After a night of firsts on Friday, the 2020 Breeders Crown weekend at Harrah's Hoosier Park Racing & Casino concluded on Saturday (Oct. 31) with more history as harness racing's top three-year-olds and older competitors took centre stage and provided some jaw-dropping performances.
There were a lot of hurdles to overcome for the 37th edition of the $6 million Breeders Crown Championships at Harrah’s Hoosier Park. Amidst a pandemic that limited crowd capacity, the track pulled in its largest handle in the 27-year history with a total of $2,474,344 wagered on the 15-race card Saturday, Oct. 31. The previous track record for handle on a single program was set during the 2017 Breeders Crown at $2,063,985. The 2020 edition was also a two-night record for the track with a total of $4,297,864 wagered on Breeders Crown Championships compared to a two-night total of $3,837,869 wagered in 2017.
"This historic, record-setting weekend is a direct testimony of the hard work and effort made by our team at Harrah's Hoosier Park, the Hambletonian Society, the Indiana Standardbred Association, the Indiana Horse Racing Commission, and our presenting sponsor The Libfeld-Katz Breeding Partnership," said Rick Moore, Vice President and General Manager of Racing at Harrah's Hoosier Park. "Once again, Harrah's Hoosier Park shined on a world-wide stage. We couldn't be more proud of Indiana's racing industry, our team, our horsemen and horsewomen, sponsors, and all of the fans watching and wagering from around the world who made this weekend possible."
It was an evening of dominant performances from the team of driver Dexter Dunn and Nancy Takter, who took home three Breeders Crown titles although not with some of the horses that many would most associate with those two participants. Recaps from Saturday's card at Hoosier Park are available below.
Biggest Upset In Breeders Crown History
Driver Scott Zeron engineered the biggest upset in Breeders Crown history as three-year-old pacing gelding Sandbetweenmytoes got up in the final strides of a blanket finish to defeat Tall Dark Stranger and win the $500,000 Breeders Crown Final for three-year-old pacing colts & geldings....read more
Breeders Crown Open Pace To Century Farroh
Century Farroh notched the biggest win of his career and provided another win for Canadian connections after lunging past favoured Bettors Wish late to win the $500,000 Breeders Crown Open Pace on Saturday (Oct. 31) at Harrah's Hoosier Park Racing & Casino.....read more
Peaky Sneaky Plays Dragon Slayer
Ontario-sired Peaky Sneaky posted the minor 7-1 upset over the previously undefeated Party Girl Hill and held off a hard-closing Lyons Sentinel to win the $500,000 Breeders Crown Final for three-year-old pacing fillies on Saturday (Oct. 31) at Harrah's Hoosier Park Racing & Casino.....read more
Gimpanzee Giant Again In Breeders Crown
Only Mack Lobell managed to claim the Breeders Crown Two-Year-Old Colt Trot, Three-Year-Old Colt Trot and Open Trot in consecutive years. But then came Gimpanzee, who jetted into the history books with a 1:51.3 victory in the $500,000 Breeders Crown Open Trot on Saturday (Oct. 31) at Harrah’s Hoosier Park....read more
Breeders Crown Redemption For Kissin In The Sand
Thrice a Breeders Crown competitor but now finally a bride, Kissin In The Sand kept defending Horse of the Year Shartin N at bay to score a stakes-record performance in the $300,000 Breeders Crown Mare Pace on Saturday (Oct. 31) at Harrah’s Hoosier Park....read more
Amigo Volo Defends Breeders Crown Title
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.....read more
Next Level Stuff Steps Up For Breeders Crown Title
Long left in the shadow of her fellow division titans, Next Level Stuff took the throne with an open-stretch dash past Hypnotic AM and Hambletonian Oaks winner Sorella to win the $500,000 Breeders Crown Three-Year-Old Filly Trot on Saturday (Oct. 31) at Harrah’s Hoosier Park....read more
Manchego Motors Into Breeders Crown History
Nancy Takter trainee Manchego regained her groove off a mid-year slump and stormed to the finish under minimal urging to win the $300,000 Breeders Crown Mare Trot on Saturday (Oct. 31) at Harrah’s Hoosier Park, becoming the sixth horse in history to win three Breeders Crown titles....read more
(with files from Hoosier)
Just like in 2019, Bettors
Just like in 2019, Bettors Wish doesn't tend to be at his best when the big money is on the line. The races for aged pacers with the largest purses so far this year were the $250,000 Graduate Final, the $391,000 Haughton, the $500,000 Breeders Crown, and the $540,000 Canadian Pacing Derby. He finished 8th in The Graduate, skipped The Haughton, tired and finished 2nd last night in The Breeder's Crown, and was dead last in The CPD. His last chance to redeem himself will be in the final race of his career, The $350,000 TVG, at The Meadowlands on Nov.21.
SO who will be Horse of the
SO who will be Horse of the Year now? I am thinking Gimpanzee.
With Shartin's runner-up
With Shartin's runner-up finish in the Breeder's Crown Mare Pace, the 'curse' continues: no pacer that won US Horse of the Year has ever won The Breeder's Crown the following year. Two trotters have done it, but never a pacer.