With the 2025 Breeders Crown championship finals coming up in one week's time, a pair of individuals not requiring elimination action this weekend prevailed with authority during the session of qualifiers on Friday, Oct. 17 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
The eye-catching older trotting mare Elista Hanover and turned heads with her winning effort against a trio of Breeders Crown-bound competitors. Driver David Miller asked the daughter of International Moni - Evermore to cut all the fractions, and she compiled with grace and style in a lifetime best 1:51.1 performance. After panels of :28, :56 and 1:24, she sprinted away from pocket-sitting Periculum (Scott Zeron) with a :27.1 final quarter to win by more than two lengths. Emoji Hanover (James MacDonald) and Drawn Impression (Louis-Philippe Roy) rounded out the field, finishing an unstressed third and fourth, respectively.
Annie Stoebe of New Egypt, N.J. trains Elista Hanover, and co-owns the millionairess with Lynn & Philomena Curry of West Chester, Pa. She's one of nine older trotting mares slated to compete in the 2025 Open Mare Trot on Saturday, Oct. 25. The draw for this race will take place after the first race on Friday night at Mohawk.
Making his first start since the 2025 Mohawk Million, two-year-old trotting colt Apex earned himself a bye into the Breeders Crown final by virtue of his victory in the G1 Peter Haughton Memorial at Harrah's Hoosier Park five weeks ago. Driver Dexter Dunn sat the son of Walner - Mission Brief in the pocket behind Supergirl Molly (MacDonald) through early fractions of :28.3 and :57.3, edging off the pylons just before the 1:26.2 third station. Powering home in hand with a :27.4 closing quarter, Apex tripped the timer in 1:54.1, eight lengths better than his closest rival.
Owned by Jeffrey Snyder of New York, N.Y., S R F Stable of Del Ray Beach, Fl. and Steve Stewart of Paris, Ky., Apex heads into next Friday's Breeders Crown as the likely favourite. In eight starts, Apex boasts a 6-1-1 summary with more than $1.13 million in earnings. The draw for 2025 Breeders Crown final for two-year-old male trotters will take place on Friday after the fifth race.
The full video stream is available below.
For results from the qualifying session, click the following link: Friday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park (Qualifiers).
(Standardbred Canada)