BREEDERS CROWN TRAINER BIOS
JOHN ACKLEY
Born: 8/7/1953 – Birthplace: Washington Court House, OH – Resides: Washington C.H., OH
John Ackley, 67, appeared in his first Breeders Crown in 2019. He finished ninth in the final for 2-year-old male pacers with Catch The Fire.
In August, Catch The Fire won the Delvin Miller Adios at The Meadows.
Ackley’s stable has set a career high in 2020 with nearly $600,000 in purses. For his career, Ackley has won more than 300 races and $3 million in purses.
Prior to training horses, Ackley spent 20 years as a forklift operator.
TONY ALAGNA
Born: 6/8/1972 – Birthplace: Champaign, IL – Resides: Manalapan, NJ
Tony Alagna, 48, has won six Breeders Crown finals. In 2019, he won three trophies and became the fourth trainer ever to win three or more in a year, joining Jimmy Takter, Ron Burke, and Bob McIntosh. Alagna’s victories were with Ramona Hill in the 2-year-old filly trot, Reflect With Me in the 2-year-old filly pace, and American History in the Open Pace.
Ramona Hill was a Dan Patch Award winner.
Alagna’s prior triumphs were with 2-year-old male pacer Stay Hungry in 2017, 3-year-old male pacer Racing Hill in 2016, and 3-year-old male pacer Captaintreacherous in 2013.
Captaintreacherous was Pacer of the Year in 2012 and 2013. “The Captain” became the first pacer to win that honor in consecutive years since Jenna’s Beach Boy in 1995-96 and joined Niatross as the only horses to accomplish the feat at ages 2 and 3 since the award was first given in 1970.
This past August, Alagna watched Ramona Hill become the 15th filly trotter in history to beat the boys in the Hambletonian, the sport’s premier race for 3-year-old trotters. In September, his Captain Barbossa won the Little Brown Jug for 3-year-old pacers. Alagna became the first trainer to win the Hambletonian and Little Brown Jug in the same year since Billy Haughton in 1974.
A native of Illinois, Alagna followed his mom, Donna Lee, into the sport. He had a pony at the age of 3, was reading up on pedigrees at 9, and solely responsible for his first horse at 10. Soon after graduating from high school, Alagna was assisting his mom with her stable.
He later worked for trainer Brian Pinske and, after getting a degree from Florida’s Seminole College, as private trainer for Fox Valley Standardbreds in Illinois. He next spent six years as the top assistant to trainer Erv Miller, where he worked with Breeders Crown champions Lis Mara and Shark Gesture.
Alagna started his own stable in 2009 and has won more than 1,500 races and $48 million in purses. In 2019, he finished second among all trainers in North America with a career-best $5.99 million in purses. He is third in earnings this season, with nearly $5 million.
CHRIS BEAVER
Born: 3/4/1972 – Birthplace: Columbus, OH – Resides: Radnor, OH
Chris Beaver, 48, is seeking his first Breeders Crown trophy. He has finished second twice, with 3-year-old male trotter Triumphant Caviar in 2009 and with 2-year-old male trotter Moonshiner Hanover in 2016.
Beaver was 23 when he bought the horse that changed his life. Her name was Raging Samantha and Beaver and his mother, Johanna, purchased the future stakes-winning trotter at a yearling auction in 1995 for $9,500. A graduate of Stetson University, Beaver had been thinking about heading to veterinary school, but he became fully immersed in racing thanks to Raging Samantha and her exploits.
His family has been involved in harness racing since the mid-1950s. Beaver’s grandfather, Henry, got the family started and his father, Charlie, enjoyed success as a trainer (and owned several horses with the late Academy Award-winning actor Don Ameche).
Beaver has won more than 1,100 races and $23 million in purses lifetime. He set a career high for purses in 2019, with $2.95 million.
BRETT BITTLE
Born: 5/3/1964 – Birthplace: Frederick, MD – Resides: Allentown, NJ
Brett Bittle, 66, won the Breeders Crown for 2-year-old filly pacers with Yankee Cashmere in 1994. The horse was bred by his family’s Yankeeland Farms and owned by his uncle Charles Keller III, Charles “Chaz” Keller IV, and Dan Bittle.
Bittle finished second in the 2014 Breeders Crown final for 2-year-old male trotters with Muscle Diamond.
For his career, Bittle, who starts an average of around 100 horses per year, is nearing 500 wins. He has $9 million in purses. He won the 2002 Hambletonian Oaks with Windylane Hanover, who was a Dan Patch Award winner as an older mare.
Charles Keller III is in the Harness Racing Hall of Fame. Yankeeland Farms was started by his father, Charles “King Kong” Keller, following a standout baseball career with the New York Yankees.
