Ten unbreakable Breeders Crown records

by Bob Heyden

Records are made to be broken, but it would take quite a bit of doing to topple these Breeders Crown marks shown in top 10 reverse order.

10. Peace Corps’ four wins in as many appearances with three different drivers: John Campbell (1988 and 1989), Stig Johansson (1990), and Torbjorn Jansson (1992).

9. Jenna’s Beach Boy’s three-straight wins at 2, 3, and 4 from 1994-96. No Pacer has ever done three straight at any age other than Jenna’s Beach Boy and it’s even tougher to do so in three different classes. In the last three decades, this record has not been challenged.

8. In 1995, 12 different drivers won a Breeders Crown race. Everyone with their very own DNA. Compare that to 2013 when only the upper crust won with all 12 Crowns going to the top 5 $-winning drivers in North America.

7. Brittany Farms bred nine Breeders Crown 2YOFT winners.

6. Dexter Dunn won six Crowns in 2024 the year after having the lowest priced winner $2.20 Jiggy Jog S, as well as the highest priced winner $48.60 Gem Quality at Hoosier Park. That was unprecedented.

5. Andy McCarthy’s incredible 2019 season where he had four winners in just seven Crown drives with none favored: Ramona Hill ($31.80), Reflect With Me ($56.20), Caviart Ally ($7.80), and Dancing Lou ($12.80).

4. John Campbell winning a Crown 15-straight years to start off the series from 1984-98.

3. Jimmy Takter’s multiple trotter and pacer Crowns in the same year. In 2015 he had two pacers, Always B Miki and Pure Country (both undefeated), as well as four trotters, The Bank, All The Time, Wild Honey, and Creatine. A 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old all winner all in one year.

2. Yannick Gingras winning four-straight 2YOFTs from 2014-17, all favorites all by Muscle Hill: 2014 with Mission Brief ($2.80), 2015 with All The Time ($4.50), 2016 with Ariana G ($3.40), and 2017 with Manchego ($3). It should be noted that Jimmy Takter from 2012-17 had a stranglehold over this division taking five of six.

1. The amazing Always B Miki’s 12-year Breeders Crown dominance. On the track, he won his Crown elim at 3 in 2014 but was injured and missed the final. Thanks to Dr. Patty Hogan, who attended to his considerable needs the next eight months which included re-injuring himself, he made it back at 4 to take the Breeders Crown and then repeated at 5 in his HOY season. Wait, it gets better. His first crop came upon the Crown scene in 2020 with Perfect Sting and he hasn’t missed since with eight winners in his first six crops not skipping a year. No other stallion has ever won a Breeders Crown in each of his first six crops. His $3,213,869 ranks No. 11 all time, which is not bad considering he was foaled in 2011, in the 28th Breeders Crown year. Four times in that period from 2020 to 2025 a freshman Breeders Crown winning pacer has repeated at 3, with three of those four being Always B Mikis: Perfect Sting (2020-21), Sylvia Hanover (2022-23), and Miki And Minnie (2024-25).