Harness racing's best battled in the 2025 Breeders Crown eliminations at Woodbine Mohawk Park for the second straight night, with eight eliminations for three-year-olds and open horses contested on Saturday, Oct. 18 after two-year-olds kicked off the stakes action on Friday night.
Delaney Hanover And Yo Tillie Brilliant In Breeders Crown Eliminations
If the eliminations for the Breeders Crown three-year-old trotting fillies are a sign of what is to come in next week’s final, it should be a stirring sophomore showdown at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
A pair of $34,250 eliminations featuring top-tier trotting fillies yielded two impressive performances – specifically, stellar scores by Delaney Hanover and Yo Tillie, who went one-two, respectively, in a heavyweight clash in a division of the Bluegrass Stakes in late September.
In the first tilt, Delaney Hanover, with Scott Zeron at the controls, kept her red-hot form rolling.
It was the duo of Walspea (Doug McNair) and Deja Blu (Yannick Gingras) who got away sharply from the outside with the former leading the field into the first turn, as Delaney Hanover, riding a three-race win streak, tucked into sixth.
Walspea called the shots through an opening quarter in :27.2, but Dexter Dunn had Stash Some Cash on the march and on top through a half in :55.1, while Zeron and Delaney Hanover remained sixth.
As the field rounded the turn for home, Stash Some Cash, after three-quarters in a brisk 1:22.2, looked to pull away on her procession of pursuers. Delaney Hanover, with plenty of work left to do, floated to the far outside and looked to reel in the freewheeling pacesetter.
Delaney Hanover, the 4-5 choice, hit her best stride in the final yards and crossed the wire 1-1/2 lengths the best. A game Stash Some Cash held on to second, followed by Walspea, Monalishi (Monalishi) and Lasting Dream (Louis-Philippe Roy).
The final time of 1:51 was a track and Canadian record for the daughter of Muscle Hill out of the Cantab Hall mare Danielle Hanover, who was a hard-charging third in the Hambletonian Oaks this August.
“She didn't get off the gate that well, and that that kind of dictated where I was going to get away,” said Zeron, who has piloted the bay for all four consecutive victories. “The tempo was really good. They were moving along quite well. So, I didn't have to use her until the end.”
It was the latest primetime performance from the Lucas Wallin trainee, who now sports a record of 7-3-2 from 17 starts.
“She's unbelievable,” said Andrew Steinberg, who co-owns the Hanover Shoe Farm-bred filly through Shermay Stables, along with Wiesman Farms and Wallin Racing Stable. “I am so lucky and blessed to have her as a two-year-old. She started out great, and she got sick, but this year, this is our year, this is unbelievable.”
She arrived at her Breeders Crown elimination off a 1:50.1 triumph in the 60th renewal of the $416,667 Kentucky Filly Futurity, a Grade 1 stakes, on Sunday, Oct. 5, at The Red Mile.
Delaney Hanover paid $3.60 for her Breeders Crown elimination victory.
Three races later, in the sixth dash of the evening, it was Yo Tillie’s time to shine.
After having her 12-race win streak broken last time out, the millionaire miss was back in a big way – and back in the winner’s circle – courtesy of a dominant display.
Royal Mission (McNair) blasted off the wings from post eight and secured early bragging rights, as Stormont Beautiful (Bob McClure) settled into second, with Yo Tillie finding a seat in third for driver Todd McCarthy.
It was Royal Mission, at 101-1, who led the way through an opening panel in :26.4, but that lead would be short-lived when McCarthy gave Yo Tillie her cue and the Andrew Harris trainee responded with a confident brush to trike front just before a half in :56.
The daughter of Tactical Landing out of the Triumphant Caviar mare Consolidator was in full control navigating the turn for home, stretching her lead through three quarters and straightening for the wire with plenty left in the tank.
Midway down the lane it was only a question of what the margin of victory would be. The answer was 2-1/4 lengths, with the timer tripped in 1:51.1. Stormont Beautiful was second, Royal Mission third, Miss Belmar (Andy McCarthy) finished fourth and was followed by R Dutchess (Tim Tetrick).
“She likes to have a horse there she can fight off,” said McCarthy. “So, when she's out on the lead there, sometimes she's kind of looking around waiting for one but when I asked her at the top of the stretch there, she shifted gears and took right off for me.”
Owned by William Pollock, Bruce Areman and Andrew Harris, the bay filly, bred by GBW Breeding Farms Inc. and Black Creek Farm, Yo Tillie has been a force throughout her 2025 campaign. Sporting a mark of 10-1-0 from 11 starts on the year, she is 18-2-1 from 23 lifetime dashes, accompanied by more than $1.3 million in career purse earnings.
