Milton, ON — Hunterton bred , Always B Naughty rocketed to victory in the Grade 1 $400,000 Breeders Crown Open Mares Pace, stopping the timer in a new stakes record of 1:48.1 for driver Austin Hanners. Trained by Todd Luther for owner Greg Luther Racing of Blacklick, OH, the 5-year-old daughter by Always B Miki—Ooh Shesa Badlands was bred by Steve Stewart, Conquest Acres Lp, and Oakwood Farms. Always B Naughty left the gate well, taking command immediately, and was never headed through quarter time fractions of :26.2, :54.3, and 1:22, before opening up lengths on the field in the late going. Sylvia Hanover made a mile bid and was the first to pull around the final turn, but was no match for the winner. “She’s a great mare and was a great mare before we bought her,” said winning owner Greg Luther. “Nancy Takter did a great job with her when she had her. Honestly, going down thebackside, I felt we were a winner, because this mare never gets tired and she can take a lot of air. Everything just worked out perfectly for us on this big track. It’s always great to be able to celebrate with family and this has been just a wonderful experience for us.” Always B Naughty’s winning time was just a tick faster than her Breeders Crown elimination clocking just a week prior. The brown mare now has 18 wins, 11 seconds, and 11 thirds in 61 career starts and upped her lifetime earnings to $893,334 (USD) with this most recent triumph. Watch the race replay

Milton, ON — Todd McCarthy guided Hunterton Sold Yo Tillie to the lead on the backstretch and remained on top the rest of the way on their way to a one-length win over Stormont Beautiful in 1:51.3 in Saturday’s (Oct. 25) $664,500 (USD) Grade 1 Breeders Crown final for 3-year-old trotting fillies at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Monalishi nipped Delaney Hanover for third. The triumph was the second in a Breeders Crown final for McCarthy and first for trainer Andrew Harris, who shares ownership of Yo Tillie with Bill Pollock and Bruce Areman. The daughter of Tactical Landing -Consolidator was bred by GBW Breeding Farms and Black Creek Farm. “It’s just amazing to have a filly like this and to have her be almost perfect all season and never ever disappoint me,” Harris said. “I’m just blessed to have a filly like this, and just thanks to Bill and Billy and Karen and Bruce for supporting me with a filly like this, because it’s amazing. “You know, they’ve been a huge support for me, and obviously they’ve been buying me really nice horses, so it’s nice to be able to deliver on the big stage for them and get it done.” Said Areman, “It’s special. We started this about three years ago with Abuckabett Hanover and, you know, went into the babies a little bit, and there’s ups and downs, and we’re learning along the way. But getting this filly right here was just unbelievable for us, and we love her so much. You don’t know, it’s a good group, strong group, so you hope for the best. Todd gave her just a beautiful trip, and she hung on. She had a lot of guts. So, it was fun to watch. “I think it’s the start of something big. We have big ambitions for where we want to go in this industry. And I think this is the start of it, in a lot of ways.” Walspea (Doug McNair) took the lead in a :26.4 opening quarter, with Yo Tillie trotting in third. R Dutchess (Tim Tetrick) moved to the lead from second, but her time in front was short-lived as McCarthy guided Yo Tillie to the front on the way to a :56.2 half. She reached three-quarters in 1:24 and held off Stormont Beautiful (Bob McClure), a $72,000 (USD) supplement, as she tried to rally from the back of the field. “I just wanted to kind of get away close with her,” McCarthy said. “She’s so talented off the gate, she’s able to kind of make her own luck there. That was just a great way to cap off the year for her. She’s been so good all year, and full credit to Andrew, the job he’s done managing her here. That was pretty awesome. “She doesn’t mind it when a horse gets close to her. She kind of likes to fight them off, but I don’t necessarily like that so much. It makes me a little nervous, but I just have so much faith in her, and I just keep talking to her down by the wire there, and she just keeps digging.” Yo Tillie has 11 wins and a second in 12 races this year. For her career, she has 19 victories in 24 starts, with $1.2 million (USD) in purses. Sent off as the 6-5 favorite, Yo Tillie paid $4.40 to win.

