Toronto ---
Swedish star Commander Crowe is the first foreign horse to accept an invitation
to the Breeders Crown in successive years and his connections hope to see
Europe’s top trotter make the return trip memorable.
Commander Crowe
is the 5-2 second choice in Saturday’s $600,000 Breeders Crown Open Trot. He
will start from post four in the six-horse field, with Christophe Martens at
the lines for trainer Fabrice Souloy. Chapter Seven, who won last season’s
Breeders Crown for 3-year-old male trotters, is the 6-5 morning line favorite.
Last year,
Commander Crowe finished third behind San Pail, the eventual Horse of the Year
in both Canada and the U.S., and France’s Rapide Lebel despite racing outside
for every step of the mile.
So far this year,
Commander Crowe has won nine of 13 races, including the prestigious Elitlopp
and Oslo Grand Prix, while earning $1.59 million.
For his career,
the 9-year-old chestnut gelding – nicknamed Le Grand Blonde – has won $3.88
million and ranks eighth in purses among all trotters in history. Next on the
list is Mack Lobell, who won Breeders Crown titles at ages 2, 3 and 4, and is
the sire of Commander Crowe’s dam Somack.
“Last year he was
good, but not at the level he is now,” Souloy said. “I think now he is much
better than last year. The only negative point is that he might be a little
down because it is the end of the season.
“(But) this year
we changed his training; he trained in the deep sand and he gets so much
better. He’s much better this year.”
The last invited
foreign horse to win the Breeders Crown Open Trot was Italian sensation
Varenne, who captured the trophy with a then-world-record 1:51.1 at the
Meadowlands.
“It’s very
important, if you can win a Breeders Crown,” Martens said. “It’s something like
the Elitlopp. (Winning) the Elitlopp was a big moment, but after that race it’s
the Breeders Crown in Canada, otherwise we don’t come back here. It was great
last year. We were so happy with the third place, and I think this year I can
do a little bit better.”
To watch a video
with Commander Crowe and his connections, click here.
