Live video is available as Scioto Downs hosts the first night of 2026 Breeders Crown eliminations on Friday, Oct. 16.

There will be no shortage of past champions and up-and-coming stars in action over the two days of competition. Eight of last year’s Breeders Crown titlists will race on Saturday, Oct. 17 when Scioto Downs hosts eliminations for the three-year-old and Open events. Friday’s elims for two-year-olds will include undefeated male pacer Shalom Hanover, who is ranked sixth in the Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll, as well as three Grade 1 stakes winners: filly trotter Athenas Girl, colt pacer Eastie Boy and colt trotter Wrong Sounds Right.

Eliminations will be required for 10 of the 12 Breeders Crown events, with the Two-Year-Old Filly Pace and the Mare Trot going directly to their finals.

All elimination purses are $25,000 USD. Elimination winners, as well as “Win and You’re In” two-year-old filly trotter Birr Castle (who advanced directly to her final thanks to winning the Grade 1 Jim Doherty Memorial), will draw for post positions one through six in their respective finals. All other finalists will be placed in an open draw for the remaining post positions.

First-race post time is 6 p.m. (EDT) both Friday and Saturday at Scioto Downs. For free program pages for Friday's card, click here.

Two eliminations will be contested in each of Friday’s three events for two-year-olds. For the freshman male trotters and male pacers, the top four finishers from each elim plus the fifth-place finisher with the highest seasonal earnings will advance to their respective finals. For the two-year-old filly trotters, the top four finishers in each elim will advance to join Birr Castle in the final. All two-year-old finals have a purse of $700,000 USD and will be held Oct. 23.

Two-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Trot

Fourteen horses were entered, with Wrong Sounds Right drawing into the second of two eliminations. He is the season’s richest two-year-old male trotter, with $821,721 in earnings, and co-fastest freshman male trotter in history thanks to his 1:51.1 victory in the Mohawk Million on Sept. 26 at Woodbine Mohawk Park. The Jim Campbell trainee will leave from post one Friday with Todd McCarthy in the sulky. Graded-stakes winner Yankee Boss (PP4, Tim Tetrick, Åke Svanstedt) also is in the second elim.

Wrong Sounds Right heads to the Breeders Crown with five wins in his past six starts. His only setback was a second-place finish behind Lifetime Dreamer in the New Jersey Sire Stakes championship on Aug. 8 at The Meadowlands. Lifetime Dreamer’s winning time was 1:51.1, also equalling the world record for a two-year-old male trotter. He will start from post two in first elim with Yannick Gingras listed to drive for Svanstedt. Graded-stakes winners Special Day, Whateverittakes As, Presidente and Access Now also are in the field.

Two-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Pace

Sixteen horses were entered, with Shalom Hanover (PP2, Louis-Philippe Roy, Dr. Ian Moore) drawing into the second elimination. The multiple graded-stakes winner is seven-for-seven this year. The elim also includes Starstruck Dreamer (PP4, Todd McCarthy, Noel Daley), who is this season’s fastest freshman male pacer – 1:48.4 – and lost to Shalom Hanover by a head in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes championship last month for his only loss in six races.

Metro Pace winner Eastie Boy (PP2, Ronnie Wrenn Jr., Ron Burke) is in the first elimination along with graded-stakes winners Mascarpone (PP6, Scott Zeron, Dr. Ian Moore) and Blazin Lou (PP8, Dexter Dunn, Tony Dinges).

Two-Year-Old Filly Trot

Seventeen horses were entered, with Peaceful Way winner Athenas Girl (PP3, Dexter Dunn, Marcus Melander) landing in the second elimination. The field also includes graded-stakes winner Climatic Hanover (PP8, Yannick Gingras, Lucas Wallin).

The first elimination includes this season’s fastest freshman trotting filly Kissme Ifyoucan (PP4, Austin Hanners, Todd Luther), who has a mark of 1:51.4. She was runner-up in the Ohio Sires Stakes championship for two-year-old filly trotters to Blue Ranger (PP2, Dunn, Melander). The field also includes graded-stakes winner Orinoco (PP3, Gingras, Åke Svanstedt), who was second to Birr Castle in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes championship and will now try to join her in the Breeders Crown final.

The full fields for Friday's eliminations are below.

