HP Paque Trots To Breeders Crown Winners Circle

Harness Racing Communications, a division of the USTA

HP Paque (Brian Sears) inherited the lead and kept it in the $800,000 Breeders Crown Open Trot on Saturday night at The Meadowlands after two leaders, first War Paint and then Elegant Man, made breaks in the stretch.

USTA Photo

Owner Timo Panula and driver Brian Sears hoist the Breeders Crown trophy after HP Paque’s win the in the $800,000 Open Trot.

War Paint (John Campbell) was on the lead at the :27.2 quarter, :55 half and 1:23 three quarters, with Fool’s Goal (Jack Moiseyev) grinding first over on the outside into the final turn and Legendary Lover K tipping three wide. War Paint, still leading at the head of the stretch, made a break and ran inside the pylons, leaving the lead to Elegant Man. He held the lead for several strides and then also made a break, leaving the lead and the win, in a career best 1:52.2, to HP Paque by a length.

“He’s a really handy horse,” Sears said. “He’s got high speed on both ends of it. I just stepped him out of there and got a good trip. It just worked out. I was fortunate enough not to get tangled up with John when he did go off stride. The horse fired home good. He’s a real nice horse. He’s a classy horse and deserves every bit of it.”

Legendary Lover K (Mike Lachance), the American-bred horse now racing in Europe, was second, a length back, and Bebop (Trond Smedshammer) was third. Behind them were Fool’s Goal (Jack Moiseyev) and Cosington (Trevor Ritchie) got the final check. Owned by Timo Panula, a bloodstock agent who is a native of Finland and August Frederik Miedel, HP Paque is trained by Smedshammer.

“It’s a dream come true to win the Breeders Crown,” Panula said.

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