Trainer Brian Brown has something very few trainers coming into the Breeders Crown have ever had. The Delaware, Ohio-based trainer arrives at Hoosier Park this weekend with six horses competing for spots in lucrative finals on October 27-28. Among that solid group is a pair of 3-year-old pacing colts with more than $1 million banked individually in 2017. “They’re pretty nice horses,” Brown said modestly of Fear The Dragon and Downbytheseaside. “I don’t know if they’re as good as they were two months ago but they are still going and some aren’t.” Truth be told, they are more than just “going” as they enter two $25,000 elimination races on Saturday night in the sophomore pacing colt division of the Breeders Crown. “I had some horses get sick on me about the time of the Sire Stakes final (early September). I tried to immunize Fear The Dragon and he developed knots on his back. It’s taken some time but I think he’s finally back feeling himself again,” said Brown. “I think 10 days in Kentucky getting turned out has been great for him. He’s back to his old ornery self.” That’s good news for Brown and company and not such great information for the competition as Fear The Dragon (post 3, 7-2) seeks win number 13 this year in Saturday’s 14th race with regular pilot Dave Miller in tow. The nine-horse field includes Little Brown Jug winner Filibuster Hanover (post 1, 3-1) as well as the supplemental entry Funknwaffles (post 2, 7-1), a recent New York Sire Stakes champion. Downbytheseaside has struggled in his last three starts and Brown believes he’s finally found the answer. “He had a liver infection and we’ve been fighting that,” said Brown. “He hasn’t raced as well lately as he did in the Milstein and the Messenger elimination, but I think he’ll be better this week and hopefully even better in the final.” Downbytheseaside drew post eight and was installed as the 4-1 third choice in the first $25,000 elimination heat, race 13 on the program, with Brian Sears in the bike. With early season 2-year-old sensation Done Well on the sidelines for Brown, who is hoping to have the horse back to begin training in December, Whos Better and Rockin Away will support the stable in eliminations for the Crown juvenile pacing colt and gelding divisions also on Saturday. In Whos Better (post 4, 10-1) in the second race, Brown is clearly hoping for some improvement. Winless in seven starts this year, the altered son of Bettor’s Delight has been making progress, even if it’s a bit hidden from his past performance lines. “He’s a big dumb horse that is still learning,” said Brown. “He’s been finishing well but just can’t seem to get the hang of things. I trained him back and he was a bit better.” Whos Better faces five rivals including Metro runner-up Hayden Hanover (post 2, 2-1) and Metro elimination winner Stay Hungry (post 3, 3-1). A victory in last week’s Ohio Sire Stakes consolation at Northfield was all the impetus Brown needed to send Rockin Away up against some of the best. The son of first crop stallion Pet Rock has won five of eight starts this year including a third-place finish in Grand Circuit action at The Red Mile. “Timmy (Tetrick) really liked him and said he’s a horse with speed that has perfect manners for stakes competition,” said Brown. Rockin Away drew post one and faces six rivals including Red Mile stakes winners Karpathian Kid (post 5, 2-1) and I’m A Big Deal (post 6, 5-1) as the 7-2 third choice on the morning line. On Friday night many eyes will be on Blazin Britches. A winner in 10 of 13 starts, Blazin Britches made an untimely break in the Glen Garnsey at The Red Mile on October 8 over a rain-soaked surface, but her trainer didn’t use that as an excuse. “She was really crooked behind the gate and that had nothing to do with the surface,” said Brown. “I’ve taken the Murphy blind off of her and she’s trained back well.” Brown also noted that despite the break in stride, Blazin Britches made up a ton of ground to finish fourth in the Garnsey, beaten just over two lengths. “I don’t know how far back she was after the break,” Brown said. Blazin Britches (3-1) drew post four in the nine-filly single $25,000 Breeders Crown elimination for sophomore pacing fillies, race four on Friday night. In Bye Hanover (race 6, 12-1), a Well Said filly that landed post eight in a Breeders Crown juvenile pacing filly elimination heat, the bad luck continued for Brown. “She’s had the worst kind of racing luck,” said Brown of the filly that has banked over $110K in her first year on the track including victories at Delaware and The Red Mile. First post for Friday and Saturday night’s Hoosier Park Breeders Crown elimination programs is 6:30 p.m.