Ervin Hanover sets Canadian record in Breeders Crown win

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CAMPBELLVILLE – The fastest mile in Canadian harness racing history ended Saturday with a sensational Breeders Crown race.

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Erwin Hanover saved the best for last, winning the $822,000 Open Tempo Breeders Crown at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Led by Dexter Dunn, Erwin Hanover started at the top and eventually took over just before the half. He started running away and made it to the three-quarter pole in 1:20. No one came close to him in that stretch as he took an easy win in 1:46 2/5, improving Mohawk's record by two-fifths of a second.

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Dunn was looking forward to a heavyweight fight.

“It's what you expect from older boys,” he said. “I probably got out a little better than I thought.”

“He rode so hard into the last corner and he was strong all the way to the end.”

By giving trainer David Menary his first Corona win, Erwin Hanover has 10 wins from 16 starts this year and could have given himself a chance to become North American Harness Horse of the Year.

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The win was one of eight finals at Mohawk on Saturday and four finals at the biennial tournament on Friday.

Sippinonsearock, who was second in the Breeders Crown a year ago, did better, winning the $822,000 three-year-old colt.

He took an early lead but was given a reprieve when Dandy Ideal took over on the backstroke. He was stuck inside in fifth heading back from home, but rider Yannick Gingras stayed true to the inside of the track and his colt charged, passing Dandy Ideal with strides left to the wire to score in 1:47 3/5.

“I wasn't happy with the 25 3/5 in the first quarter,” Gingras said of his colt's fast start. “Other than that, I thought he was one of the best horses in racing.”

“He was so good. He deserved a big win. I'm so happy for him.”

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It was the seventh win in 15 starts for Sippinonsarok, who was one of trainer Ron Burke's 23 Corona starters.

Disappointing in the race was Luprint, a 3-5 favorite after winning the North American Cup and Little Brown Jug earlier this year. Voted Horse of the Year, he finished well.

In the $822,000 event, French Wine clocked 1:50 1/5. Led by Jason Bartlett, French Wine started from middle position and overtook second position at the final turn. He broke away from that cover to take the lead after a long shot from Up Your Deo in the deep stretch, then he held off the late closing Periculum to win with the 4-5 favorite Lexus Kody in third.

Trainer Nancy Takter now has five wins in 12 starts for French Wine this season. It was the second Corona win of the weekend for New York veteran Bartlett. He also won on Friday.

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Meshuggah, ridden by Scott Zeron, blew up the betting field in the $822,000 3-year-old colt, winning in 1:50 1/5 at odds of 62-1. Zeron led the colt home at turn seven, but plenty of room opened up along the pylons and he was able to make his move, taking that short route home where he finished ahead of Super Chapter. Both horses are trained by Markus Melander.

“I usually stick to that plan with this guy,” Zeron said. “He's prone to making mistakes when he goes astray.”

It was Meshuggah's third win in 13 starts this season.

Yo Tilly completed a dream season by winning the $910,365 3-year-old filly in 1:51 3/5. Ridden by Todd McCarthy, Yo Tilly started third and took the lead half way back. She was never threatened again after this and won by a landslide.

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Yo Tilly has 19 wins from 24 starts, 11 of the 12 this year coming for co-owner and trainer Andrew Harris. Iroquois runners Stormont Beauty and Monalishi completed the triactor as long chances.

The $822,000 three-year-old filly Pace provided the best score of the night between 1-5 favorites Mickie and Minnie and 68-1 underdog The Last Martini. The race was eventually declared a draw.

Under Dunn's guidance, Miki and Minnie struggled to overtake early leader Chantilly on the backstretch, which may have softened last year's two-year-old champion. The Last Martini, with local racer Doug McNair at the helm, stayed close to the leader, took the line at the top of the section and was able to split the course in 1:49 2/5.

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“I wasn't sure. Dex thought I had her,” McNair said. “I thought it might be a draw and we did.”

It was the 12th win out of 14 this year for the Chris Ryder-trained Micah and Minnie and the sixth win out of 14 for The Last Martini, which gave trainer Jared Boko his first crown.

In the $548,000 open mare, Rockton, Ont.-bred Warrawee Michelle made a late charge down the stretch to simply pin leader Elista Hanover to the wire to win in 1:50 2/5. Ridden by co-owner and trainer Ake Svanstedt, Warrawee Michelle sat in sixth until the final turn, where she went to the outside and made her shot. It was her third win from 10 starts this year, taking her career earnings to more than $1.8 million.

Fans were left disappointed ahead of the $548,000 open mare race when it was announced that reigning Horse of the Year Twin B Joe Fresh was scratched due to lameness. But Always B Naughty was the biggest beneficiary, winning in a stakes record of 1:48 1/5. Ohio's Austin Hanners took his first career Crown win, putting Always B Naughty straight ahead and facing very little pressure, especially from 2-5 favorite Sylvia Hanover, who could only finish fourth. Trainer Todd Luther also enjoyed his first Crown win with the Ohio mare.

Breeders Crown will move to Scioto Downs in Ohio next year before heading to the Red Mile in Kentucky in 2027.

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