
- Won more than 2,000 races and $38 million in purses in his career.
- Enjoyed his first million-dollar campaign in 2001 when the trotter Plesac (named in honor of then-major league pitcher Dan Plesac) was the star of his barn. Plesac raced from 1999 to 2003, earning $2.5 million in his career.
- Born in Illinois and out of high school went to work for Hall of Famer Delvin Miller.
- Met his wife, Jackie Kiger Butenschoen, while working for Miller. Her father also was a trainer and for a time was the farrier at Miller’s Meadow Lands Farm. The Butenschoens work together in their stable, where they are joined by son Tyler.
Jim Campbell6 BC trophies
- Won his first Breeders Crown in 1998 with 3-year-old female pacer Galleria.
- Two-year-old male trotter Broadway Hall gave Campbell his second trophy in 2002, and 3-year-old female trotter Broadway Schooner followed in 2009. Broadway Donna, a daughter of Broadway Schooner, also won at age 3 in 2016.
- Won two trophies in 2020 with 3-year-old female trotter Next Level Stuff and with 3-year-old male pacer Sandbetweenmytoes, who won at odds of nearly 204-1 in the biggest upset in Breeders Crown history. Sandbetweenmytoes’ dam was Galleria.
- Galleria, Broadway Hall, Broadway Schooner, and Broadway Donna were Dan Patch Award winners.
- Wins this season include the Mohawk Million (G1) with Wrong Sounds Right.
- Has won more than 1,500 races and $56 million in purses lifetime. Ranks 18th in purses since the inception of official trainer stats in 1991.
- Named 2022 Dan Patch Award Trainer of the Year by the U.S. Harness Writers Association. His season was highlighted by winning the Hambletonian with Cool Papa Bell and Hambletonian Oaks with Fashion Schooner to become only the third trainer in history to capture both trotting classics in the same year.
- One of only four trainers to win both the Hambletonian and Hambletonian Oaks twice in their careers, with Hall of Famers Billy Haughton, Joe O’Brien, and Jimmy Takter.
- Followed his father, Jack, and grandfather, Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Famer Dunc Campbell, into harness racing.
- His brother John became the president/CEO of the Hambletonian Society in 2017 following a Hall of Fame driving career. John holds the record for Breeders Crown trophies with 48.
Juan Cano
- Has appeared in one previous Breeders Crown final since making his debut in the event in 2023, finishing eighth with 2-year-old Gigglingonthebeach in 2024.
- Captured the 2025 Hambletonian Oaks with Conversano en route to a career best for purses with $1.01 million.
- Wins this season include the Tompkins-Geers Stakes with Darlin’s Angel, who has finished second in the Jugette and the James M. Lynch Memorial (both G1) and Shady Daisy (G3).
- Began stable in 2019 and has won more than 200 races and $3.4 million in purses.
Noel Daley6 BC trophies
- Won a Breeders Crown in 2024 at the Meadowlands, with 3-year-old trotting colt Sig Sauer, who went on to garner divisional Dan Patch Award honors.
- Other Breeders Crown winners include Hall of Fame trotter Mr Muscleman, Hall of Fame female pacer My Little Dragon, and Dan Patch Award winners Cedar Dove and Pebble Beach.
- Wins this season include the MGM Borgata Pacing Series final (G2) with Captain Albano. Finished second in the Hambletonian Oaks (G1) with Carve.
- His horses have earned more than $3.7 million in purses for five consecutive years, including 2026.
- Set a career high for purses in 2025, with $5.15 million, 6th best in North America.
- Has won more than 3,200 races, 15th in history, and $86 million in purses, 5th since the inception of official trainer stats in 1991.
- Other career highlights include winning the 2011 Hambletonian with Broad Bahn.
- Worked for an airline before making his name in harness racing.
Nicholas Devita
- Making his Breeders Crown debut.
- Wins this season include the $125,000 James M. Lynch consolation and a Pennsylvania All-Stars with Say Goodnight.
- Captured a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes championship in 2025 with Say Goodnight.
- Set a career high for wins with 164 in 2025 and had $2.61 million in purses, missing his career best by less than $122,000.
- Has won over 900 races and $14 million in purses since starting his stable in 2015.