McCarthy, who came into the card with 1,355 wins, was thrilled to see the filly back in winning form.
“She wasn't quite herself there that last start, but she's had such a phenomenal year, and Andrew (trainer, Harris) has done a great job managing this filly. So. that was good to get her back to the winner's circle again tonight, and she was pretty strong finishing there. I was very happy with her.”
After the evening’s sixth race, Woodbine Mohawk Park conducted the post-position draw for the $600,000 USD Grade 1 Breeders Crown Three-Year-Old Filly Trot. The two elimination winners earned draw protection from posts 1 through 6.
$600,000 (USD) Grade 1 Breeders Crown Three-Year-Old Filly Trot Final
PP – Horse – Trainer
1. Stash Some Cash – Domenico Cecere
2. Delaney Hanover – Lucas Wallin
3. Lasting Dream – Luc Blais
4. Yo Tillie – Andrew Harris
5. Monalishi – Blake MacIntosh
6. R Dutchess – John Butenschoen
7. Walspea – Trond Smedshammer
8. Stormont Beautiful – Kevin Benn
9. Royal Mission – Marcus Melander
10. Miss Belmar – Noel Daley
Dandy Ideal Defeats Louprint, Prince Hal Hanover Coasts In Colt Pace Eliminations
Hunter Oakes trainee Dandy Ideal ended Louprint’s unbeaten sophomore season when keeping the North America Cup champion at bay through an all-out stretch drive to win the second of two $34,250 Breeders Crown eliminations for three-year-old pacing colts and geldings in a 1:48 mile on Saturday at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Driver Jason Bartlett secured a stalking seat with Dandy Ideal behind Swingtown (Yannick Gingras) passing a :26 first quarter before Crack Shot (Doug McNair) brushed forward to grab the lead. Louprint, meanwhile, took off the speed out of post seven and floated off the pylons up the backstretch, idling in midfield before committing to advance outside for driver Ronnie Wrenn, Jr. After a shuffle where Swingtown circled back to the lead, Louprint pushed up the rim and fished cover from Dandy Ideal moving by a :54.2 half.
Dandy Ideal rushed to challenge Swingtown rounding the final turn as Louprint gapped cover to the outside of Crack Shot. Swingtown gave way to Dandy Ideal past three-quarters in 1:22.3 and Bartlett implored Dandy Ideal to reach for the line. Louprint slid off cover and clawed into Dandy Ideal in a desperate final eighth but came just a nose short of victory at the finish. Captain Optimistic (Scott Zeron) finished third with Manolete (Andy McCarthy) and Crack Shot earning the last spots into the final.
“I wasn't real excited about my spot going down the backside past the half, and I knew [Louprint] was going to be behind me,” Bartlett said after the race. “There was a little bit of quick speed going on and I like my horse first over, it doesn't matter what trip I give him. With him behind me, obviously you're worried, but my horse dug in.
“Off the last turn, I still had a fistful,” Bartlett also said, “and I'm like ‘Whoa. We’re going to give him a run here.’ And the horse, all the credit in the world to him, he never gave up.”
While snapping Louprint’s 11-race win streak, Dandy Ideal returned to the winner’s circle after having his eight-race win streak snapped in an overnight prep a week ago at Pocono Downs. The American Ideal-Ok Heavenly gelding, bred by Stephen Dey and Dandy Farms Inc., won for the ninth time from 15 starts this season and the 14th time from 25 starts in his career and has now earned $1,142,949 for owners Susan Oakes, Thaddeus Wier and Alan Johnston.
“He had a good week,” Hunter Oakes said after the race. “I made a bridle change that seemed to help – he warmed up really, really good. Like what Jason said, getting away third, I'm like ‘first up again?’ But hat off to Jason, he's done such a good job with him all year and he's a good horse. He tries to find a way to win.”
Sent off as the second choice in the betting, Dandy Ideal paid $14.70 to win.
Prince Hal Hanover moved unfettered for most of the mile and sprinted for home with ease to bag the first Breeders Crown elimination as the 4-5 chalk in a 1:49.1 mile.
Driver Todd McCarthy motored Prince Hal Hanover to the fore through a :26.4 first quarter and carried the field up the backside to a :56.1 half. He continued unchallenged into the last turn while Madden Oaks (Roy) launched a first-over bid out of seventh and marched steadily forward through three-quarters in 1:23.1. McCarthy hit the accelerator with Prince Hal Hanover straightening for home and sailed in a length winner with ease. Fusion (Dunn) gave chase off a pocket trip for second while Sippononsearoc (Gingras) rallied from off cover for third and Madden Oaks settled for fourth. TH Colby (Wrenn) grabbed the last spot into the final in fifth.