Race 3 - $25,000 USD Breeders Crown Elimination for Two-Year-Old Trotting Fillies (1st elim)
Post - Horse - Listed Driver - Trainer 
1. City Of Light - Tim Tetrick - Nancy Takter          
2. Blue Ranger - Dexter Dunn - Marcus Melander          
3. Orinoco - Yannick Gingras - Ake Svanstedt          
4.  Kissme Ifyoucan - Austin Hanners - Todd Luther          
5. Putitondadstab - Scott Zeron - Lucas Wallin          
6. Rbssouthwindcentra - Ronnie Wrenn Jr. - Henry Graber Jr.          
7. Nevis Peak - Yannick Gingras - Ron Burke          
8. Fleur Delacour - Dexter Dunn - Marcus Melander 

Race 5 - $25,000 USD Breeders Crown Elimination for Two-Year-Old Pacing Colts (1st elim)
Post - Horse - Listed Driver - Trainer 
1. L A Captain - Bob McClure - Luc Blais          
2. Eastie Boy - Ronnie Wrenn Jr. - Ron Burke          
3. Ocean Party - Chris Page - Ron Burke          
4. Billy Hill - Austin Hanners - Todd Luther          
5. Night Agent - Andrew McCarthy - Joe Holloway          
6. Mascarpone - Scott Zeron - Dr. Ian Moore          
7. Mr Bear - Marcus Miller - Erv Miller          
8. Blazin Lou - Dexter Dunn - Tony Dinges

Race 6 - $25,000 USD Breeders Crown Elimination for Two-Year-Old Trotting Colts (1st elim)
Post - Horse - Listed Driver - Trainer 
1. Mats - Dexter Dunn - Ake Svanstedt          
2. Lifetime Dreamer - Yannick Gingras - Ake Svanstedt          
3.  Special Day -  Andrew McCarthy - Chris Beaver          
4. Whateverittakes As - Tony Hall - Anette Lorentzon          
5. Top Reacher - Scott Zeron - Marcus Melander          
6. Presidente - Tim Tetrick - Nancy Takter          
7.  Access Now - Bob McClure - Luc Blais          

Race 7 - $25,000 USD Breeders Crown Elimination for Two-Year-Old Trotting Fillies (2nd elim)
Post - Horse - Listed Driver - Trainer 
1. Shes A Home Run - Ronnie Wrenn Jr. - Vernon Beachy          
2. Two Day Hangover - Dexter Dunn - Marcus Melander          
3. Athenas Girl - Dexter Dunn - Marcus Melander          
4. Heart Of Secret - Yannick Gingras - Petter Engblom          
5. Dandelion Wine - Dexter Dunn - Ake Svanstedt          
6. Gabriela Beatriz S - Yannick Gingras - Ake Svanstedt          
7. Rio De Janeiro - Joe Bongiorno - Nancy Takter          
8. Climatic Hanover - Yannick Gingras - Lucas Wallin

Race 10 - $25,000 USD Breeders Crown Elimination for Two-Year-Old Trotting Colts (2nd elim)
Post - Horse - Listed Driver - Trainer 
1. Wrong Sounds Right - Todd McCarthy - Jim Campbell          
2. Captain Kenny J - Jason Bartlett - Linda Toscano          
3. Gios Hope - Dexter Dunn - Marcus Melander          
4. Yankee Bos - Tim Tetrick - Ake Svanstedt          
5. Carbon Fiber - Yannick Gingras - Ron Burke          
6. Opposition - Andrew McCarthy - Marcus Melander          
7. Jimdougie Armitage - Ake Svanstedt - Ake Svanstedt          

Race 11 - $25,000 USD Breeders Crown Elimination for Two-Year-Old Pacing Colts (2nd elim)
Post - Horse - Listed Driver - Trainer 
1. Stonebridge Blitz - Yannick Gingras - Ron Burke          
2. Shalom Hanover - Louis-Philippe Roy - Dr. Ian Moore          
3. Night Surfer - Dexter Dunn - Virgil Morgan Jr.
4. Starstruck Dreamer - Todd McCarthy - Noel Daley          
5. Hamilton Hanover - Bob McClure - Luc Blais          
6. Totally Tyler - Yannick Gingras - Ron Burke          
7.  Lounado - Austin Hanners - Todd Luther          
8. Seine - Joe Bongiorno - Joe Bongiorno

(Hambletonian Society & Standardbred Canada)