Scott DiDomenico
- Has appeared in three previous Breeders Crown finals, with a best finish of second with 2-year-old filly pacer Handsoffmycookie in 2011.
- His horses have earned over $2 million nine times in 10 years, including 2026.
- Set career highs for wins with 305 and purses with $4.71 million in 2019.
- Had his third $4 million season in 2025 when his wins included the Courageous Lady (G3) with Sammy Jo Hanover. Ranked 11th in purses in North America.
- Got career victory 3,000 in June at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
- His horses have earned over $47.9 million in his career, 25th best since the inception of official stats in 1991.
Tony Dinges
- Making his Breeders Crown debut.
- Got a win in his first Breeders Crown start when 2-year-old colt pacer Blazin Lou won his elimination last week.
- Wins this season include divisions of the Bluegrass Stakes and International Stallion Stakes (both G3) with Blazin Lou.
- His horses have earned over $1 million for the third consecutive year, with a career-high $1.28 million so far in 2026.
- Has won over 500 races and $7 million in purses in his career.
Petter Engblom
- Making his Breeders Crown debut.
- Picked up an elimination win with 3-year-old filly pacer Hope Hill.
- Victories this season include the Glen Garnsey Memorial (G2) and a division of the Bluegrass Stakes (G3) with Hope Hill, a New York Sire Stakes championship with Fragment and a New Jersey Classic final with Custom.
- Has won over 100 races and $3 million in purses this year.
Robert Fellows
- Has appeared in 12 previous Breeders Crown finals, with a best finish of third with 3-year-old filly trotter Sturdy Lori in 2002.
- Has won more than 1,570 races and $21 million in purses lifetime.
- Turned over the daily stable operations to his son Kyle in 2023.
- Stable is No. 2 in purses this year in Canada with more than C$3.4 million. Also is second in wins in Canadian starts, with more than 125.
Roger Hammer
- Appearing in a Breeders Crown final for the first time since 2008.
- Has appeared in seven previous Breeders Crown finals, with best finishes of second with Vivid Photo in 2005 and 2006.
- Vivid Photo, with Hammer driving, won the 2005 Hambletonian en route to divisional Dan Patch Award honors. He received another divisional Dan Patch Award in 2007.
- Wins this season include a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes championship with Little Road.
- Has won over 2,600 races and $21 million in purses in his training career.
- As a driver, he has won more than 4,400 races and nearly $24 million in purses.
Andrew Harris1 BC trophy
- Got his first Breeders Crown in 2025 at Woodbine Mohawk Park with 3-year-old filly trotter Yo Tillie, who went on to capture divisional Dan Patch Award honors.
- Finished second with Seven Colors and third with El Rey in the 2024 Open Pace at The Meadowlands.
- This year, his top win so far came with Brandon Blvd in the Meadowlands Pace (G1), one of four graded stakes triumphs this season for the 3-year-old male pacer.
- Has won more than 1,300 races and $30 million in purses in his career.
- Set his career high for purses in 2025 with $4.07 million, good for 10th among all trainers in North America.
- Harris-trained Abuckabett Hanover was the 2024 Dan Patch Award winner for best older male pacer. Abuckabett Hanover was the first horse purchased by the partnership of Bill Pollock, Bruce Areman and Harris in October 2022. The group, now operating as Punisher 11 Stable, has built a sizeable stakes barn since then.
- Harris followed his father, Jack, and grandfather, Ron, into racing.
- Worked as an assistant to trainer Casie Coleman, a five-time Breeders Crown winner, before starting his own stable.
Michael Hitchcock
- Making his Breeders Crown debut.
- Top horses this season include Ohio Sires Stakes final runner-up Tempting Flames, with five wins and four second-place finishes in nine starts, and over $320,000 in purses to rank fifth among 2-year-old filly pacers.
- Got career win 2,000 in May at Eldorado Scioto Downs.
- Has already set a career high for purses this year with over $1.95 million, his fifth consecutive season with more than $1 million.
- His horses have earned over $12 million in purses in his career.
Pat Lachance
- Has appeared in eight previous Breeders Crown finals, most recently in 2016, with a best finish of second with 3-year-old filly pacer Worldly Beauty in 2002. Worldly Beauty was a two-time Dan Patch Award winner.
