The Breeders Crown is an annual series of Harness races in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

and Canada covering each of the sport's twelve traditional categories of age, gait and gender. The series was initiated by the Hambletonian Society, promoters of the

Hambletonian Stakes The Hambletonian Stakes is a major American harness race for three-year-old trotting horses, named in honor of Hambletonian 10, a foundation sire of the Standardbred horse breed, also known as the "Father of the American Trotter." The firs ...

, in 1984 to enhance the

Standardbred The Standardbred is an American horse breed best known for its ability in harness racing, where members of the breed compete at either a trot or pace. Developed in North America, the Standardbred is recognized worldwide, and the breed can trace ...

breeding industry and to promote the sport of

Harness racing Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, or spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Austral ...

by providing a lucrative high-profile championship race in each of these categories. The annual races for 3-year-old trotting colts and

geldings A gelding is a castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. Castration, as well as the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male equine to be calmer and better-behaved, making th ...

and 3-year-old pacing colts and geldings, are each part of the Grand Slam Prize in harness racing. For its first 15 years, races were contested at tracks around North America. After a 1998 appearance at the then-new

Colonial Downs Colonial Downs is a racetrack located in New Kent County, Virginia adjacent to Interstate 64, halfway between Richmond and Williamsburg. The track conducted Thoroughbred flat racing and Standardbred harness racing between 1997 and 2014, and reope ...

near Richmond, Virginia, the series has rotated between The Meadowlands (near New York City), Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs (in

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Wilkes-Barre ( or ) is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Luzerne County. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. It is the seco ...

), and the Greater Toronto Area's two tracks,

Woodbine Racetrack Woodbine Racetrack is a race track for Thoroughbred horse racing in the Etobicoke area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Woodbine Entertainment Group, Woodbine Racetrack manages and hosts Canada's most famous race, the King's Plate. The tra ...

and

Mohawk Racetrack Mohawk Racetrack (branded as Woodbine Mohawk Park) is a harness racing track in Campbellville, Ontario. It is owned by Woodbine Entertainment Group (formerly the Ontario Jockey Club) and is about 40 km southwest of the company's other racetr ...

. In 2017, the series will be contested at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino.

List of Races

* Breeders Crown 2YO Filly Pace * Breeders Crown 2YO Filly Trot * Breeders Crown 2YO Colt & Gelding Pace * Breeders Crown 2YO Colt & Gelding Trot * Breeders Crown 3YO Filly Pace ** Run for the Max C. Hempt Memorial Trophy * Breeders Crown 3YO Filly Trot ** Run for the John Simpson Sr. Memorial Trophy * Breeders Crown 3YO Colt & Gelding Pace (1984-) ** Run for the H.A. Grant Memorial Trophy * Breeders Crown 3YO Colt & Gelding Trot (1984-) ** Run for the John Cashman Jr. Memorial Trophy * Breeders Crown Open Mare Pace (1986-) * Breeders Crown Open Mare Trot (1986-1995, 2004-) * Open Pace (1985-) * Open Trot (1985-)

List of Races

Breeders Crown Sites

See also

References

External links