“It was probably a touch slower than I thought I was at, but he deserved a soft half,” Todd McCarthy said after the race. “He's had some pretty big runs this year, and I was really happy with the way he finished. I kind of wanted to press hard. I didn't want there to be a bit of a challenge underneath me, so I figured there'd be a couple there to follow him. He's got such good gate speed that I figured I could get there early enough and then try and dictate from there. So it kind of went to plan for us there tonight, and I feel that he's doing pretty good for next week.”
The Dr. Ian Moore trainee, from a pair of Breeders Crown winners in sire Captaintreacherous and dam Percy Bluechip, collected his ninth win from 27 starts and has now earned $1,435,055 for owner Prince Hal Hanover Stable. His win in the Breeders Crown elimination follows a defeat at The Red Mile where he cut middle fractions of :52.4 and 1:19.4 before tiring to a third-place finish in a 1:48.1 mile.
“I think he's happy to be home,” Moore said. “He's been on the road a bit recently, and I'm not sure the last race here, it might have been back in July, perhaps. So it's been a while, and when I warmed him up tonight, he was rock solid – he was all business, never let go of me. I usually like to jog a little bit at a moderate speed the first lap, and he was having no part of that. So I knew he was good tonight. And I saw that half, I thought ‘wow, that's going to be all right.’
“He's gone some tough races this year, and got beat a couple times, post position and the way the race went might have impacted him,” Moore also noted. “So at least we should get a decent draw now in the final, and hopefully we have some luck there.”
Prince Hal Hanover, bred by Hanover Shoe Farms, paid $3.90 to win.
Lexus Kody Scores Easily In Breeders Crown Open Trot Elim
Lexus Kody ($4.40) easily won his $34,250 Breeders Crown Open Trot elimination for driver Yannick Gingras and trainer Ron Burke, staving off a late charge from French Wine, and stopping the timer in 1:49.4 as the 6-5 choice.
The Ontario-bred brown son of Archangel, out of the Ken Warkentin mare Lexus Helios notched seasonal victory number 10 for owners Burke Racing Stable LLC of Fredericktown, Pa., Weaver Bruscemi LLC of Canonsburg, Pa, and Phil Collura of Mountain Top, Pa.
Lexus Kody was the first trotter in Canadian history to post a sub-1:50 record, doing so in the $690,000 Maple Leaf Trot on Aug. 30, 2025, when he trotted to a 1:49.1 victorious clocking, defeating rivals Periculum and Southwind Coors (both byes in the Breeders Crown Open Trot Final), as well as Hillexotic and Call Me Goo. He came into his Breeders Crown elimination fresh off his impressive 1:51.4 triumph in the Dayton Trotting Derby. This win marked his sixth straight victory.
“He just went in 1:49.4 like it was a walk in the park and is tremendously sharp, and was all business tonight,” said winning driver Yannick Gingras. “There aren’t enough good things to say about him. I wanted to get the outside post position out of the equation, that was our game plan, but he’s handy now and has won from the rail a couple of times here, so he can do it any which way, it doesn’t matter to him.”
Amigo Volo — a two time Breeders Crown winner who left the gate at 36-1 — grabbed the early lead for driver James MacDonald and took the field to a :27 first panel, with 9-5 French Wine (Bartlett) pulling first over to the :55 half, as Lexus Kody followed closely behind before taking the lead to the 1:23 three-quarter marker. Gingras never pulled the ear plugs as Lexus Kody smoothly trotted to the wire, seemingly unfazed by the :26.4 final quarter.
French Wine held on for second, with 25-1 Hillexotic (Austin Hanners) third, and Amigo Volo fourth.
Bred by Norm Dunstan of Caledon Village, Ont., Lexus Kody sports 36 career victories with more than $2.22 million in earnings. The draw for next week's final was conducted on Saturday night.
$600,000 USD 2025 Breeders Crown Open Trot Final
(PP - Horse - Trainer)
1. Amigo Volo - Meg Crone
2. Private Access - Luc Blais
3. French Wine - Nancy Takter
4. Southwind Coors - Ron Burke
5. Lexus Kody - Ron Burke
6. Security Protected - Marcus Melander
7. Periculum - Marcus Melander
8. Logan Park - Kyle Fellows
9. Hillexotic - Todd Luther
10. Up Your Deo - Ake Svanstedt
Miki And Minnie Makes History In Breeders Crown Elim
Miki And Minnie, last season’s Dan Patch winning divisional honouree, left no doubt she was clearly the best in her $34,250 Breeders Crown Three-Year-Old Filly Pace elimination on Saturday night at Woodbine Mohawk Park, pacing strongly to the wire for driver Dexter Dunn in a lifetime best 1:48.2, which was also set and matched the track and Canadian records.