- His horses have earned over $1.8 million this season, his sixth consecutive year with more than $1 million in purses.
- For his career, he has more than 2,000 training wins and $44 million in purses.
- Has over 2,600 driving wins and $46 million in purses.
- Son of Hall of Fame driver Mike Lachance, who won 27 Breeders Crowns, which is tied for 5th in the history of the event.
Daniel Lagace
- Made his Breeders Crown debut in 2025 and is appearing in his first final this year.
- Wins this season include the Cane Pace (G2) and Jenna’s Beach Boy (G3) with Sweet Lovin Lou.
- Operates a small stable making fewer than 60 starts per year.
- Has won more than 250 races and nearly $4 million (USD) in his career.
- Known for his work developing young horses, including Dan Patch Award winners Allywag Hanover, Grace Hill (also the 2022 Breeders Crown Mare Pace winner) and Party Girl Hill.
Aaron Lambert
- Appeared in two previous Breeders Crown finals, both with filly pacer Agent Q, who finished second as a 2-year-old and fourth at age 3.
- Wins this season include a Breeders Crown elimination with Gentleman’s Club, who finished second in the Cane Pace (G2) and a narrowly beaten third in the Meadowlands Pace (G1), and the Big Apple Pace for 2-year-old filly pacers with Cowboy Candy.
- His horses have earned more than $1.15 million this year, giving him his third million-dollar season.
- Has won over 550 races and $10 million in purses in his career.
Anette Lorentzon
- Has made 12 previous starts in the finals with a best finish of third with 2-year-old filly trotter Adelaide Hall in 2006. Adelaide Hall was an elimination winner.
- Also won an elimination in the 2018 Open Trot with Guardian Angel AS, who was fourth in the final. Guardian Angel AS won the 2019 Maple Leaf Trot at Woodbine Mohawk Park and earned more than $1.5 million lifetime.
- Has a total of five top-five finishes in Breeders Crown finals.
- Stable has surpassed $2 million in purses for the eighth time in nine years.
- Wins this season include a Kentucky Sire Stakes championship and International Stallion Stakes (G3) with Whateverittakes AS and an Ohio Sires Stakes championship and Hambletonian elimination with Big Ranger, who finished second in the Hambletonian final (G1) by a nose to Apex.
- Set a career high in 2023 with $3 million in purses, ranking No. 18 among trainers in North America.
- Has won more than 1,900 races and $35 million in purses lifetime.
- Prior to starting her own stable, Lorentzon worked briefly for trainer Jimmy Takter and later for Trond Smedshammer when she arrived in the U.S. from Sweden. She trains now mainly for her family’s ACL Stuteri AB stable.
- Married to driver Tony Hall.
- Assisted by her sister, Anna.
Todd Luther1 BC trophy
- Won a Breeders Crown in 2025 at Woodbine Mohawk Park with Always B Naughty in the Mare Pace. Also finished third last year with 3-year-old filly pacer Skywalker Sea.
- Has appeared in six previous Breeders Crown finals.
- Stable has reached $2 million in purses for the fifth time in the past six years. He missed by less than $16,000 in 2024.
- Set his career high for purses in 2022, with $2.58 million.
- Has won more than 950 races and $15 million in purses in his career.
- Trains for his brother, Greg, a real estate coach and marketer who in 2020 launched his “million-dollar experiment” of seeking and buying stakes-caliber racehorses and yearlings for his stable.
Roland “Polie” Mallar
- Made his Breeders Crown debut in 2025 at Woodbine Mohawk Park with Ken Hanover in the Open Pace, finishing third in the final.
- Wins this season include the Jim Ewart Memorial (G2) at Scioto Downs, Hoosier Park Pacing Derby (G2) and Joseph Auger Memorial (G3) with Ken Hanover.
- Stable generally makes fewer than 70 starts per year. Set a career best with $741,184 in purses in 2025.
- Has won over 500 races and nearly $8 million in purses lifetime.
- Grew up in Maine, where his grandfather, also Roland, had a stable, which led to him owning horses and racing at the fairs while still in high school.
