Breeders Crown caps two brilliant nights of racing at Woodbine Mohawk Park
There wasn’t a single dull moment in the eight Grade 1 Breeders Crown finals on Saturday night in Ontario.
by Dave Briggs
The second of two brilliant nights of Breeders Crown racing at Woodbine Mohawk Park had something for everyone — tremendous slugfests, records galore, stunning upsets, first time victories, and dominant performances by harness racing legends. The weekend was so good, it even produced 13 of a possible 12 winners when Miki And Minnie and The Last Martini dead-heated for the win in the sophomore pacing fillies’ final. It was just the second dead heat for win in the 41-year history of the Crown.
The 12-race, $7.26 million Grade 1 extravaganza was all capped off Saturday night (Oct. 25) by a race that had most of the above when Ervin Hanover posted a scintillating 1:46.2 track, stakes, and Canadian record in the $600,000 Open Pace on a cold Campbellville night to give Ontario trainer Dave Menary and Pennsylvania owner Pollack Racing each their first Crown triumphs and breeder Hanover Shoe Farms its series-leading 32nd (and third of the weekend). Ervin Hanover’s mile was the fourth stakes record of the night and sixth of a wowza of a weekend.
The weekend also served as something of a coming-out-of-Yonkers party for veteran driver Jason Bartlett, who won his first Crown on Friday with Spencer Hanover in the 2-year-old trotting colts’ division, added a second on Saturday with French Wine in the open trot, and was a huge factor in many others as he extended his North American lead in the drivers’ earnings rankings ($13.6 million and counting).
On a weekend when the continent’s top drivers shared the wealth, Bartlett was one of only two reinsmen to win more than one Crown. Ervin Hanover’s pilot Dexter Dunn was the other. Dunn also drove Miki And Minnie to a shared win with The Last Martini’s driver, local Doug McNair in an unplanned show of cross-border unity.
You knew we were set for a special night when Warrawee Michelle surged late to post a 1:50.2 victory in the Open Mares Trot that gave her trainer/driver and co-owner Ake Svanstedt his third straight Crown in this division. It was also the second Crown for Warrawee Michelle, who won the 2-year-old trotting filly title in 2023. Her mile on Saturday was, at the time, the fastest trotting mile in Breeders Crown history, breaking the 1:50.3 mark King Of The North set at Mohawk in the sophomore trotting colts’ final in 2022.
In the very next race, Always B Naughty set a stakes record of her own when Ohio-based driver Austin Hanners piloted her to a 1:48.1 win in the Open Mare Pace. More important than that, it was the first Crown victory for all involved — Hanners, trainer Todd Luther and his brother, owner Greg Luther, who has poured millions into the game in recent years.
That was fitting because in the very next race, another group that has invested millions over the last few years also celebrated their first Breeders Crown triumph when Yo Tillie put an exclamation mark on a fantastic season by winning the 3-year-old trotting fillies’ final for the ownership trio of Bill Pollock, Bruce Areman, and trainer Andrew Harris.
Then came the dead heat with The Last Martini (68-1) and Miki And Minnie (1-5) unable to be separated at the wire in 1:49.2 to give The Last Martini’s trainer Jared Bako and owner Glenview Livestock of Ontario each their first Crown victories. It was the third career Crown for McNair, the second for Miki And Minnie, the ninth for her Hall of Fame trainer Chris Ryder, and the 22nd for Dunn, who later added a 23rd with Ervin Hanover.
The only other dead heat for win in Crown history was when Perfect Sting and Summa Cum Laude tied in 2020.
In the next race it was back to record-breaking performances when Meshuggah and driver Scott Zeron stunned stablemate Super Chapter at odds of 62-1 in the sophomore trotting colts’ final and set a 1:50.1 stakes record to boot. Both trotters are trained by Marcus Melander, who joined Ron Burke as the only trainer to post a Breeders Crown double on the weekend. Melander also trains Spencer Hanover, giving the trainer, as well as breeder Hanover Shoe Farms, a sweep of the 2- and 3-year-old male trotting Crowns.
It was also Zeron that orchestrated the biggest upset in Breeders Crown history, a 203-1 score with Sandbetweenmytoes in the 2020 event at Harrah’s Hoosier Park.
As for Meshuggah’s 1:50.1 mile, it bettered Warrawee Michelle’s mile to become the fastest trotting mile in Crown history. That mile was equaled in the very next race when Bartlett guided French Wine to victory to give trainer Nancy Takter back-to-back Crowns in the open trot division.
In the next race, Burke scored his second Crown of the weekend to go with the dominant victory by his 2-year-old pacing filly Loua Dipa on Friday night, but the victory in the 3-year-old pacing colts’ final wasn’t with his favorite Louprint, but, rather, Sippinonsearoc, who posted a 1:47.3 win with Yannick Gingras at the reins. It was the 24th Crown triumph for Burke as a trainer, his 19th as an owner, to go with the 18th by Weaver Bruscemi and the first for both R A S Racing and Knox Services.