Milton, ON — For just the second time in the 41-year history of the Breeders Crown, a pair of horses hit the finish line in a dead-heat for win. Hunteron Born Miki And Minnie and The Last Martini, after finishing one-two in last year’s 2-Year-Old Filly Pace, matched strides crossing the beam in a 1:49.2 mile to tie for the victory in the $822,000 (CDN) Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Filly Pace on Saturday night at Woodbine Mohawk Park. The Last Martini (Doug McNair), off at 68-1, pushed from post four and secured a pocket seat with Chantilly (James MacDonald) launching for the lead from post ten heading to a :27 first quarter. Miki And Minnie, the 1-5 favorite, landed in midfield and floated off the pylons through the first turn before advancing up the rim. She brushed towards Chantilly up the backside but stalled once in front, passing a :56.2 half, and eventually cleared control, moving for the final turn. Miki And Minnie (Dexter Dunn) motored through the final turn as Unreasonable, who tracked the favorite’s cover, pressed the leader with Chantilly in the pocket, and The Last Martini shuffled to third at the inside. Unreasonable gave way after three-quarters in 1:23.1 while Miki And Minnie straightened and quickened for the finish. The Last Martini shook off the pylons and thrusted forward to narrow on Miki And Minnie’s advantage in the final eighth. Miki And Minnie reached for the line while The Last Martini surged in the closing strides, and the two crossed the finish inseparable by photograph. Skywalker Sea (Austin Hanners) emerged from off the speed to take third, beaten three-quarter lengths, and Rodeo Drive Deo (David Miller) rallied from the back for fourth. “I thought we’re guaranteed second there late, and she just lunged right at the wire,” said Doug McNair, winning driver behind The Last Martini. “I wasn’t sure. Dexter thought I got her, but it’s a little anxious moments there. I said earlier, I’d take a dead heat if we get one, and we got one.” “I knew it was tight,” said Chris Ryder, winning trainer of Miki And Minnie, “and it’s a long stretch when you’re in front, and I could see the ‘Martini’ filly coming. As a trainer, it’s a little nerve racking. I had an idea there may have been a dead heat. I was hoping for a dead heat. So we’re just thrilled here.” The dead-heat for win between Miki And Minnie and The Last Martini came five years after the first dead-heat for win in the history of the Breeders Crown occurred when favorite Perfect Sting and 21-1 shot Summa Cum Laude hit the finish together in the 2-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Pace at Harrah’s Hoosier Park. “To be honest, I don’t generally get very emotional watching the race. And that one I did,” said Jared Bako, trainer of The Last Martini, of winning his first Breeders Crown. “It’s a dream, like people dream of doing this, and I’m just fortunate enough that I’ve had the ability to train a horse like this. “I thought she’d be very good,” Bako also said. “She drew a good spot, and we prepared her well in Lexington. Dougie’s [McNair] done a good job managing her, along with Jason [Bartlett]. Dougie set her up great for this in Lexington, and just worked out.” Miki And Minnie added a second Breeders Crown trophy to her resume and became the 57th horse, as well as the 27th pacer, in the history of the series to win two titles. She won the 2024 2-Year-Old Filly Pace at The Meadowlands with a powerful first-over bid to beat The Last Martini by 1-3/4 lengths in a 1:50.2 mile. “Sometimes she’s just awful lazy and doesn’t want to go, and then when she decides to go like when she did clear, she grabbed the bit and was away again,” Chris Ryder said after the race. “So, you know, it’s a little frustrating, but she picked it up, and it’s just great to have back to back to back Breeders Crowns in her 2 and 3-year-old year.” Chris Ryder added a third victory in this event, winning in 2010 with Put On A Show and in 2013 with I Luv The Nitelife. Dexter Dunn, winning driver of Miki And Minnie, registered back-to-back victories in the 3-Year-Old Filly Pace after taking last year’s renewal with My Girl EJ for trainer Ron Burke. Doug McNair won for the first time in this event and collected his third Breeders Crown trophy. He won his first in 2017 in the 3-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Pace with Stay Hungry and piloted Grace Hill to a stakes-record-equaling 1:48.4 win in the 2022 Mare Pace. A homebred for Craig Henderson, Robert Mondillo and Lawrence Minowitz, Miki And Minnie won her 12th race from 14 starts this season and her 18th race from 25 starts in her career, earning $2,490,270. The filly by Always B Miki -Thats The Ticket paid $2.10 to win. The Last Martini, a filly by Huntsville -Martinique bred by Crawford Farms LLC, won her sixth race from 14 starts this season and her 10th race from 24 starts in her career, earning $1,506,872 for owner Glenview Livestock Ltd. She paid $26 to win.