Gregg McNair
- Seeking his first Breeders Crown trophy. Finished second with 3-year-old male pacer George Scooter in 2000. Was third with 2-year-old female pacer Prescient Beauty in 2018.
- Captured his 8th Johnston Cup as the top trainer in the Ontario Sires Stakes in 2026.
- Already set his career high in purses this year with over C$3.7 million, the second time he has surpassed C$3 million in a season, and leads all trainers in Canadian earnings.
- Stable has exceeded $1 million in purses for 31 consecutive years.
- Has won more than 3,300 races and $58 million (USD) in purses lifetime. Ranks 17th in purses since the inception of official trainer statistics in 1991.
- Worked for Canadian Hall of Fame horseman William “Bud” Fritz before venturing out on his own.
Marcus Melander7 BC trophies
- Won two Breeders Crowns in 2025 at Woodbine Mohawk Park with 3-year-old male trotter Meshuggah and 2-year-old male trotter Spencer Hanover.
- Captured three Breeders Crown trophies with Gimpanzee – in 2018, 2019, and 2020. Gimpanzee joined Mack Lobell as the only male trotters to win finals at ages 2, 3, and 4.
- Gimpanzee, the 2020 Dan Patch Award Trotter of the Year and a divisional Dan Patch honoree in 2018, was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 2024.
- This year, he became only the fourth trainer in history to reach $10 million in seasonal purses. Melander joined Ron Burke (18 times), Jimmy Takter (3) and Mickey Burke (1). He is second to Ron Burke in purses in 2025.
- Has accumulated more than $10.4 million in purses in 2026 to go with a career-high win total of more than 155.
- Nearly reached $10 million in 2025 when he finished with $9.96 million in purses to finish second behind Ron Burke.
- Top wins so far this year include 10 Grade 1 stakes: the $1 million Hambletonian with Apex, Hambletonian Oaks with Nezuko Kamado S, Kentucky Futurity and Canadian Trotting Classic with Nix Nacken, $1 million MGM Yonkers International Trot, Maple Leaf Trot and John Cashman Memorial with Super Chapter, Elegantimage with Nuance, Peaceful Way with Athena’s Girl, and Jim Doherty Memorial with Birr Castle.
- Became the fourth trainer in history to win the Hambletonian and Hambletonian Oaks in the same year, joining Jan Johnson, Jimmy Takter and Jim Campbell.
- Approaching 900 career wins and $55 million in purses. This year, he moved into the Top 20 in purses since the inception of official trainer stats in 1991.
- Voted 2019 Trainer of the Year by the U.S. Harness Writers Association, becoming at age 27 the youngest trainer to ever receive the award.
- Received the 2018 Rising Star Award from the U.S. Harness Writers Association.
- Younger brother Mattias assists with training and drives occasionally.
- Nephew of Stefan Melander, who trained and drove Scarlet Knight to victory in the 2001 Hambletonian.
- Worked in Sweden for his uncle. After moving to the U.S., he worked for Jimmy Takter, who is the winningest trainer in Breeders Crown history.
David Menary1 BC trophy
- Won his first Breeders Crown in 2025 at Woodbine Mohawk Park with Ervin Hanover in the Open Pace.
- Victories this season include the Dave Brower Memorial (G3) with Ervin Hanover in 1:46.3.
- His horses earned a career-best C$3.56 million in 2025, and he has topped C$3 million again this year.
- Finished second in purses in Canadian starts with C$3.1 million in 2025 and is among the top four again this season.
- Has won nearly 1,200 races and $27 million (USD) in purses in his career.
- His father was a truck operator and part-time trainer in the 1970s.
- At the age of 13, dipped into his savings and bought a horse with his dad, which fueled his passion for harness racing.
- Went to college for business and administration but turned to racing after a year.
Erv Miller6 BC trophies
- Won his most recent Breeders Crown in 2024 at the Meadowlands with older male pacer Coach Stefanos.
- Got his first trophy in 2004 with 2-year-old pacing filly Restive Hanover, who was driven by his brother, Andy.
- Won a trophy in 2016 with 2-year-old pacing filly Someomensomewhere, who was driven by his son, Marcus. He is the only trainer in history to win a Breeders Crown with both a brother and a son.
