Hambletonian Oaks winner Bella Bellini took command in the lane when pace-setter Altar broke stride and went on to take Saturday afternoon's $650,000 Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Filly Trot final at the Meadowlands in 1:53 flat. Driven by Dexter Dunn, Altar stepped out quickly from post three and then yielded to sit in the pocket behind Altar (Yannick Gingras) after the 28 second opening quarter. Facing no outside pressure, Gingras backed the tempo down with Altar after taking over, reaching the half in just 56 4/5 and the three-quarters in a tepid 1:25 4/5. Altar turned for home first and tried to set sail for the wire, but then she miscued and went inside the safety lane. Bella Bellini also put in a step while taking over, but Dunn re-collected her, and then Bella Bellini trotted confidently to the line to win by about 2 1/2 lengths. Anoka Hanover (Andy McCarthy) closed well from dull third-over cover to finish second, and Splash Blue Chip (Ake Svanstedt) came in third. Herculisa (Brett Miller) got fourth, and Shirley Goodness (Peter Wrenn) was fifth. "She's always been so good off a helmet, but just looking at the race, I driven Altar as well, and she can run some good miles. I just didn't want to get too far away from her if she was on her game. We pushed out a little bit early and then got a perfect trip after that," Dunn said of his strategy. "I was waiting and waiting [to pull], and she tried to go a little too fast and put a bit of a step in there. I just grabbed her up, and then after that, I didn't let her go. I just let her go to the line under a good hold. She's had a great year, but the last two weeks she's never felt better. Credit to the team, getting her as sharp as she is at the end of the year. "I was full of confidence. She's so fast when you get off a helmet, and she was on the bit and feeling good." ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter Nifty Norman trains Bella Bellini, a daughter of Bar Hopping, for owner/breeder David McDuffee. Bella Bellini is now a ten-time winner from 24 career starts, and she went over the $1 million mark in lifetime earnings, with $1,021,463 in the bank. "I'm not a big breeder, but when I do get one that can reach this far, it's a special feeling, that's for sure," remarked McDuffee. "It's the Pizza Dolce line, and I've had a lot luck with it all the way along. She's frosting on the cake." Bella Bellini was winless in seven attempts a year ago, but has been one of the sport's stars this year, something that McDuffee hopes others will try and emulate. "It's probably great for the sport. There'll be an awful lot of people that will be happy going forward with horses that maybe weren't quite as good as they could be at 2, but at 3, this is hope for everybody," he stated.