COMMANDER CROWE WINS OPEN TROT TO CROWN A BRILLIANT WEEKEND AT THE MEADOWLANDS

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. _  International star Commander Crowe won the $500,000 Open Trot to conclude a brilliant weekend of Breeders Crown championships at Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment.

There were heroes galore during the 12 stakes over Friday and Saturday nights.

Yannick Gingras was the driving star with four wins, giving him 11 in the series. John Campbell, the old pro among Crown drivers, won a pair to extend his record to 47 victories.

Jimmy Takter extended his training record with three more winners, pushing his total to 21.

And then there were the equine stars. JK She’salady completed an unbeaten freshman campaign with a 12 for 12 mark and Father Patrick closed out a season marred by unfortunate breaks with a rousing win.

But they saved the best for last as Commander Crowe took the stage facing a deep field that included four previous Crown winners.

Conceding nothing to age, the 11-year-old gelding with the flowing blond mane trotted to a stakes equalling 1:51 victory that showed the youngsters how it’s done.

Driver Orjan Kihlstrom put the Commander on the lead down the backstretch and they called the tune the rest of the way, beating the mare Maven by three quarters of a length.

“I tried to keep them behind me,” Kihlstrom said. “He’s a very tough horse. He’s a fantastic horse.”

Commander Crowe won for the 61^st time in 108 races, pushing his career earnings over $5 million.

He paid $12 to win for his first victory in three Breeders Crown appearances.

$500,000 2-YEAR-OLD FILLY PACE

JK She’salady remained unbeaten with a stakes record score in 1:50 2/5.

The win projected the determined filly into the Horse of the Year debate.

Tim Tetrick was at the lines for his 14^th Crown win. It was the first Crown for trainer Nancy Johansson, Jimmy Takter’s daughter.

“Around February, I asked my dad if he had any good 2-year-old pacing fillies,” Johansson said. “I told him he could leave them at home, because I had the best one.”

JK She’salady backed up that boast as the undisputed boss of the division.

She took the lead midway down the backstretch and fended off a stiff challenge from Sassa Hanover to win by 1 3/4 lengths. The win payoff was a modest $2.20.

JK She’salady is a homebred for 3 Brothers Stable.

$500,000 3-YEAR-OLD COLT & GELDING TROT

Father Patrick made an unfortunate break in his last appearance at The Meadowlands, the Hambletonian.

He was all business Saturday in a stakes record 1:51 4/5 mile.

Father Patrick and Gingras made an early move to the lead and trotted strongly to the wire, holding off E L Titan by a neck for his 12^th win in 17 starts this season.

The colt trained by Takter finished a somewhat disappointing season in fine fashion.

“The expectations were really high,” Gingras said. “The Hambletonian, we want to forget about that one. He showed up here tonight and showed us what a great horse he is.”

He is owned by the Father Patrick Stable.

$531,250 COLT & GELDING PACE

Mcwicked, the Adios winner, might have snatched the divisional title with his 10^th win of the season.

Little Brown Jug winner Limelight Beach and morning-line favorite Always B Miki, two of his top rivals for the Dan Patch Award, were race day scratches.

That took both elimination winners out of the final and trimmed the field to eight. It also put  Mcwicked in play sooner than expected.

“It really changed the race complex a lot,” said trainer Casie Coleman who won her fourth Crown. “I didn’t expect Mcwicked was going to be in front.”

In front is where he landed when Brian Sears turned him loose down the backstretch.

And that is where he finished, by a half length over Somesizesomestyle in 1:49.

Mcwicked paid $5.60 to win for the S S G Stables.

It was Sears' second win in this Crown, and 26^th overall.

$500,000 2-YEAR-OLD COLT & GELDING TROT

Pinkman equaled the stakes record with his 1:53 2/5 victory. The even-money favorite took charge with a retake  down the backstretch and held off Muscle Diamond by a half length.

Turned out Gingras made the right call, having his choice of Pinkman and Habitat heading into last week’s Crown eliminations.

“Habitat had a great year but Pinkman was coming into this race super sharp,” Gingras said. “He was 

getting better and better every week and I just thought it was my best chance.”

Pinkman, trained by Takter, got his sixth win in eight starts for Christina Takter, John and Jim Fielding, Joyce McClelland and Herb Liverman.

$400,000 OPEN PACE

Campbell perfectly timed the rally to win  with Thinking Out Loud.

Sweet Lou led the field into the stretch but could not hold off Thinking Out Loud’s finishing kick. 

The 5-year-old homebred for Bob McIntosh got up by a head in 1:48 3/5.

“He is a closer,” Campbell said. “We’ve tried to race him up front and that just doesn’t work. He’s a real good closer, and always has been.”

It was the 16^th Crown win for McIntosh who owns the stallion in partnership with C S X Stables and Al McIntosh Holdings.

Thinking Out Loud paid $10.40 to win.

$500,000 2-YEAR-OLD COLT & GELDING PACE

Traceur Hanover was the winner of the wild race marred by several breakers.

Andy Miller maneuvered his colt through the chaos to capture his fifth win in 14 starts.

“There were a lot of breakers, a lot going on there,” said Miller, who won his fifth Crown. “We just had to bide our time and wait to get through it all.”

Traceur Hanover fought off Go Daddy Go around the final turn and gamely held off In The Arsenal by a half length at the finish.

Trainer Corey Johnson got his first Crown win. The time was 1:51.

Traceur Hanover, a $9.80 winner, is owned by Richard Berthiaume.

$281,250 OPEN MARE PACE

Shelliscape was a repeat winner and once again Campbell guided a winner to a dramatic victory.

Shelliscape rallied widest off all to get up by a half length over Rocklamation.

“When I got away so bad, I was sure hoping the fractions were stiff up front,” Campbell said. “When I moved over at the of the stretch, I knew she was going to get a real good piece of it.”

The 5-year-old got her 16^th win in 73 starts, giving trainer P. J. Fraley a third straight win in this stakes.

Shelliscape, owned by Bamond Stable, paid $23 to win. The time was 1:49 4/5.

BREEDERS CROWN WEEKEND OVER $7 MILLION

The two-night Breeders Crown format at The Meadowlands returned dividends with a total of $7,180,566 passing through the mutuel windows broken down to $3,092,172 on Friday and $4,088,392 wagered on Saturday.  The guaranteed pools drove the handle with three of the four Pick 4 Pools over the weekend handling over $100,000.

Racing resumes at The Meadowlands on Friday night followed by the $1 Million TVG Free For All Championships on Saturday.  Post Time is 7:15 P.M.