- Stable has ranked among the Top 10 in purses for 21 of the last 22 years and ranks seventh in 2026 with nearly $5 million. Has surpassed $5 million each of the past four years.
- Has $121 million in career purses to rank No. 3 among trainers since the inception of official trainer stats in 1991.
- Won more than 7,200 races lifetime, also ranking No. 3 in history.
- His son Marcus was the 2016 Rising Star Award winner and has won over 5,200 races.
- His daughter Hannah was the Amateur Driver of the Year in 2015 and 2016.
- Miller grew up in an Amish community and was used to being around horses but was unfamiliar with harness racing. He saw his first race at a county fair and was hooked when he won his first matinee race at the age of 16.
Ian Moore2 BC trophies
- Won a Breeders Crown in 2025 at Woodbine Mohawk Park with 2-year-old colt pacer Beau Jangles, who went on to be named the O’Brien and Dan Patch Horse of the Year.
- Captured his previous trophy with Century Farroh in the 2020 Open Pace.
- Twice finished second in finals with male pacer Shadow Play, in 2008 and 2009. Shadow Play, winner of the 2008 Little Brown Jug, was elected to the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2022.
- Has totaled nine top-three finishes in 17 Breeders Crown finals.
- Wins this year include the Charles Juravinski Memorial Cup (G2), Allerage Open Pace (G3), and Pacey Mindlin Memorial (G3) – all with Prince Hal Hanover. Also won the Dream Maker (G3) and Pennsylvania Sire Stakes championship with Shalom Hanover.
- Already set a career high for purses this year with C$3.86 million, his third C$3 million season in four years.
- Ranks fifth in purses among trainers in Canadian starts in 2026.
- For his career, Moore has won more than 800 races and $27 million (USD) in purses while averaging a stable size of only 10 to 15 horses.
- Was Canada’s Trainer of the Year in 2023 and received the O’Brien Award of Horsemanship in 2015 and 2022.
- Inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2024.
- Past stars also include 2015 Canadian Horse of the Year State Treasurer.
- Came to Canada from England at the age of 4.
- Parents had no involvement in racing. Was introduced to the sport while in school on Prince Edward Island by a janitor who had a stable of horses.
Virgil Morgan Jr.2 BC trophies
- Won his most recent Breeders Crown with Grace Hill in the 2022 Mare Pace.
- Got his first Crown in the 2008 Open Pace with Mister Big, who received the second of his two divisional Dan Patch Award honors that year.
- Wins this season include a division of the Sam McKee Memorial (G2) with Women Layer and an Ohio Breeders Championship with Night Surfer.
- His horses have earned more than $5 million in purses for three consecutive years, including 2026, and ranked among the Top 10 each of those seasons.
- Has won more than 8,100 races and $86 million in purses in his career.
- Ranks No. 2 in wins and No. 6 in purses since the start of official trainer stats in 1991.
- Led the sport in wins in 2000 and 2002 and finished second on five occasions.
- Inducted into the Ohio Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 2021.
- Was introduced to the sport by his father, known as “Big Virg,” who was a truck driver and enjoyed spending time with “Little Virg” at the races.
- At age 18, Morgan bought his first horse for $800 and sold it three months later for a profit. When he eventually opened his own stable, Big Virg was one of his owners.
Jim Oscarsson
- Has appeared in four previous Breeders Crown finals, with a best finish of second with 2-year-old trotting colt Nuncio in 2013. Finished third in 2024 with 2-year-old trotting filly Sound Judgement at the Meadowlands.
- Wins this season include the Continentalvictory with Southwind Chaska.
- This is Oscarsson’s second stint in the U.S. He spent two years (2012-13) in the States before going back to Sweden because his two teenage children were anxious to return home. He came back to the U.S. in the fall of 2023.
- Won the 2012 Peter Haughton Memorial with Aperfectyankee.
- Trained Nuncio as a 2-year-old. The trotter went on to win more than $3.6 million in the U.S. and Europe.
- In Sweden, trained a stable of 30 to 40 horses, which is now run by his son Kevin.
- Has totaled 47 wins and $2 million in purses overall in the U.S.
Brett Pelling13 BC trophies
- Tied with Chuck Sylvester for fourth among all trainers in history in Breeders Crown wins.
