Some top Breeders Crown takeaways

by Bob Heyden

What a great Breeders Crown weekend at Scioto Downs. There were trainer breakthroughs, supplemental entry champs, plus winning horses with first-time drivers. Here’s a look at a baker’s dozen of takeaways from this year’s Crown.

1. Twin B Joe Fresh won over an extremely tough Francent N. With that victory, she’s now at $3,513,920 career and less than 230G from all-time pacing mare queen Eternal Camnation who retired 22 years ago and who did race until age 7. Nov. 14 in New Jersey is next on her schedule and then we don’t know. She just became the only pacer ever to win a Breeders Crown after being named HOY (2024).

2. Todd McCarthy doubling his fun with a pair of Crowns taking both the 2- and 3-year-old male trots. He had just a pair of Crowns going into this year’s action.

3. New Jersey had more final entrants than any other jurisdiction in the ownership department, and an astounding eight of the 12 winners showed ownership in the Garden State including both freshman trotting homebreds.

4. Muscle Hill went 1-2 in the 3YOCT with Diabolical Hill edging Nix Nacken. He added to his all-time best trotting sires total with his 17th winner and 19th runner-up. He’s closing in on $10 million.

5. Diabolical Hill crossed the wire in the Crown in the 3YOCT in the series 500th event. A trotter also won the first Crown event too, when Workaholic got the ball rolling on Oct. 5, 1984.

6. Dexter Dunn had his eighth-straight multiple Crown season with five more this year. He improved to 28 for 89 good for fifth all-time behind John Campbell with 48, Brian Sears with 35, and Ron Pierce and David Miller each with 30. He is very likely to have secured his third HOY title also as Brandon Blvd answered any and all questions with a convincing score and surged past $1.5 million for the season.

7. Scott Zeron lowered his $67.40 average Breeders Crown win price from nine wins in the series entering 2026. He won on night one with Birr Castle (7-2) and then as the favorite on Saturday night Nezuko Kamado S in the Sophomore Filly Trot Saturday.

8. Sweet Lou and Chapter Seven both recorded their 10th Crown credit, while Marcus Melander had a three bagger to also join in with a total of 10 Crowns as did Chris Ryder after his win with Twin B Joe Fresh.

9. Some streaks came to an end in the Crown in 2026: Ake Svanstedt previously had a winner in five straight seasons; Always B Miki won in each of his first six crops and oddly didn’t have a starter; Hanover Shoe Farms had an astounding 10 wins the last four seasons but none this year; and for the first time in 21 seasons there were no Bettors Delights. History’s all time siring king did not participate and winds up (for now) 87 8-13-11 with $5,182,152 good for fourth all time behind Somebeachsomewhere, Western Hanover, and Artsplace.

10. Tactical Landing and Downbytheseaside each wound up with two siring credits. That’s five, if you are counting at home, for Downbytheseaside in his brief career and Tactical Landing is now at seven. No sire has ever had seven Crown credits faster than him, with Wrong Sounds Right on night one and Tactical Moni on Saturday. With five total entrants in 2026 he is now a fabulous seven-for-19 in the Breeders Crown.

11. Brett Pelling just won two Breeders Crowns including the 3YOFP from post 8 with the winningest (13-for-18) filly in the field Miss Jum Jabbers. The other was a male pacer, Dandy Ideal, who he didn’t train at first (Hunter Oakes). In 1996 Pelling broke through at Yonkers with his first two Breeders Crowns. A male pacer that Tommy Haughton initially trained named Armbro Operative and 3-year-old filly pacer Mystical Maddy. She was the winningest filly in the field (19-for-21 divisional champion) and she too won from post 8.

12. A trotter named On To Norway paid $28.40 as the highest priced Crown winner over two days. This marks the first time in 16 years that a trotter has paid the highest price in a Crown season since Martiniontherocks paid $63.60 in 2010.

13. Was HOY decided? I’d say, clearly yes as Brandon Blvd responded to a Burke barrage with a statement score. Brandon Blvd (no doubt in this corner) punched his ticket for the Punisher 11 Stable that includes trainer Andrew Harris.

Clearly the Breeders Crown series is working. There was tons of anticipation. It was a definite destination point with ownership from all over the world. Division hopes were enhanced or shattered. It was a power-packed menu with not only something for anyone and everyone but almost certainly a product that, after telling your buds, you will want to come back to see.

See you next year in Lexington. I can’t wait!