Breeders Crown glory awaits North America's biggest stars

The stage is set for one of the biggest weekends in North American harness racing, with the eliminations completed, the draws finalised and twelve Grade 1 Breeders Crown championships to be decided at Scioto Downs in Ohio on Friday and Saturday (October 23–24).

After two nights of fiercely contested eliminations, the focus now turns to the finals, where established champions, emerging superstars and several record-breaking youngsters will chase their share of approximately $8 million in prizemoney.

Friday night belongs to the two-year-olds, with four $700,000 championships featuring some of the most exciting young horses in North America.

Among the headline acts are unbeaten pacing sensation Shalom Hanover (Papi Rob Hanover) and world-record trotter Wrong Sounds Right (Tactical Landing).

Shalom Hanover entered the championship series unbeaten in seven starts, having already defeated fellow speedster Starstruck Dreamer (Captaintreacherous) in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes final.

Wrong Sounds Right, meanwhile, shares the world record for two-year-old male trotters at 1:51.1 with Lifetime Dreamer, setting up another fascinating confrontation between two of the season’s outstanding youngsters.

Saturday’s eight championship finals bring together some of the biggest names in the sport, with the $600,000 Open Trot shaping as one of the highlights.

Super Chapter (Chapter Seven), the No. 1-ranked horse in North America, faces a significant challenge after drawing barrier eight.

The Marcus Melander-trained four-year-old has won seven of his nine starts this season, amassed $1.19 million in earnings and arrives chasing a sixth consecutive victory.

Dexter Dunn retains the drive, but the champion will have to overcome a difficult draw against some formidable opposition.

Elimination winner Emoticon Legacy (Walner) has drawn ideally in barrier four after winning his qualifier in 1:51.4, while defending champion French Wine has secured the coveted inside draw.

The $662,000 Open Pace promises an equally compelling contest.

Elimination winners Women Layer (Sweet Lou) and Dandy Ideal (American Ideal) both stopped the clock in 1:48.4 and have drawn barriers one and three respectively.

Defending champion Ervin Hanover faces a much tougher assignment from barrier nine.

The three-year-old trotting championship brings together Hambletonian winner Apex (Walner), Kentucky Futurity winner Nix Nacken (Muscle Hill) and impressive elimination winners Big Ranger (In Range) and Diabolic Hill (Muscle Hill).

Big Ranger and Diabolic Hill have drawn barriers two and three respectively, while Apex starts from six and Nix Nacken from five in the $664,500 final.

Another outstanding contest awaits in the three-year-old pacing championship, where elimination winners Gentleman’s Club (Downbytheseaside) and Melillo (Sweet Lou) have drawn the inside two barriers.

Meadowlands Pace champion Brandon Blvd (Downbytheseaside), currently ranked second in the sport behind Super Chapter, will start from barrier four with Dexter Dunn driving.

The weekend also features the remaining championships for three-year-old fillies and older mares, ensuring a remarkable concentration of elite harness racing talent across the two nights.

For Dunn, who has enjoyed another outstanding North American season, the opportunity to add further Breeders Crown titles comes with several leading chances, including Super Chapter, Apex and Brandon Blvd.

With the eliminations behind them, there are no second chances. Favourable draws, tactical decisions and fractions of a second could determine who takes home the sport’s most coveted championship trophies.

Racing begins at 6pm Eastern Time on both nights, with Friday’s action televised on FOX Sports 1 and Saturday’s championships on FOX Sports 2.

For Saturday’s complete entries, click here.

by Bevan Greig for Harnesslink