When he was a child, Bittle’s grandfather bought him a pony and launched his interest in horses. Bittle’s first love was riding but he became more interested in harness racing while working at Yankeeland Farms when in high school. During the summers while home from college, he worked for a local training stable and decided to become a trainer.
LUC BLAIS
Born: 2/21/1962 – Birthplace: Quebec – Resides: Campbellville, Ontario
Luc Blais, 58, has won three Breeders Crown finals, including two editions of the Mare Trot with Emoticon Hanover (2017 and 2018). She finished second in the 2019 Mare Trot and finished second in the 2016 final for 3-year-old female trotters.
His other Crown triumph came with Intimidate in the 2012 Breeders Crown for 3-year-old male trotters.
Blais set a career high in 2019 with $2.14 million in purses. His stable was led by Forbidden Trade, who won the Hambletonian and was named Canada’s Horse of the Year.
For his career, Blais has won 930 races and $17 million in purses.
Blais got hooked on racing at an early age, watching his father, a salesman, race his own horses on the Quebec fair circuit. After spending time in banking and construction, Blais pursued his passion and got involved full time in racing.
He worked for several stables, including Canadian Hall of Famer Yves Filion’s Bayama Farms, before going on his own. He now trains for information-technology mogul Serge Godin’s Determination stable.
BRIAN BROWN
Born: 9/27/1964 – Birthplace: Upper Sandusky, OH – Resides: Ostrander, OH
Brian Brown, 56, has won two Breeders Crown finals, with Blazin Britches in the 2017 3-year-old filly pace and Color’s A Virgin in the 2015 Mare Pace.
Brown was named 2017 Trainer of the Year by the U.S. Harness Writers Association after setting career highs for wins with 151 and purses with $5.79 million. He became the first trainer in 13 years to have two 3-year-old male pacers each win $1 million in the same year when Downbytheseaside and Fear The Dragon led the sport in earnings with $1.60 million and $1.35 million, respectively.
Downbytheseaside won the Dan Patch Award as the sport’s best 3-year-old male pacer and was joined as a Dan Patch Award winner by the Brown-trained Blazin Britches, who was named the top 3-year-old female pacer. Brown was the first trainer to hit that double since 1995 when Joe Holloway did it with Jenna’s Beach Boy and She’s A Great Lady.
His stable is on its way to topping $2 million for the seventh consecutive year. For his career, he has won nearly 1,700 races and $28 million in purses.
Brown spent his childhood summers watching his father Robert H. Brown and uncle William Brown campaign horses around Ohio. He fulfilled his dream to become a driver in 1981 at the age of 16 and won nearly 250 races over the ensuing decade but turned his attention to training in the early 1990s.
He is based at the Delaware County Fairgrounds in central Ohio, where he operates a stable with assistance from his wife Jennifer and other family members.
RON BURKE
Born: 10/16/1969 – Birthplace: Washington, PA – Resides: Canonsburg, PA
Ron Burke, 51, leads active trainers in Breeders Crown trophies with 17. Overall, he ranks second behind Jimmy Takter’s 34 wins in finals. Burke’s most recent victory came in 2019 with 3-year-old filly pacer Warrawee Ubeaut.
Burke won three finals in 2018 with 3-year-old male pacer Dorsoduro Hanover, 3-year-old filly pacer Percy Bluechip, and 2-year-old filly pacer Warrawee Ubeaut. He also won three trophies in 2017, including with mare Hannelore Hanover beating the boys in the Open Trot. Hannelore Hanover was Horse of the Year in both the U.S. and Canada in 2017.
Burke’s other Breeders Crown champions included Foiled Again in the 2013 Open Pace at Pocono. The now retired Foiled Again is the sport’s all-time leading money-winner with $7.63 million.
Burke took over the family’s training stable from his father Mickey, the 2006 Trainer of the Year, in late 2008 and pushed the operation’s success to record-setting heights. He is in the process of leading all trainers in wins for the 12th consecutive year. He has won no fewer than 762 races a year since 2009 and topped 1,000 victories three times, with 1,090 in 2013, 1,093 in 2014, and 1,013 in 2018. He is the only trainer in history to win 1,000 times in a season.
Already the sport’s all-time leader in training wins, Burke got career victory 11,000 on Sept. 7 at The Meadows. Only one other trainer, Virgil Morgan Jr., has surpassed 6,700.
Burke also is in the process of leading all trainers in purses for the 12th straight season. His $247 million in lifetime earnings top all trainers in history. He has surpassed $20 million each of the past seven years, including a record $28.4 million in 2014. He is the only trainer in history to reach $20 million in a season.