- Won three Breeders Crowns with Dan Patch Horse of the Year honorees: 3-year-old pacing colt Confederate (2023), 3-year-old pacing filly Test Of Faith (2021) and 3-year-old pacing colt Rocknroll Hanover (2005).
- Won the 2019 Mare Pace with Caviart Ally, whose victory came upon Pelling’s return to the Breeders Crown stage after an absence of 14 years. Pelling, a New Zealand native, left the U.S. for Australia in 2006 before deciding to come back in 2017.
- Victories this season include Pennsylvania and Kentucky sire stakes championships with 3-year-old filly pacer Miss Jum Jabber, who is owned by Pelling and was supplemented to the Breeders Crown for $72,000.
- Has won more than 2,200 races and $77 million in purses in his career.
- Ranks No. 8 in purses since the inception of official trainer statistics in 1991.
Carter Pinske
- Has three on-the-board finishes in five Breeders Crown finals, finishing second with 3-year-old male trotter Double Deceiver in 2022 and third with male trotter Go Dog Go at ages 2 and 3 in 2024 and 2025.
- Already set career highs for wins with more than 70 and purses with more than $1.9 million this season. Topped $1 million in purses for the fourth consecutive year.
- Has won more than 225 races and $8 million in purses in his career.
- Graduated from college and worked as an assistant to Richard “Nifty” Norman.
- In 2019, he got his first training win with then 2-year-old Amigo Volo in a division of the Bluegrass Stakes. Amigo Volo, co-owned by the Pinske family, won Breeders Crown trophies in 2019 and 2020 for Nifty Norman’s stable.
- Won the 2023 Kentucky Filly Futurity with Mommamia Volo.
- The Pinske family has been involved in harness racing since the mid-1950s when Carter’s great-grandfather Robert began competing at the Minnesota county fairs. Pinske Stables is now led by Carter’s father, Karl, and Karl’s mother, Marlys.
- Pinske Stables was the 2020 Dan Patch Award Owner of the Year.
Chris Ryder9 BC trophies
- Got his ninth Breeders Crown in 2025 at Woodbine Mohawk Park when 3-year-old filly pacer Miki And Minnie finished in a dead-heat win with The Last Martini. It was only the second dead heat for win in Breeders Crown history.
- Won two Breeders Crown trophies in 2024 at the Meadowlands, with pacing mare Twin B Joe Fresh and 2-year-old pacing filly Miki And Minnie.
- Twin B Joe Fresh was named the 2024 Dan Patch Award Horse of the Year. Miki And Minnie received the Dan Patch Award for freshman pacing fillies.
- Other Breeders Crown winners include Dan Patch Award divisional champions Niki Hill, Mystical Sunshine, Put On A Show, and I Luv The Nitelife.
- Wins this season include the Dayton Distaff Derby (G1) and Dorothy Haughton Memorial (G2) with Twin B Joe Fresh. Also captured graded stakes with Miki And Minnie.
- Got the 2,000th win of his career in June at Harrah’s Philadelphia with a horse driven by his son Patrick.
- His horses have earned $63 million in purses in his career, which ranks 13th since the inception of official trainer stats in 1991.
- Inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 2025.
- Grew up in New Zealand, where his father was a successful trainer and horse agent, and began riding ponies at the age of 10.
- Spent some time as a jockey, but his primary occupation early on was as a beautician while working with horses on the side.
- Came to the U.S. when his wife, Nicola, got a job in the New York area. Ryder worked several odd jobs before turning to training on a full-time basis.
Trond Smedshammer9 BC trophies
- Tied for 9th among trainers for the most Breeders Crown trophies in history.
- Most recent triumph came in 2019 with 3-year-old filly trotter Winndevie.
- His champs include trotter Arch Madness, a two-time O’Brien Award winner, as well as divisional Dan Patch Award winners Stroke Play, Housethatruthbuilt, Blur, and Sand Vic.
- Top victories this year include the Dr. John R. Steele Memorial (G2) with Walspea at the Meadowlands on Hambletonian Day. She finished second in the Miss Versatility Series final (G3) at the Delaware County Fair on Little Brown Jug Day.
- Has won more than 1,400 races and $54 million in purses as a trainer.