Hunterton Born Miki And Minnie , last season’s Dan Patch winning divisional honoree, left no doubt she was clearly the best in her $34,250 Breeders Crown 3-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 a track and Canadian-equaling mile record. This gutsy filly captured the $700,000 Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Filly Pace Final at The Meadowlands last season in 1:50.2 for these same connections. The daughter of Always B Miki , out of the Roll With Joe mare That’s 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. “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.” 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 pacing 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 honors for Austin Hanners at 76-1, with 59-1 Faze holding on for fourth. Miki And Minnie’s last start saw her finish a strong second to Looksgoodinloulou in the Kentucky Sires Stakes Final on Sept. 14 at The Red Mile. She had previously captured the Pennsylvania Sires Stakes Final at The Meadows on Sept. 6 in 1:49.4; a Kentucky Sires Stakes on Aug. 25; and the $250,000 Lynch Final at Pocono Downs on Aug. 16, timed in 1:49.1; The Shady Daisy at The Meadowlands in 1:48.3; the Tompkins Geers in 1:49.4; and the Jerry Silverman in 1:48.4 in mid-July. Miki And Minnie is the third foal out of That’s The Ticket p, 2, 1:52s, and has half-siblings in Great Seats (by Sweet Lou ) p, 5, 1:49.2 and Dance Ticket (A Rocknroll Dance) p, 5, 1:54.2h.

Lexington, KY — Erv Miller pupil Unreasonable emerged from a shuffle with a charge down the center of the track to score an 11-1 upset in the $241,000 Grade 3 Glen Garnsey Memorial, sponsored by Diamond Creek Farm, on Sunday (Oct. 5) at The Red Mile. Driver Marcus Miller found a stalking seat for Unreasonable behind Champagne Room (driven by Andy McCarthy) in progress to a :27.1 first quarter. Looksgoodinloulou (Yannick Gingras), launching from post 10, ditched a pylon seat and pushed uncovered on the outside with stablemate and 3-5 favorite Rodeo Drive Deo (David Miller) tracking her cover up the backstretch. Rodeo Drive Deo then slid past Looksgoodinloulou through a :53.4 half to take over the lead, at which point Unreasonable sat locked in the pylons towards the middle of the pack. Rodeo Drive Deo chugged through the last turn to three-quarters in 1:20.1 but hit the ropes as her peers loomed to strike once straightening for home. Looksgoodinloulou darted through a seam at the inside to take the lead while Marcus Miller veered Unreasonable to the center of the track and found clearance nearing the final eighth. Unreasonable gathered momentum and zipped for the finish to clinch a half-length win over Looksgoodinloulou while Found (Todd McCarthy) closed for third and Faze held fourth. “She’s just a really good horse,” Marcus Miller said after the race. “She hasn’t raced bad once this year, really. She’s got a huge kick turning for home if you don’t have to use her. I didn’t think I’d get away that close going into the first turn, period. There was a big shuffle – I was pretty nervous in the last turn. [But I] got lucky and she was here today.” Unreasonable, a 3-year-old filly by Huntsville -Roaring To Go, won her seventh race from 12 starts this season and her 10th race from 23 starts in her career, earning $623,367 for owners Ervin Miller Stable Inc. and David J. Miller. She paid $24.26 to win. 