He was named Trainer of the Year in 2011, 2013, and 2018.
In addition to Burke’s success as a trainer, Burke Racing was named Owner of the Year (with partners Mark Weaver and Mike Bruscemi) in 2013 and 2018.
TAHNEE CAMILLERI
Born: 11/25/1986 – Birthplace: Sydney, Australia – Resides: Freehold, NJ
Tahnee Camilleri, 33, made her Breeders Crown debut in 2019 and won the 3-year-old colt-and-gelding pace with Dancin Lou.
Camilleri gave up a career as a lawyer in Australia to pursue harness racing in North America. Last year was her first full season and she won 30 races and $914,522 in purses.
Although she did not grow up in a racing family, Camilleri always loved horses. She had a riding horse, but she had to give it up at the age of 15 when her family moved from the country to the city. However, her new home was near a harness racing training stable and she offered to work there for free just to be around the horses. She got hooked.
Camilleri worked as a groom while studying for her law degree. In 2009, she put her studies on hold to bring a group of horses to the U.S. and train them. After a year, she returned to Australia and completed her degree. She worked as a lawyer for five years, but determined her passion was racing and changed careers.
JIM CAMPBELL
Born: 3/9/1962 – Birthplace: London, Ontario – Resides: Jackson, NJ
Jim Campbell, 58, has won four Breeders Crown finals, most recently in 2016 with 3-year-old female trotter Broadway Donna.
His first Crown came with 3-year-old female pacer Galleria in 1998. Two-year-old male trotter Broadway Hall gave Campbell his second trophy in 2002 and 3-year-old female trotter Broadway Schooner, the dam of Broadway Donna, followed in 2009.
All four of Campbell’s Breeders Crown winners were Dan Patch Award winners.
Throughout his career, Campbell has trained a number of stakes-winning horses for Jules Siegel’s Fashion Farms. Siegel and his wife Arlene, who passed away in 2010, were the sports Owners of the Year in 2002 and 2009. Jules was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 2018. Arlene was elected to the Hall of Immortals in 2019.
In 2019, Campbell’s stable earned $3.13 million in purses despite making only 265 starts. Going back nearly 30 years, only three other trainers (Gene Riegle in 1992, Jimmy Takter in 2000 and Greg Peck in 2009) made fewer than 300 starts in a year and earned more than $3 million in purses. Campbell is the only one in the group to accomplish the feat without a horse in his stable reaching $1 million.
For his career, Campbell has won more than 1,300 races and $47 million in purses.
Campbell followed his father, Jack, and grandfather, Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Famer Dunc Campbell, into harness racing. His brother, John, became the president/CEO of the Hambletonian Society in 2017 following a Hall of Fame driving career. John holds the record for Breeders Crown trophies, with 48.
JEFF CULLIPHER
Born: 9/30/1971 – Birthplace: Henderson, KY – Resides: Pendleton, IN
Jeff Cullipher, 49, is seeking his first Breeders Crown trophy. Cullipher, who made his Crown debut in 2017, has had three finalists.
Cullipher’s stable established career highs in 2019 with 186 wins and nearly $3.41 million in purses. He tied with Jamie Macomber for the most training wins at Harrah’s Hoosier Park in 2017 and won the title outright in 2018 and 2019.
His stable has grown in recent years with owner Tom Pollack. Cullipher has won more than 700 races lifetime, with 500 of those victories coming since the start of 2017. He has more than $10 million in purses lifetime.
Cullipher followed his father Roger, who has 2,600 wins as a driver and nearly 1,000 as a trainer, into the sport.
NOEL DALEY
Born: 12/18/1961 – Birthplace: Mount Isa, Australia – Resides: Chesterfield, NJ
Noel Daley, 58, has been part of numerous Breeders Crown wins. He won several trophies as a second trainer for Brett Pelling’s stable in the mid-to-late 1990s and has captured a total of eight trophies (with assistance from Mike Vanderkemp and Brendan Johnson) since starting his own stable.
His stable won its first Crown with 3-year-old male trotter Mr Muscleman in 2003. His most recent victory came with 3-year-old female trotter Cedar Dove in 2011.
Daley is from Australia and worked for an airline before making his name in harness racing. Daley has won 2,600 races and $62 million in purses.
At the end of the 2018 season, Daley returned to Australia to train horses but decided the change of scenery wasn’t for him and came back to the U.S. in the fall of 2019.
Stars from Daley’s stable include three-time Dan Patch Award-winner Mr Muscleman, who was the 2005 Trotter of the Year, and two-time Dan Patch honoree My Little Dragon, a female pacer. My Little Dragon was a three-time Breeders Crown winner, sharing the all-time record for a pacer, and Mr Muscleman was a two-time Crown champ.
