Two-year-old champion in 2019, Amigo Volo continued his stellar late-season form to capture the $500,000 Breeders Crown Final for three-year-old trotting colts & geldings on Saturday (Oct. 31) at Harrah's Hoosier Park Racing & Casino.
Sent off as the 1-2 choice, Amigo Volo and driver Dexter Dunn landed in third early as Back Of The Neck (Ake Svanstedt) forged on to take the lead from Play Trix On Me (Joe Bongiorno) after a :27.1 first station. Dunn right-lined Amigo Volo from third and cleared to the lead before a :56 half. Ready For Moni (Yannick Gingras) rushed swiftly first-up and nearly got to the bridle of Amigo Volo as the third quarter flashed up in 1:24.4.
As the field faced the long Hoosier homestretch, Amigo Volo stayed strong on the lead and rebuffed Ready For Moni with pocket sitter Back Of The Neck also starting to fade. Bongiorno stick-handled Play Trix On Me around Back Of The Neck and angled his trotter to the inside to mount a stout late rally but fell short by just a nose as Amigo Volo hit the wire first in 1:53. Chestnut Hill (David Miller) completed the top three.
The Three-Year-Old Colt Trot is available around the 4:11:00 mark
"He's obviously been very good as a juvenile and then again this year," said Dunn. "He's so versatile, you can really get him out of the gate, put him in a hole, move him...whatever you want to do. We just held on but he did what he's been doing all year and just putting in great runs.
"Credit to Nifty and the team, Carter [Pinske] & Mckenna [Amiss]. To keep a horse like him so good as a two-year-old and then at the end of his three-year-old year he's just as good. They're just doing a great job."
Amigo Volo is the fourth trotter this century to win Breeders Crown titles at two and three, joining his sire Father Patrick (2013-2014), Gimpanzee (2018-2019) and Muscle Hill (2008-2009). Trained by Richard 'Nifty' Norman for Pinske Stables of Plato, Minn. and David J. Miller of Lake Mary, Fl., Amigo Volo (Father Patrick - Margarita Momma) sports a summary of 14-3-2 from 26 lifetime starts with $1,563,606 in earnings.
"At this point, it's just crazy," said co-owner Carter Pinske. "I don't know what emotion to feel...it's just been an incredible year."
The Three-Year-Old Colt Trot was just one of the Breeders Crown Finals contested on Saturday's card. Visit the Breeders Crown News Centre for the rest of the recaps.