Lexington, KY — The Sweet Lou -Warrawee Winx filly Topville Lucky added another win to her nearly perfect record with a 1:50.4 performance to take the second of three divisions of the $246,000 Bluegrass 2-Year-Old Filly Pace – a division sponsored by the Beach Glass Syndicate and Winbak Farm – on Thursday (Sept. 25) at the Red Mile. Leaving from the pylon post, Topville Lucky (driven by Dexter Dunn) cruised into fourth approaching a :28.1 first quarter and sat patiently behind a shuffle up the backside, in which Bettor Be A Star (David Miller) emerged on top after pulling off the pylons from third. Bettor Be A Star hoisted the field by a :56.1 half, at which point Dunn tipped outside and advanced towards the front with Topville Lucky, who loomed nearer passing three-quarters in 1:24.1 and edged to a narrow lead in a three-high battle to the line. Topville Lucky held firmly for the win by a neck over Gracious (Todd McCarthy), who slipped through a seam at the pylons off a pocket trip but settled for second. Bettor Be A Star finished between horses in third, and Carnation (Tim Tetrick) checked in fourth. “I was nervous when we saw the three-quarter pole in 1:24 and you know that they’re going to go in [1:]50 and change,” said trainer Andrew Harris, who obtained the filly from trainer Erv Miller and co-owner Doug Overhiser ahead of her win in the $400,000 Kentucky Championship Series final on Sept. 14. “It’s a little bit iffy when you see those kinds of fractions, but she showed she’s got some guts.” Harris shares ownership of Topville Lucky, a five-time winner from six tries with $336,000 banked, alongside Bill Pollock and Bruce Areman. Off the 1-9 chalk, she paid $2.26 to win. Tony Dinges’ Tall Dark Stranger -Nashville Elgenna pupil Nash (Marvin Luna) broke her maiden by registering the fastest mile of the three Bluegrass filly pace divisions with a 1:50.1 effort while pulling a 14-1 upset in a division sponsored by the Beach Glass Syndicate and Winbak Farm. Luna laid back in third with Nash as 3-2 second choice Hope Hill (Dunn) brushed by 4-5 favorite On Heir (Andy McCarthy) to take the lead passing a :28 first quarter. Hope Hill carried the field up the backstretch to a :56.1 half and pushed the pedal into the last turn with On Heir giving the closest chase rushing by three-quarters in 1:23.4. McCarthy angled outside with On Heir and downed Hope Hill turning for home but wavered once in front and nearing the final eighth of a mile. Luna fanned to the center of the track with Nash off a ground-saving trip and gathered momentum to make a late attack. Nash overpowered On Heir in the last strides to win by a neck while Hope Hill tired to third and JK Sassy Lady (Todd McCarthy) checked in fourth after a mild first-over push. Nash, winning her first race from seven starts and increasing her career earnings to $65,550, competes for owner Jerry Glantz. She paid $30.62 to win. Amira Hanover (Joe Bongiorno) intently tracked pacesetter and odds-on favorite Big Weekend (Tetrick) for most of the mile before surging outside and wading off closing rivals for a 1:51.2 win in the first Bluegrass filly pace division, sponsored by Brittany Farms. Bongiorno planted Amira Hanover on the point heading to a :28.4 first quarter but yielded control once confronted by Big Weekend into the backstretch. Big Weekend grabbed the lead and coasted to a :56.3 half all while Amira Hanover followed locked on Tetrick’s helmet moving into the turn. After three-quarters in 1:24.2, Big Weekend hit the ropes and started shortening in stride heading for home. Bongiorno swung outside with Amira Hanover and cajoled his charge to hold sway to the finish, successfully doing so by 1-1/4 lengths. Rocksy (Andy McCarthy) closed from last for second with Kissedbyastranger (Yannick Gingras) rallying in the two-path for third and Interstellar (Marvin Luna) also closing ground but taking fourth. “I was just glad to have Joey back in the bike,” said John Fodera, who shares ownership on Amira Hanover through In The Gym Partners. “The other guys have done a great job with her, [but] Joe knows her so well and has really had a lot of patience with her. We’re prepping her for the Kindergarten at the Meadowlands and just spreading out her races. That’s the kind of trip she likes – she likes to sit the pocket and pull at the end.”  A filly by Papi Rob Hanover -Ameraway, Amira Hanover collected her second win from six starts and has now earned $68,650 for owners Let It Ride-Chodash, Patrick O’Brien, Joe Sbrocco and In The Gym Partners. Joe Bongiorno conditions the filly who paid $10.72 to win.