In July 2017, Mr Muscleman was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame.
DYLAN DAVIS
Born: 5/25/1977 – Birthplace: Rutland, VT – Resides: Viola, DE
Dylan Davis, 43, has appeared in three Breeders Crown finals. His best finish came in 2017 when he was second with 2-year-old male pacer Shnitzledosomethin.
In 2018, Shnitzledosomethin won his elimination and finished fourth in the final for 3-year-old male pacers. Davis also won an elim in 2006 with 2-year-old male pacer Artzina. He finished third in the final.
Davis, who was brought up in harness racing by stepfather John “Tink” Lare and stepbrother Kevin Lare, has won multiple training titles at Dover Downs in Delaware. He also ranks among the all-time leaders in career wins at Delaware’s Harrington Raceway.
For his career, Davis has won more than 2,100 races and $24 million in purses. He has won at least $1 million for 15 consecutive years, including this season.
PER ENGBLOM
Born: 2/12/1980 – Birthplace: Viby, Sweden – Resides: East Windsor, NJ
Per Engblom, 40, made his Breeders Crown debut in 2019 and had five finalists. His best finish came with Synergy in the 2-year-old colt-and-gelding trot. Synergy won his elimination and was fifth in the final. Two-year-old filly trotter Ms Savannah Belle also was an elim winner. She finished seventh in her final.
Engblom started his own stable in 2019 after spending six years as the top assistant to Hall of Fame trainer Jimmy Takter. The Takter Stable won 19 of its record 34 Breeders Crown trophies during that time frame.
Last year, Engblom won 72 races and $2.81 million in purses.
Engblom grew up in Mantorp, Sweden, which is also Takter’s birthplace. Both men began their careers at the local racetrack, which was started by a group that included Engblom’s grandfather, Bengt Engblom. Per Engblom’s father, Raoul, also is a trainer.
This is Enblom’s second stint in the U.S. He was 19 when he came to the States for the first time. His sister, Pernilla, worked for Takter and the stable needed additional help. Engblom worked as a groom for two years before assisting with training for another three years. He then returned home to Sweden, where he was the private trainer for Stall Tilly, and later worked in Italy before starting his own public stable.
At the beginning of 2012, Engblom and his wife, Helene, decided to move to the U.S. with their then 4-year-old son, Tom, who was ready to start school. Engblom worked for a year with trainer Tony Alagna before returning to the Takter Stable, where Helene joined him.
MARK HARDER
Born: 11/12/1961 – Birthplace: Wellington, New Zealand – Resides: Freehold, NJ
Mark Harder, 58, got his first Breeders Crown in 2018 with 3-year-old filly trotter Lily Stride.
Harder has won nearly 2,100 races. His stable is enjoying its 20th consecutive season with at least $1 million in purses. He has won $47 million in purses in his career.
He grew up in New Zealand, where his parents owned a kiwi and avocado orchard. Harder thought he would go to college to earn a degree in agriculture, but instead got the horse bug and started working with horses after finishing high school.
After arriving in North America, he worked for several horsemen before launching his own stable in 2000. Four years later, he won the training title at the Meadowlands and saw his stable earn $6.85 million in purses. Among his highlights that season was Holborn Hanover winning the Meadowlands Pace at odds of 58-1.
Following the 2005 campaign, Harder decided to reduce the size of his stable. After starting more than 1,100 horses annually from 2002-2005, he has not topped 630 in any year since.
JOE HOLLOWAY
Born: 9/17/1956 – Birthplace: Wilmington, DE – Resides: Freehold, NJ
Joe Holloway, 64, has trained the winners of seven Breeders Crown finals, led by three-time champion Jenna’s Beach Boy, who was victorious in 1994, 1995 and 1996. Jenna’s Beach Boy is the only male pacer in history to win more than two Breeders Crown finals and the only pacer to win three in a row. He was voted Pacer of the Year in 1995 and 1996.
Holloway’s most recent Crown came in 2015 with 3-year-old filly pacer Divine Caroline. His remaining wins came with pacing mare She’s A Great Lady in 1996, 2-year-old male pacer Badlands Hanover in 1998, and 2-year-old filly pacer Lady MacBeach in 2000.
He finished second with 2-year-old filly pacer Zero Tolerance in 2018.
Holloway was named Trainer of the Year in 1995 by the U.S. Harness Writers Association.
In 2019, he was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame.
His stable, which rarely makes more than 200 starts each year, has won more than 1,000 races in his career and $34 million in purses.
