Wilkes-Barre, PA —– Racing his most impressive mile of the season, Dorsoduro Hanover stormed to the lead and continued to draw off to a 4-1/4 length win in 1:49.4 on the “sloppy” surface of The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono on Saturday (Oct. 27) in the $530,000 Breeders Crown 3-year-old colt pace final.

Dorsoduro Hanover paces home over Lather Up to become a Breeders Crown winner. Salonick photo.

It was a wild shuffle from the start as This Is The Plan left best early, only to be hunted down while struggling in a :26.1 first quarter. The pace was forced early as American History took a shot on the outside as Thinkbig Dreambig challenged to get a strong position and Grand Teton was poised to move.

The :53.4 half was burning some horseflesh, so Matt Kakaley steered Dorsoduro Hanover around them all, taking the lead on his outside brush and blasting through three-quarters in 1:21.3. The other giant move was coming down for Lather Up, who went three-wide to pass the early battling group.

Once on the engine, however, Dorsoduro Hanover used all six cylinders to repel all others except Lather Up, who was relentlessly forging down the stretch, though futilely, after Dorsoduro Hanover.

The smashing victory, a sub-1:50 mile in the muck, saw Dorsoduro Hanover finish far ahead of Lather Up, who took second passing a tired, stuffed-on-the-inside This Is The Plan. Shnitzledosomethin managed to get fourth.

Ron Burke trains the sophomore colt by Somebeachsomewhere-Deer Valley Miss. Burke Racing Stable, Silva, Purnel & Libby, Weaver Bruscemi and Wingfield Five own Dorsoduro Hanover. Hanover Shoe Farms bred the winner.

It was the 10th win in 18 starts this season for Dorsoduro Hanover, who paid $6.00 to win.

“I’m proud of him,” said driver Montrell Teague of runner-up Lather Up. “He definitely surprised me because he usually doesn’t come off the pace. Usually when he’s two wide the whole time, he kind of runs in. But he was following the horse perfect this time. I’m very happy with that. It could have been way worse. At one point we were three wide. Everybody was moving nonstop and nobody really sat and had any strategy, so I did the same thing.

“I’m pleased with second. Coming from the eight hole you have to look at it in perspective, so from the eight hole it’s like a win being second. But everybody wants to win the Breeders Crown. I haven’t won that one yet; I keep coming in second. It’s better than nothing.”