Miki And Minnie got away third behind the pacesetting Faze (Tim Tetrick) who led the first to a :27 opening panel, with Looksgoodinloulou (Yannick Gingras) sitting in the two-hole, but by the half-mile :55.4 mark, it was Miki And Minnie who was sitting on Tetrick’s helmet. As the pacers neared the three-quarter mile post, Miki And Minnie was on the move, stopped the timer at that marker in 1:22.3 on the outside of Faze. From there, driver Dexter Dunn chirped to his filly and she responded by easily paced to the wire in a new career best as the 1-2 choice.
“I got away through the first turn and the trip worked out after that,” said winning driver Dexter Dunn. “This run will do her a lot of good after the month off. She’s an extremely competitive filly and I knew it was going to be a battle down to the wire, but I had all the faith in the world because my filly is a true fighter.”
Unreasonable was second for Marcus Miller at 5-1 odds, while Skywalker Sea notched third place honours for Austin Hanners at 76-1, with 59-1 Faze holding on for fourth.
“We turned down the bye because I wanted to race her as otherwise it would have been five or six weeks before going into the final. She needed a race, and it was super that it worked the way out the way it did,” said trainer Chris Ryder. “She’s easy to train, she’s just a super filly and she’s tough. She doesn’t seem to have an end to her run and is beautiful to have around.”
The daughter of Always B Miki, out of the Roll With Joe mare Thats The Ticket, notched her 11th victory in 13 starts this season and her 17th win in 24 lifetime starts for owners Craig Henderson of Chicago, Il. Robert Mondillo of Delaware, Oh. and Lawrence Minowitz of Greenwich, Ct. This gutsy filly captured the 2024 Breeders Crown Two-Year-Old Filly Pace Final at The Meadowlands last season in 1:50.2 for these same connections. She returned $3.10 to win.
The field for next week's final was drawn on Saturday night.
$600,000 USD 2025 Breeders Crown Three-Year-Old Filly Pace Final
(PP - Horse - Trainer)
1. Outtathisworld Deo - Chantal Mitchell
2. Unreasonable - Erv Miller
3. Rose - Ron Burke
4. The Last Martini - Jared Bako
5. Miki And Minnie - Chris Ryder
6. Skywalker Sea - Todd Luther
7. Faze - Brett Pelling
8. Millie May Hanover - Andrew Harris
9. Rodeo Drive Deo - Ron Burke
10. Chantilly - Nick Gallucci
Ervin Hanover, Ken Hanover Power To Victory In Open Pace Eliminations
Ervin Hanover and Ken Hanover surged to wins in their respective $34,250 Breeders Crown eliminations.
Ervin Hanover muscled through a first-over grind to down Nijinsky in the final strides of a 1:48 mile in the first elimination for the Open Pace.
Coaches Corner (Bartlett) thrusted off the wings from post nine to take the top into a :26.3 first quarter before yielding control in a shuffle to Captain Albano (Todd McCarthy) and then Nijinsky (Roy). Ervin Hanover, positioned fifth by driver Dunn, tipped off the pylons and pushed uncovered through a :54.4 half towards Nijinsky, reaching the leader’s wheel midway around the last turn. Nijinsky spun by three-quarters in 1:21.2 and accelerated into the stretch as Ervin Hanover gathered momentum to the outside. Ervin Hanover extended in the last eighth and glided by Nijinsky to seal victory by a neck. Captain Albano settled for third off a bottled trip with Coaches Corner taking fourth and Oakwood Ardan IR (Jordan Stratton) closing to grab the last berth into the final in fifth.
“It was a tough effort tonight to come first over against horses like that, and a quick back half,” said driver Dexter Dunn, who picked up the drive with Roy opting to drive Nijinsky. “He really wanted to get his head out there and win that race. We were obviously coming home pretty quick, and Louis's horse definitely had me covered three-quarters down the straight. But to ‘Ervin's’ credit, he really stuck his head out; he was digging in deep and he wanted to get that one.”
Dave Menary trains Ervin Hanover, a five-year-old Captaintreacherous-Eloquent Grace stallion bred by Hanover Shoe Farms Inc., for owner Pollack Racing LLC. The stallion won his 25th race from 73 starts and has now earned $1,266,066 in his career. Sent off as the betting favorite, he paid $4.80 to win.
Ken Hanover pounced off a pocket ride to a lifetime best 1:47.3 victory in the second Open Pace elimination.