A native of Wilmington, Del., Holloway graduated from the University of Delaware in 1978 with a degree in animal science. He turned his attention, though, to harness racing and began his career racing at Brandywine. Prior to starting his own stable in 1988, he teamed with David Rovine for one of the top stables at the Meadowlands.
JIM KING JR.
Born: 2/16/1952 – Birthplace: Milford, DE – Resides: Harrington, DE
Jim King Jr., 68, won his first Breeders Crown title in 2018 with Shartin N in the Mare Pace. In 2019, he had second-place finishes with Shartin N in the Mare Pace and Lyons Sentinel in the 2-year-old filly pace.
Shartin N was the 2019 Horse of the Year. In 2018, she became the first pacing mare in harness racing history to earn $1 million in a season and finished second to pacing stallion McWicked for Horse of the Year.
King received the 2019 Good Guy Award from the U.S. Harness Writers Association. His wife, Jo Ann, who for years shared training duties, got the award in 2015.
Jim won more than 3,300 races and $25 million in purses as a driver, but his focus is now on training. As a trainer, he has more than 1,100 victories and $19 million in purses.
He set career training highs of 168 wins and $4.27 million in purses in 2019. He ranked ninth in North America in purses last season. He is 10th this year, with $2.23 million.
Jo Ann also was an accomplished driver. She was the first female driver to win a race at the Meadowlands and won 135 times in the late 1970s through early-1980s. She has more than 235 wins as a trainer.
ANETTE LORENTZON
Born: 5/24/1983 – Birthplace: Vanjo, Sweden – Resides: Paris, KY
Anette Lorentzon, 37, is looking for her first Breeders Crown trophy. Guardian Angel AS won his Open Trot elimination in 2018 and finished fourth in the final. Last year, Guardian Angel AS finished eighth in the Open Trot final.
Lorentzon also won an elimination in 2006 with 2-year-old filly trotter Adelaide Hanover, who finished third in the final.
Prior to starting her own stable, Lorentzon worked briefly for trainer Jimmy Takter and later for Trond Smedshammer when she arrived in the U.S. from Sweden. She trains now mainly for her family’s ACL Stuteri AB stable.
Lorentzon set career highs in 2019 with 160 wins and $2.98 million in purses.
She is assisted by her sister, Anna.
JAMIE MACOMBER
Born: 8/29/1979 – Birthplace: Zanesville, OH – Resides: Fishers, IN
Jamie Macomber, 41, won the Breeders Crown for 3-year-old male pacers in 2017 with Beckhams Z Tam, who was driven by her husband Ricky.
Macomber shared the 2017 training title at Hoosier Park with Jeff Cullipher.
For her career, Macomber has won nearly 500 races and $6 million in purses. Prior to starting her own stable in 2016, she handled Ron Burke’s Indiana-stabled horses.
BOB McINTOSH
Born: 8/11/1952 – Birthplace: Ontario – Resides: Windsor, Ontario
Bob McIntosh, 68, ranks third all time in Breeders Crown trophies with 16. His most recent came in 2014 with Thinking Out Loud in the Open Pace.
McIntosh is a member of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame and the U.S. Harness Racing Hall of Fame. He is fourth on the all-time money list for trainers in North America, with $102 million in Canadian earnings, and sixth in wins with more than 4,400.
He was Canada’s Trainer of the Year in 1991, 1992, 1998 and 2008. He received the U.S. Trainer of the Year honor in 1992 and 2001. He was Canada’s Breeder of the Year in 2007, 2010, 2012 and 2014.
His many stars include Horse of the Year Award winners Artsplace (1992) and Staying Together (1993). Both were Breeders Crown champions.
McIntosh first began in the business helping his father Jack run the family stable. Later, McIntosh worked for his older brother Doug’s stable before branching out on his own.
MARCUS MELANDER
Born: 7/1/1992 – Birthplace: Sweden – Resides: New Egypt, NJ
Marcus Melander, 28, has won two Breeders Crown trophies, both with male trotter Gimpanzee, who was victorious at age 2 in 2018 and again last year at 3. He was the 2018 Dan Patch Award winner for best 2-year-old male trotter.
Gimpanzee finished runner-up to stablemate Greenshoe for Dan Patch honors in 2019. Greenshoe was named best 3-year-old male trotter and Trotter of the Year. Both earned more than $1 million and Melander became only the second trainer to have two million-dollar-earning trotters in the same division in the same season, joining Jimmy Takter.
Melander was voted 2019 Trainer of the Year by the U.S. Harness Writers Association. He is the youngest trainer to ever receive the award. His stable in 2019 won 86 races and $5.36 million in purses. He ranked fourth in earnings in North America.
