The Breeders Crown Open Pace is a

harness racing Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australia ...

event for

Standardbred The Standardbred is an American horse breed best known for its ability in harness racing where they compete at either a trot or pace. Developed in North America, the Standardbred is recognized worldwide, and the breed can trace its bloodline ...

pacers. It is one part of the

Breeders Crown The Breeders Crown is an annual series of harness races in the United States and Canada covering each of the sport's twelve traditional categories of age, gait and gender. The series was initiated by the Hambletonian Society, promoters of the Hamb ...

annual series of twelve races for both Standardbred pacers and trotters. The Open Pace for horses age four and older was first run in 1985. It is contested over a distance of one mile. Race organizers have awarded the event to various racetracks across

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

Historical race events

At the

Meadowlands Racetrack The Meadowlands Racetrack (currently referred to as Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment) is a horse racing track at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. The track hosts both tho ...

in 2009, Won The West set the Open Pace record time of 1:47 flat which was the fastest pacing mile in the entire Breeders Crown series until 2023.Breeders Crown: 31 Years of Statistics
Retrieved November 5, 2016 Bulldog Hanover, who had broken the record for the fastest ever mile time for a Standardbred previously in the season, broke the Breeders Crown record in the 2023 edition of the race. He went on to be the first unanimous Horse of the Year.

North American locations

Track & Abbreviation -- State/Province -- times hosted

(Mxx)

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

(14) * Mohawk Raceway (Moh)

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

(5) *

Woodbine Racetrack Woodbine Racetrack is a race track for Thoroughbred horse racing in the Etobicoke area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Woodbine Entertainment Group, Woodbine Racetrack manages and hosts Canada's most famous race, the King's Plate. The track ...

(Wdb) Ontario (4) *

Hoosier Park Harrah's Hoosier Park Racing & Casino is a racino including a standardbred racetrack located in Anderson, Indiana, approximately 30 miles northeast of Indianapolis. It is owned and operated by Eldorado Resorts, Caesars Entertainment. The facility ...

(HoP)

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

(3) *

Pocono Downs Mohegan Pennsylvania is a racino located in Plains Township on the outskirts of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. It is owned and operated by Mohegan, the gaming and entertainment arm of the Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut. The facility includes over 2,3 ...

(Pcd)

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

(2) *

Freehold Raceway Freehold Raceway was a half-mile () harness racetrack in Freehold, New Jersey. At the time of its closure in December 2024, it was the oldest racetrack in the United States. History Horse races have been taking place at Freehold Raceway sin ...

(Fhl) New Jersey (2) *

The Meadows Racetrack The Hollywood Casino at The Meadows, formerly The Meadows Racetrack and Casino, originally (1963) just The Meadows horse-racing track, is a Standardbred harness-racing track and slot-machine casino which is located in North Strabane Township, ...

(Mea) Pennsylvania (1) *

Pompano Park Harrah's Pompano Beach, formerly Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park and Pompano Park, is a casino and former standardbred harness racing track in Pompano Beach, Florida, owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment. Pompano Park opened in 1964. It wa ...

(Ppk)

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

(1) *

Scioto Downs Eldorado Gaming Scioto Downs, formerly known as Scioto Downs Racino, is a horse racing track and casino in Columbus, Ohio, owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment. The venue opened in 1959, as the Scioto Downs track, and became Ohio's first ...

(Scd) Ohio (1) *

Roosevelt Raceway Roosevelt Raceway was a race track located just outside the village of Westbury on Long Island, New York. Initially created as a venue for the 1936 Vanderbilt Cup auto race, it was converted to a ½-mile harness racing facility (the actual ci ...

(Rr)

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

(1) *

Los Alamitos Race Course Los Alamitos Race Course is a horse racing track in Cypress, California. The track hosts both thoroughbred and quarter horse racing. The track has the distinction of holding four quarter horse stakes races with purses over $1 million, more than ...

(Lrc)

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

(1) * Freestate Raceway (Fsr)

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

(1) * Northfield Park (Nfl)

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

(1)

Records

; Most wins by a driver: * 5 – Michel Lachance (1985, 1989, 1991, 1997, 2000), John Campbell (1992, 2002, 2003, 2011, 2014) ; Most wins by a trainer: * 4 – Robert McIntosh (1991, 1992, 1993, 2014) ; Stakes record: * 1:46 4/5 – Bulldog Hanover (2023)

Winners of the Breeders Crown Open Pace

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Breeders Crown Open Pace Recurring sporting events established in 1985 Harness racing in the United States Harness racing in Canada Breeders Crown Racing series for horses Horse races in New York (state) Horse races in New Jersey Horse races in Pennsylvania Horse races in Ohio Horse races in Florida Horse races in California Horse races in Maryland Horse races in Indiana Horse races in Ontario 1985 establishments in North America