ANDERSON, Ind. — The nation’s finest pacers and trotters will assemble for the 37th running of the Breeders’ Crown on Oct. 30 and 31 at Harrah’s Hoosier Park in Anderson. While visitors will be limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the action on the track is expected to be at its best. 

The Breeders Crown is a $6 million championship series designed to decide year-end awards and draws the year’s best Standardbred racehorses from across North America to compete. The event brings together the greatest harness racing equine athletes in the world as they square off in different age divisions based on the horses’ sex and gait (trot or pace). 

“Our team at Harrah’s Hoosier Park remains focused on hosting a highly-successful Breeders Crown, in partnership with the Hambletonian Society, the Indiana Standardbred Association and the Indiana Horse Racing Commission,” said Vice President and General Manager of Racing, Rick Moore. “We will once again execute a top-notch, two-night event to decide year-end honors for the best harness racing athletes in North America.”

The Breeders’ Crown series was initiated by the Hambletonian Society, promoters of the Hambletonian Stakes, in 1984 to enhance the Standardbred breeding industry and to promote the sport of harness racing by providing a lucrative high profile championship race in each of these categories. The annual races for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings and three-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 the continent. After a 1998 appearance at the then-new Colonial Downs near Richmond, Va., the series has generally rotated between The Meadowlands, near New York City; Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; and the Greater Toronto Area’s two tracks, Woodbine Racetrack and Mohawk Racetrack. 

One notable running in this year’s edition is the unbeaten Party Girl Hill. Trained by Chris Ryder, the filly is 13-for-13 heading into the Three-Year-Old Harness Racing Pacing Fillies final and could be in contention for Horse of the Year. If she does get the distinction, she would be one of only 17 females to receive the title. The last two Horse of the Year honorees who were undefeated were also ladies — and they did so back to back — Bee A Magician in 2013 and J K She’s A Lady the next year.

Another in the running for Horse of the Year is Tall Dark Stranger, who will be making his 22nd career start in the final of the Breeders Crown. In the elimination round on Oct. 24, Tall Dark Stranger posted his eighth consecutive victory in the Three-Year-Old Colt Pace elimination round. Cattlewash, another to watch in that final, matched the all-age track record of 1:47 2/5 in his elimination round.

Hoosier Park’s standard first race post time is 6:30 pm ET. First Post for Breeders Crown nights (Oct. 30 and 31) will be 6 p.m. This will be the second time that Hoosier Park has hosted the event, with its first coming in 2017. 

Races and post positions can be found at https://www.caesars.com/harrahs-hoosier-park/racing/breederscrown