In 2018, Melander got the Rising Star Award from the U.S. Harness Writers Association.
Melander’s stable in 2020 has more than $3 million in purses, fifth best in North America.
As a youth growing up in Sweden, Melander stayed up all hours of the night following the results of U.S. harness racing. He was making a name for himself as a driver in Europe but was always fascinated by racing in the States. At age 19, Melander won Sweden’s equivalent to the U.S. Harness Writers Association’s Rising Star Award. He had just more than 100 wins when the Melanders moved to America.
In 2014, the Melanders moved from Stockholm to New Egypt, N.J., to a farm owned previously by Hall of Fame trainer/driver Stanley Dancer. Melander’s younger brother, Mattias, assists with training and drives occasionally. His sister, Mikaela, also assists and is a caretaker.
Melander is the nephew of Stefan Melander, who trained and drove Scarlet Knight to victory in the 2001 Hambletonian. He worked in Sweden for his uncle, and after moving to the U.S. he worked for Jimmy Takter, who is the winningest trainer in Breeders Crown history.
ERV MILLER
Born: 12/11/1966 – Birthplace: Arthur, IL – Resides: Wind Gap, PA
Erv Miller, 53, has won five Breeders Crown finals.
He got his first trophy in 2004 with 2-year-old female pacer Restive Hanover, who was driven by his brother, Andy. He got his most recent trophy in 2016 with 2-year-old female pacer Someomensomewhere, who was driven by his son, Marcus. He is the only trainer in history to win a Breeders Crown with each a brother and son.
Miller won two Crowns in 2006, with Lis Mara in the Breeders Crown Open Pace and with 3-year-old male pacer Shark Gesture.
In 2005, Miller was voted Trainer of the Year by the U.S. Harness Writers Association.
For his career, Miller has won more than 5,600 races, a total that ranks No. 4 in history. He has finished among North America’s Top 10 trainers in wins 15 times in the past 18 years.
He led the sport with $5.71 million in purses in 2006, finished second three times, and has been in the Top 10 for 15 of the past 16 years. He has more than $89 million in lifetime purses, which is in the top five for all trainers in history.
His son, Marcus, was the 2016 Rising Star Award winner and has more than 3,500 victories as a driver. His daughter, Hannah, was the Amateur Driver of the Year in 2015 and 2016.
Miller grew up in an Amish community and was used to being around horses but was unfamiliar with harness racing. He saw his first race at a county fair and was hooked when he won his first matinee race at the age of 16.
JULIE MILLER
Born: 11/20/1972 – Birthplace: Iowa City, Iowa – Resides: Millstone Township, NJ
Julie Miller won the 2009 Breeders Crown Open Trot with Lucky Jim. Her husband, Andy, drove Lucky Jim.
Miller had two second-place finishes in 2018, with Top Flight Angel in the Open Trot and Met’s Hall in the 3-year-old colt-and-gelding trot.
This year, Miller’s stable ranks seventh in purses in North America with nearly $3 million. She has finished among the Top 10 in five of the past six years.
In September, Miller won the inaugural Mohawk Million with Venerate at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Earlier this month, she won the Kentucky Filly Futurity with Love A Good Story.
For her career, she has won nearly 2,000 races and $45 million in purses.
In 2017, Miller was inducted into the Iowa Harness Racing Hall of Fame, where she joined her father, Owen Julius. Miller grew up in Iowa, where her family raced at the county fairs. Miller graduated from Southern Illinois University with a science degree but turned her attention to racing.
After beginning her career in Illinois, Miller moved with her husband, Andy, to the East Coast and became a top trainer at the Meadowlands and on the Grand Circuit.
The Millers’ 22-year-old son Tyler, also known as T.J., started driving in 2018 and has enjoyed success in amateur races.
VIRGIL MORGAN JR.
Born: 11/23/1965 – Birthplace: Columbus, OH – Resides: Grove City, OH
Virgil Morgan Jr., 64, won the 2008 Open Pace with Mister Big, who received the second of his two divisional Dan Patch honors that year.
Morgan finished second in the 2011 Breeders Crown Mare Trot with Action-Broadway.
For his career, Morgan ranks No. 2 all time in wins among trainers, with more than 6,700. He also is in the top 10 for purses, with nearly $60 million.
He led the sport in wins in 2000 and 2002. He has finished second on five occasions and is second in 2020.
Morgan was introduced to the sport by his father, known as “Big Virg,” who was a truck driver and enjoyed spending time with “Little Virg” at the races. When he was 18, Morgan bought his first horse for $800 and sold it three months later for a profit. When Morgan eventually opened his own stable, Big Virg was one of his owners.