Then, former Burke trainee Ervin Hanover ended the 2025 Breeders Crown in style by blowing up the Mohawk teletimer.
It was a perfect ending to a near-perfect weekend that also included 2-year-old pacing colt Beau Jangles remaining, well, perfect through 12 career starts.
Proving this year’s event will be a tough act for first-time host Scioto Downs to follow next year when the Crown moves to Ohio.
2025 BREEDERS CROWN WINNERS
WINNING BREEDERS:
Alan and Larry Troyer — Lagrange, IN (Storybook Love – 2YOFT) — first Crown victory
Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi (Loua Dipa — 2YOFP) — fourth Crown
Hanover Shoe Farms (Spencer Hanvoer – 2YOCT) — 30 champions, 34 trophies
Tara Hills Stud (Beau Jangles – 2YOCP) — second
Warrawee Farm (Warrawee Michelle — Open Mares Trot) – fourth
Steve Stewart (8), Conquest Acres (1), Oakwood Farms (2) (Always B Naughty – Open Mares Pace)
Gbw Breeding (1), Black Creek Farm (2) (Yo Tillie – 3YOFT)
Crawford Farms (3) (The Last Martini – 3YOFP DH)
Craig Henderson (2), Robert Mondillo (2), Lawrence Minowitz (2) (Miki And Minnie – 3YOFP DH)
Hanover Shoe Farms (Meshuggah – 3YOCT) — 31 champions, 35 trophies
Marvin Katz (6) and Al Libfeld (8) (French Wine – Open Trot)
Trent Stohler Stable (1), Alesha Binkley (1) (Sippinonsearoc – 3YOCP)
Hanover Shoe Farms (Ervin Hanover – Open Pace) — 32 champions, 26 trophies
WINNING OWNERS:
Al Libfeld (11th career Crown) and Brad Grant (6) (Storybook Love – 2YOFT)
Burke Racing Stable (18), Weaver Bruscemi (17) (Loua Dipa — 2YOFP)
Jeffrey Snyder (4) and Arthur Pronti (1) (Spencer Hanvoer – 2YOCT)
Graham Grace Stables (2), Kiwi Stables (1) and Bolton Stables (1) Beau Jangles – 2YOCP)
Ake Svanstedt (2), Santandrea Inc. (2), Young Guns (2) (Warrawee Michelle — Open Mares Trot)
Greg Luther (1) (Always B Naughty – Open Mares Pace)
Bill Pollock (1), Bruce Areman (1) and Andrew Harris (1) (Yo Tillie – 3YOFT)
Glenview Livestock (1) (The Last Martini – 3YOFP DH)
Craig Henderson (3), Robert Mondillo (2), Lawrence Minowitz (2) (Miki And Minnie – 3YOFP DH)
Courant (5) (Meshuggah – 3YOCT)
Daniel and Jean-Christophe Plouffe (1), One Legend Stable (1) (French Wine – Open Trot)
Burke Racing (19), Weaver Bruscemi (18), R A S Racing (1), Knox Services (1) (Sippinonsearoc – 3YOCP)
Pollack Racing (1) (Ervin Hanover – Open Pace)
WINNING TRAINERS
Matt Bax (first career Crown) (Storybook Love – 2YOFT)
Ron Burke (23) (Loua Dipa — 2YOFP)
Marcus Melander (6) (Spencer Hanvoer – 2YOCT)
Dr. Ian Moore (2) (Beau Jangles – 2YOCP)
Ake Svanstedt (12) (Warrawee Michelle — Open Mares Trot)
Todd Luther (1) (Always B Naughty – Open Mares Pace)
Andrew Harris (1) (Yo Tillie – 3YOFT)
Jared Bako (1) (The Last Martini – 3YOFP DH)
Chris Ryder (9) (Miki And Minnie – 3YOFP DH)
Marcus Melander (7) (Meshuggah – 2YOCT)
Nancy Takter (12) (French Wine – Open Trot)
Ron Burke (24) (Sippinonsearoc – 3YOCP)
Dave Menary (1) (Ervin Hanover – Open Pace)
WINNING DRIVERS
Todd Ratchford (first career Crown) (Storybook Love – 2YOFT)
Ronnie Wrenn, Jr. (2) (Loua Dipa — 2YOFP)
Jason Bartlett (1) (Spencer Hanvoer – 2YOCT)
Bob McClure (4) (Beau Jangles – 2YOCP)
Ake Svanstedt (8) (Warrawee Michelle — Open Mares Trot)
Austin Hanners (1) (Always B Naughty – Open Mares Pace)
Todd McCarty (2) (Yo Tillie – 3YOFT)
Doug McNair (3) (The Last Martini – 3YOFP DH)
Dexter Dunn (22) (Miki And Minnie – 3YOFP DH)
Scott Zeron (9) (Meshuggah – 3YOCT)
Jason Bartlett (2) (French Wine – Open Trot)
Yanick Gingras (27) (Sippinonsearoc – 3YOCP)
Dexter Dunn (23) (Ervin Hanover – Open Pace)