- Ranks No. 19 in purses since the start of official trainer stats in 1991.
- Has won more than 800 races as a driver and $24 million in purses lifetime.
- Trained and drove 2004 Trotting Triple Crown winner Windsong’s Legacy and was named Trainer of the Year.
- Arrived in the U.S. in 1987 after a mandatory year in the Norwegian Army. Worked for trainer Per Henriksen for six months before heading back home, where he continued to train horses. A year later, he returned to the States and worked at Lindy Farms.
- Started his own stable in 1992.
Annie Stoebe
- Appeared in five previous Breeders Crown finals, with two second-place finishes and a third to her credit.
- Got both second-place finishes in 2025, with 2-year-old colt trotter Diabolic Hill and Elista Hanover in the Mare Trot. Elista Hanover also finished third in 2024 in the final for 3-year-old filly trotters.
- Diabolic Hill was an elimination winner in 2025, and also this year.
- Enjoyed her first million-dollar season for purses in 2025 with $1.15 million.
- Won two Grade 1 stakes last year, the Hambletonian Maturity with Elista Hanover and the Valley Victory with Diabolic Hill.
- Started her stable in 2021 and has won over 70 races and nearly $3 million in purses.
- Got started in harness racing by working for trainer Brett Bittle, a Breeders Crown winner in 1994 with 2-year-old filly pacer Yankee Cashmere.
- Grew up on a farm in Montana and was active as a barrel racer.
- Got a rodeo scholarship to a college in Texas.
Åke Svanstedt12 BC trophies
- Elected to the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in August and will be inducted in July 2027.
- Has won all 12 of his Breeders Crown trophies in the past five years. His 12 Crowns are tied for sixth, with Nancy Takter, among all trainers in the event’s history.
- Won four Breeders Crowns in 2023, the second-best single-year total in history. Jimmy Takter set the record of six in 2015.
- Got his 12th Breeders Crown in 2025 at Woodbine Mohawk Park with Warrawee Michelle in the Mare Trot. Warrawee Michelle was a divisional Dan Patch Award recipient.
- His other Breeders Crown winners include Dan Patch Award winners Bond, Jiggy Jog S, Special Way, and Ecurie D DK.
- Has been the driver of eight of his 12 Breeders Crown winners as a trainer.
- This year, his top wins so far include the Grade 1 Dayton Oaks Derby with Warrawee Michelle, Dexter Cup (G3) with Magic Punk, and sire stakes championships with Jimdougie Armitage (Pennsylvania) and Kountry Plunge (New York).
- A three-time winner of the $1 million Hambletonian (G1), including the 100th edition in 2025 with Nordic Catcher S. He drove all three winners.
- Has won $72 million in purses and nearly more than 1,400 races as a trainer since starting his U.S. stable in 2014.
- Ranks No. 10 in purses since the inception of official trainer records in 1991.
- Set a career high with $9.85 million in purses in 2023, finishing second to perennial category leader Ron Burke. Also set a career high with 162 wins.
- Topped $5 million in purses for seven consecutive years, including 2026.
- Has won more than 800 races and $41 million in purses as a driver in North America.
- Was Sweden’s Trainer of the Year five times and Driver of the Year on three occasions.
- Inducted into Sweden’s Hall of Fame in 2017.
Nancy Takter12 BC trophies
- Won her 12th Breeders Crown in 2025 at Woodbine Mohawk Park with French Wine in the Open Trot.
- Tied with Åke Svanstedt for sixth most Breeders Crown trophies for a trainer in history.
- Captured two Breeders Crowns in 2023, with 2-year-old male trotter Karl and 3-year-old male trotter Tactical Approach. Both horses were Dan Patch Award winners, with Tactical Approach being named Trotter of the Year.
- Other Breeders Crown champs include Dan Patch Award winners Treacherous Dragon, Kissin In The Sand, Manchego, Tall Dark Stranger, and JK She’salady.
- Manchego, in 2020, became the third female trotter in history to win at least three Crowns. She was inducted into the Hall of Fame in July.
- JK She’salady was the 2014 Dan Patch Award Horse of the Year. In 2020, Tall Dark Stranger became Takter’s second Horse of the Year.