RICHARD “NIFTY” NORMAN
Born: 10/21/1960 – Birthplace: New Zealand – Resides: Allentown, NJ
Nifty Norman, 60, has won four Breeders Crown trophies, with the most recent coming in 2019 with 2-year-old male trotter Amigo Volo. Earlier this month, Amigo Volo won the Kentucky Futurity.
He got his first trophy with 2-year-old filly trotter Poof She’s Gone in 2009 and the next two with female trotter Bee A Magician, at age 3 in 2013 and age 4 in 2014. Bee A Magician was Horse of the Year in 2013. She was 17-for-17 and earned $1.54 million. Her earnings were a record for a 3-year-old filly trotter.
Norman’s stable established a career best in 2019 with $4.26 million in purses. He ranked No. 10 among all trainers in North America. This year, Norman has $3 million in purses, which ranks sixth.
For his career, Norman has won more than 1,300 races and $39 million in purses.
A native of New Zealand, where he worked with horses after leaving school, Norman came to California in 1985 to visit his friend, trainer Ross Croghan, and ended up staying to help with Croghan’s stable. He later worked with Brett Pelling before starting his own stable.
BRETT PELLING
Born: 7/17/1958 – Birthplace: Auckland, NZ – Resides: Cream Ridge, NJ
Brett Pelling, 61, has won 11 Breeders Crown trophies, good for fifth place in history. His most recent triumph came in 2019 in the Mare Pace with Caviart Ally.
The victory came upon Pelling’s return to the Breeders Crown stage after an absence of 14 years. Pelling, a New Zealand native, left the U.S. for Australia in 2006 before deciding to come back in 2017 to train horses again.
Prior to Caviart Ally’s win, Pelling’s last Crown came in 2005 when Rocknroll Hanover won the 3-year-old colt pace final on his way to Horse of the Year. Pelling’s stable also produced two-time Breeders Crown champion Armbro Operative, Forever Starlet, Grinfromeartoear, I Am A Fool, Juliet’s Fate, Mystical Maddy, Western Ideal, and Western Terror.
In 1998, Pelling was named Trainer of the Year by the U.S. Harness Writers Association.
He opened his own stable in 1988 and won multiple training titles at the Meadowlands in addition to finding success on the Grand Circuit. He has won more than 1,600 races in his career and $56 million in purses. His purse earnings rank in the top 10 in history.
From 1998 through 2005, Pelling’s stable averaged 155 wins and $5.6 million in purses.
CHRIS RYDER
Born: 10/2/1955 – Birthplace: Greymouth, New Zealand – Resides: Allentown, NJ
Chris Ryder, 65, has won four Breeders Crown finals. He won his first two with Mystical Sunshine, in the 2006 and 2007 Mare Trot, followed by 3-year-old filly pacer Put On A Show in 2010 and 3-year-old filly pacer I Luv The Nitelife in 2013.
In 2019, Ryder appeared in two Crown finals. He finished second with 3-year-old male Bettor’s Wish and third with 3-year-old filly pacer Stonebridge Soul. Bettor’s Wish led the sport in earnings in 2019 with $1.64 million and was a Dan Patch Award division winner.
Ryder grew up in New Zealand and began riding ponies at the age of 10. His father was a dairy farmer who later worked at a stable and trained horses. Ryder worked for his father and older brother, who had a stable, before a stint in Montreal as a groom.
He came to the U.S. when his wife, Nicola, got a job in the New York area. Ryder worked several odd jobs before turning to training on a fulltime basis.
Ryder has won nearly 1,600 races and $43 million in purses.
TROND SMEDSHAMMER
Born: 3/22/1967 – Birthplace: Norway – Resides: Allentown, NJ
Trond Smedshammer, 53, won the 2019 Breeders Crown for 3-year-old filly trotters with Winndevie, upping his career total for trophies to nine.
He got his first with 3-year-old filly trotter Stroke Play in 2003. His other Crown winners included trotter Arch Madness, a two-time O’Brien Award winner and the richest Canadian-sired Standardbred in history, with $4.32 million.
Stroke Play was a Dan Patch Award winner as were Smedshammer’s trophy winners Housethatruthbuilt, Blur, and Sand Vic. His remaining Crown champs were H P Paque, Strong Yankee, and Break The Bank K.
Smedshammer is one of six trainers to win at least two Breeders Crown finals in multiple years, with Jimmy Takter, Bob McIntosh, Ron Burke, Steve Elliott and Brett Pelling.
A native of Norway, Smedshammer arrived in the U.S. in 1987 after a mandatory year in the Norwegian Army. He worked for trainer Per Henriksen for six months before heading back home, where he continued to train horses. A year later, he returned to the States and worked at Lindy Farms. In 1992, he started his own stable.