Hunterton's Sold Apex , with Dexter Dunn in the race bike for trainer Marcus Melander, put on a show in the Grade 1 Mohawk Million on Saturday, Sept. 20 at Woodbine Mohawk Park. The sixth edition of the $1 million slot race boasted the deepest field the race has ever seen – and the two-year-old trot battle did not disappoint. Strobe Lite (James MacDonald), leaving from post eight, blasted off the wings and assumed early control, followed by Dublin Hanover (Ake Svanstedt), Silverstein (David Miller) and 1-5 choice Endurance (Andrew McCarthy), while Dunn, navigating a tricky trip from post one, clung to the rail and settled his charge into fifth heading into the first turn. A break in stride by Strobe Lite opened the doors for Silverstein to then take a nose lead after an opening panel in :27.4, but his lead was short lived as Endurance glided to the front, with Dublin Hanover third and Apex nestled in fourth. ​ Endurance, riding a six-race win streak, continued to call the shots through a half in :57, but Dunn and Apex, ranging up on the outside, were turning up the heat on the tempo-setter, who reached three-quarters in 1:24.4 with a one-length advantage. Apex dialed up the pressure as Endurance dug down deep along the inside and looked to fend off the 5-2 second choice with the finish line drawing closer. Apex finally drew clear late as Dunn took a quick glance over his right shoulder to see if he had any closers to contend with. Seconds later, he pumped his fist when he realized there was no threat. At the wire, Apex was a 1-1/2-length winner in 1:51.4. Endurance held second and Silverstein was third. “There was a bit of action going into that first turn, but he just handled like a true professional, and, you know, we got away not too far back,” said Dunn. “He handled really good today. “He got a little excited there earlier on, but now he's beautiful and relaxed. He seems so intelligent, too. He knows his job and he's only two. So, I moved him down past the half there and he was travelling so strongly around the last turn. I just wanted to make sure he got around it in one piece, and once I asked him, he really put his muscle into it.” The final time of 1:51.4 was a stakes, track and Canadian record for two-year-old male trotters. The previous record was 1:52.3, set in last year's Mohawk Million by Maryland with Dunn driving for Melander. Apex's trainer also won the Mohawk Million in 2022 with the Tim Tetrick-driven Oh Well. “He did it so easily last weekend at Hoosier,” said Melander, referring to Apex's victory in the Grade 1 Peter Haughton Memorial at Hoosier Park on Sept. 12. “You know, he came out of the race good. But I asked Dexter on Sunday there at The Red Mile what his thoughts were, if he thought he had it in him to go another week. And he said he did.” Prior to the Mohawk Million, Apex’s highest profile score was in the $512,431 Haughton, which also secured him an automatic entry in the Breeders Crown. His other victories include the $312,500 New Jersey Sire Stakes final on Aug. 2 and the $342,466 New Jersey Classic on Sept. 5, both at The Meadowlands. Apex is owned by Jeff Snyder of New York City, New York, S R F Stable of Del Ray Beach, Florida and Steve Stewart of Paris, Kentucky. He entered the Mohawk Million for his Canadian debut courtesy of the slot held by Hunterton Farms. Bred by Mission Brief Stable, the son of Walner out of the world champion Muscle Hill mare Mission Brief was a $729,167 yearling purchase at the 2024 Standardbred Horse Sale. “We always felt like he was extremely special, very intelligent and you can almost see it in his eye,” said Stewart. Apex now sports a record reading 6-1-1 from eight starts with more than $1.1 million in purse earnings. A winner of his past four starts, he paid $7.40 for the win. The sixth edition of the Mohawk Million generated an event record all-sources handle of $4,662,789, surpassing the previous record of $3.9 million set in 2022. While multiple stakes winner Strobe Lite's miscue took him out of contention in the Mohawk Million, his participation secured him a $10,000 cheque that helped his trainer, Ben Baillargeon , reach a career milestone. The Guelph, Ont. resident went over $50 million in career earnings. To view Saturday's complete harness racing results, click the following link: Saturday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park . (With files from Woodbine)

Hunterton Raised Nezuko Kamado S (30-1) kicked off the Grand Circuit action with a dead-game track-record performance in the $259,800Kentuckiana Stallion Management for 2-year-old trotting fillies. Scott Zeron wheeled the eventual longshot winner to the leadafter an opening quarter of :26.4 around her stablemate Creator (Dexter Dunn). After middle half fractions of :55.3 and 1:24.4, Nezuko Kamado S was headed by Creator in the lane, before battling back to win by a half-length in 1:52.4 while Emmas Mystery CCL (Andy McCarthy) rallied for third. Trained by Marcus Melander, the winning daughter of Chapter Seven—Zefira Kronos IR has won three of six on the year. The Courant Inc. homebred has banked $217,735 on the season. The 1:52.4 clocking lowered the previous track record of 1:53.1 established by R Melina in the same event in 2023.

The Bluegrass State’s best clashed in eight $555,556 Kentucky Championship Series finals on Sunday, Sept. 14 at The Red Mile. Yo Tillie , ranked number three in the Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown Poll, won her 12th straight race and stayed perfect this year in the sophomore filly trot final. She was away fourth from the rail for Todd McCarthy but quickly glided to the front before the half, and that move proved to be game over for her rivals as she cruised home under wraps to a 1-1/2-length victory in 1:51. Stash Some Cash (Dunn) was best of the rest, followed by Torrisi (Tetrick). Yo Tillie is eight-for-eight this year for trainer Andrew Harris, who co-owns the daughter of Tactical Landing-Consolidator with William Pollock and Bruce Areman. The filly hasn’t lost since last September. She was sent off at 1-9 on Sunday.