- Top wins so far this year include the Kentucky Filly Futurity (G1) with She’s Moni, with stablemate Madam Cheval finishing second, and the Graduate Series final (G2) with Captain Optimistic. Finished second in the Peter Haughton Memorial (G1) with Presidente and in the Maple Leaf Trot (G1) with French Wine.
- Has won more than 950 races and $49 million in purses lifetime.
- Ranks No. 24 in purses since the start of official trainer statistics in 1991.
- Is a two-time winner of the Hambletonian, with Karl in 2024 and Tactical Approach in 2023. She became the first trainer to win the race in consecutive years since her father, Jimmy, in 2014 and 2015.
- Worked for her father Jimmy, who won a record 34 Breeders Crown trophies in his Hall of Fame career, before starting her own stable in 2013.
- Was the U.S. Harness Writers Association’s 2014 Rising Star Award winner and Dan Patch Award Trainer of the Year in 2020.
Shane Tritton
- Making his Breeders Crown debut.
- Won a number of Group 1 races Down Under, including an Australasian Breeders Crown with Marty Monkhouser, driven by his wife, Lauren, in 2014.
- Captured the New South Wales Metropolitan Trainers Premiership multiple times.
- Moved to the U.S. in 2020. His horses have won over 400 races and earned nearly $7 million in purses since then.
- Has had three million-dollar seasons, with a career-high $1.29 million in 2024.
- Top win in North America so far was the 2023 Battle of Lake Erie with Lochinvar Art A, driven by Lauren.
- Son of trainer Peter Tritton, who has won nearly 900 races in North America.
Stacey Van Huizen
- Making her Breeders Crown debut.
- Wins this season include the $100,000 Tom Aldrich Memorial with Jurassic Hattie.
- Jurassic Hattie was named Ohio’s top older female trotter in 2025 when her victories included an Ohio Sires Stakes championship at Scioto Downs.
- Her stable has won over 230 races and $3.1 million in purses lifetime.
- Husband Brett Miller is a three-time Breeders Crown winner.
Lucas Wallin1 BC trophy
- Won his Breeders Crown in 2021 with 2-year-old male trotter Rebuff.
- Had three finalists in 2024, with a best finish of second with 2-year-old trotting colt Maximus Mearas S.
- Stable has hit the board in five of eight Breeders Crown finals in his career.
- Wins this season include the Yonkers Trot and Earl Beal Jr. Memorial (both G2) and a Kentucky Sire Stakes championship with Inexpressable and the Kentuckiana Stallion Management Stakes (G2) with Climatic Hanover.
- Victories in 2025 included the Kentucky Filly Futurity (G1) with Delaney Hanover.
- His horses have earned over $1.3 million in purses this season, the fifth time in the past six years he has surpassed $1 million. He missed by less than $13,000 in 2025.
- Has won more than 300 races and $10 million in purses in his career.
- Received the 2022 Rising Star Award from the U.S. Harness Writers Association.
- Started driving ponies in Sweden at the age of 8. Several years later, he began helping at his uncle Joakim Wallin’s stable.
- In mid-2014, he was alerted to an opportunity to work for Åke Svanstedt’s U.S.-based stable. He spent two years with Svanstedt before deciding to go on his own.
Roger Welch
- Appearing in his second Breeders Crown final. His previous appearance was in 1993 with Royal Jewel, who finished fourth in the Mare Trot.
- Wins this season include an Indiana Sire Stakes championship with filly pacer Whoomp, who also captured the title in 2025 as a 2-year-old.
- His horses have earned $1 million this season, his second consecutive million-dollar campaign and the 11th of his career.
- Has won nearly 1,600 races and $24 million in purses lifetime.
Melanie Wrenn
- Appeared in three previous Breeders Crown finals, with a best finish of fifth twice.
- Wins this season include the North America Cup (G1) with Odds On Mr Mamba.
- Her horses earned more than $1 million each of the past seven years.
- For her career, Wrenn has more than 700 wins and $13 million in purses.
- Followed her father, Bill Deters, into the sport. Her brother, Mike Deters, is also a successful trainer.
- Her husband, Peter, is a two-time Breeders Crown winner as a driver.
Pick a final above to meet the finalists.