Smedshammer trained and drove 2004 Trotting Triple Crown winner Windsong’s Legacy and was named Trainer of the Year.
For his career, Smedshammer has won more than 1,200 races as a trainer and more than 680 races as a driver. As a trainer he has won nearly $50 million in purses.
AKE SVANSTEDT
Born: 11/18/1958 – Birthplace: Sweden – Resides: Columbus, NJ
Ake Svanstedt, 60, is seeking his first Breeders Crown trophy.
He has finished second on five occasions, twice with Resolve in the Open Trot, in 2015 and 2016, and twice with Ice Attraction, in 2017 in the 3-year-old filly trot and 2018 in the Mare Trot. In 2019, he was second with Six Pack in the Open Trot.
Svanstedt moved to the U.S. from Sweden in 2014. That year, he trained and drove Sebastian K, who trotted the then-fastest mile in harness racing history when he won in 1:49 at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
In 2019, Svanstedt’s stable set a career high with $4.96 million in purses and ranked fifth among all trainers in North America.
This year, he is fourth, with more than $4 million. His wins this year include a drive behind Plunge Blue Chip in the Miss Versatility Series championship at the Delaware County Fairgrounds in Ohio, where she trotted 1:51.3, setting the record for the fastest race mile ever on a half-mile track.
Since arriving in the U.S., Svanstedt has trained more than 650 winners and earned nearly $28 million in purses. As a driver, he has more than 400 wins and $19 million in purses.
Svanstedt was Sweden’s Trainer of the Year five times and Driver of the Year on three occasions. In 2017, he was inducted in Sweden’s Hall of Fame. Svanstedt won 6,306 races as a driver in Sweden and 5,384 as a trainer.
NANCY TAKTER
Born: 6/23/1981 – Birthplace: Malmo, Sweden – Resides: Allentown, NJ
Nancy Takter, 39, won two Breeders Crown trophies in 2019, increasing her career total to four. She won last year with 2-year-old male pacer Tall Dark Stranger and trotting mare Manchego. Tall Dark Stranger was a Dan Patch Award winner.
Her previous wins came with 2-year-old male pacer Captain Crunch in 2018 and 2-year-old filly pacer JK She’salady in 2014. Captain Crunch was a Dan Patch Award winner and JK She’salady was 2014 Horse of the Year. She is the only 2-year-old filly pacer in history to receive the honor.
Takter was the U.S. Harness Writers Association’s 2014 Rising Star Award winner.
Tall Dark Stranger won this year’s Meadowlands Pace and North America Cup. In the process he became the first horse to win the Metro Pace and a Breeders Crown at 2 and return to win the Meadowlands Pace and North America Cup at 3.
Takter’s stable already has set career highs in 2020 for wins, with more than 100, and purses, $5.6 million. She is No. 2 in purses in North America, trailing only Ron Burke. In addition to her success with Tall Dark Stranger, Takter won this year’s Hambletonian Oaks with Sorella.
In 2019, Takter’s stable earned nearly $4.6 million and ranked seventh in North America. Lifetime, Takter has won more than 370 races and $18 million in purses.
Takter worked for her father, Jimmy, before starting her own stable in 2013. Jimmy Takter, who retired from training after the 2018 season, holds the record for Breeders Crown trophies with 34.
While working for her dad, Nancy Takter took care of numerous top horses, including 2010 Hambletonian winner Muscle Massive and world champion Tom Ridge, but, ironically, never one that won a Breeders Crown.
LINDA TOSCANO
Born: 6/26/1955 – Birthplace: Brooklyn, NY – Resides: Freehold, NJ
Linda Toscano, 65, is a five-time winner of Breeders Crown finals. She got her most recent victory in 2016 with 2-year-old male trotter Walner, who was a Dan Patch Award winner. Her first trophy came in 2002 with pacing mare Molly Can Do It.
Male trotter Chapter Seven was a two-time Breeders Crown champion (2011 and 2012) for Toscano and Horse of the Year in 2012. Toscano also won in 2012 with 3-year-old male pacer Heston Blue Chip. A year later, Market Share won the Open Trot.
Heston Blue Chip and Market Share also were Dan Patch Award winners for Toscano.
Toscano received the 2012 Trainer of the Year Award from the U.S. Harness Writers Association. She was the first female trainer to receive the honor. She also was the first female trainer to win the Hambletonian, which she did with Market Share in 2012.
In 2019, Toscano was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame. She has won nearly 2,300 lifetime races and $58 million in purses. She ranks among the sport’s top 10 in all time training purses.