Maximus Miki motored to the lead through a :26.4 first quarter for driver Scott Zeron with Ken Hanover and David Miller tracking snugly from second, and the 3-5 favourite cruised on the lead with no pressure to a :55.2 half. El Rey (Todd McCarthy) made the first move off the pylons when pulling from fifth into the final turn and quickly progressed, prompting Miller to pull Ken Hanover from the pocket and attack Maximus Miki. The top two matched strides after three-quarters in 1:22.3 until Ken Hanover lifted in the straight and comfortably pulled away to a 1-1/4-length win. Maximus Miki settled for second with Huntinthelastdolar (Bartlett) taking third off a ground-saving trip. Calicojack Hanover (Bob McClure) finished fourth off a pylon ride and Coach Stefanos (James MacDonald) rallied down the centre of the track to take fifth.
“He felt really good and strong,” Miller said after the race. “He left the gate well and got a good trip. When I moved him, he was right up on the muscle. I knew I had the horse to beat. I was following, and I was able to sit all the way until the last turn and I went ahead and moved him.”
Winning his eighth race from 13 starts this season and his 21st race from 56 starts in his career, Ken Hanover has now earned $1,229,966 for owners Roland Mallar, Patrick Leavitt, William Jordan and Dennis Osterholt.
“He's been good all year,” trainer Roland Mallar said after the race. “He had a little setback about six weeks ago – had a lung infection that kind of lingered a little longer than I liked. But we had to get it cleared up before I wanted to come back and tackle these guys."
“He had a good trip tonight. So everything worked out great, really,” Mallar also said. “He didn't seem to really have to use him a whole lot. Hopefully there's some in the tank for next week.”
Ken Hanover, a five-year-old stallion by Captaintreacherous-KJs Justine bred by Hanover Shoe Farms Inc., paid $6.40 to win.
The draws for the Three-Year-Old Colt Trot, Three-Year-Old Colt Pace and Open Pace will take place at the Breeders Crown Press Conference and Dinner on Tuesday, Oct. 21 at Country Heritage Park in Milton, Ont.
A pair of Opens were part of the Breeders Crown elim night undercard, with a number of Breeders Crown-entered older pacing mares prepping for next week's final.
In the $50,000 Open Fillies & Mares Open, Always B Naughty ($80.10) challenged a hard-used favourite Sylvia Hanover — who forged first-up for driver Tim Tetrick and finally cleared to the lead after a :26.2 opener and :54.1 half — and confidently collared the public choice around the far turn through a 1:21.2 third station. With driver Austin Hanners keeping her to task, Always B Naughty closed off her mile in :27 for the career-best equalling 1:48.2 mile. Talk Curdy To Me (Roy) and Absolution (Todd Ratchford) were noses apart 1-1/2 lengths back, with Talk Curdy To Me just up in ahead to finish second.
Todd Luther trains Always B Naughty (Always B Miki - Ooh Shesa Badlands) for Greg Luther Racing LLC. The frive-year-old pacing mare picked up her 17th career score and lifted her purse earnings to $795,632.
Remember The Alamo ($5.80) and driver Tyler Borth delivered as the public choice in the $30,000 Open 2 Pace, popping the pocket in the stretch after Vandiemen Bluechip (Doug McNair) cut fractions of :25.3, :54.1 and 1:21.3 and then pulling away to win by a length in a 1:48.2 lifetime best score. Dublin Dasher (Travis Cullen) and Miraculous Desbi N (Louis-Philippe Roy) closed well to finish second and third, respectively.
A four-year-old son of Captaintreacherous - Ameraway, Remember The Alamo is trained by Ben Baillargeon, who co-owns with Santo & Nunzio Vena and Frank Cirillo. He's now a nine-time winner this season with $341,758 in earnings.
Driver Louis-Philippe Roy came into the night just $6,915 shy of $60 million in purse earnings, and he crossed that threshold when he crossed the wire with fourth-place finisher Madden Oaks in the first Breeders Crown elim for three-year-old pacing colts.
The 35-year-old Mont-Joli, Que. native made his pari-mutuel debut in 2008. He received the Future Star Award in 2016 and was named Canada’s Driver of the Year in 2018 and 2019. He has been one of the top drivers at Mohawk since 2017, winning the title at both the Campbellville, Ont. oval and Woodbine Racetrack in 2018. Last month, Roy notched his 3,000th career driving victory and he currently boasts 3,013 victories along with his more than $60 million in purse earnings.
The replay from the full card is available here.
To view the full results from Saturday's card, click the following link: Saturday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
(Woodbine & Standardbred Canada)