by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

East Rutherford, NJ — Le Grand Blond — European star Commander Crowe — provided a grand finale to Saturday’s eight Breeders Crown races, winning the $500,000 Open Trot by three-quarters of a length over favorite Maven in a stakes-record-equaling 1:51 at the Meadowlands.

An 11-year-old chestnut, Commander Crowe became the oldest Breeders Crown champion in history. Foiled Again, who won last season’s Breeders Crown Open Pace at the age of 9, held the record for oldest winner.

USTA/Mark Hall photo

Commander Crowe won the Breeders Crown Open Trot over Maven in a stakes-record-equaling 1:51.

The Swedish-born Commander Crowe, who has won 61 of 106 career races and earned $5.09 million, captured his first Breeders Crown after third-place finishes in 2011 and 2012 at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto. His earnings rank No. 4 among all trotters in history and his triumphs include the Elitlopp Invitational, which he captured in 2012.

Maven, who was trying to become the first mare since Moni Maker in 1998 to win the Breeders Crown Open Trot, raced on the outside from the half-mile point, closing from fourth to second, but getting no nearer. Creatine finished third, followed by Flanagan Memory.

Creatine led Archangel by a nose at the first quarter, reached in :27, but Commander Crowe — who started from post nine — moved from third to first by the time the field hit the half in :54.4. Commander Crowe brought the group to three-quarters in 1:22.4 and remained in front to the wire.

Commander Crowe, trained by Fabrice Souloy, entered the Breeders Crown off a second-place finish to Natural Herbie in the International Trot Preview on Oct. 25 at Yonkers Raceway, which was his first start on U.S. soil. He tuned up for the Breeders Crown with a 1:54.1 qualifier on Nov. 15 at the Meadowlands.

Prior to arriving in the States, he finished second in the Grade 1 Gran Premio Turilli in Rome on Oct. 5. In August, he raced three heats to win the Grade 1 Aby Stora Pris in Sweden.

“He’s quite old now so it was about time,” Commander Crowe’s driver Orjan Kihlstrom said. “He shipped very good this time; he had some problems with that before but this time was good.

“I tried to keep them behind me. He’s a very tough horse, and still at this age can do a lot of work. He’s just a fantastic horse.”

Commander Crowe, who didn’t begin racing until late in his 3-year-old season and won the first 23 starts of his career, is owned by the Snogarps Gard ownership group of Barbro Wihlborg, Ulf Wihlborg and Joakim Wihlborg. He is a son of Juliano Star, out of the Mack Lobell-sired mare Somack.