Months of training miles, scheduling and preparation comes to a head this weekend at Woodbine Mohawk Park when the 39th Breeders Crown finals are contested. Nearly every horse hoping to be crowned a Dan Patch divisional champion at the end of the year will be on the gate on either Friday (Oct. 28) or Saturday (Oct. 29) and many of the races are dead-tight between two or three contenders. Of course the biggest prize of all is Horse of the Year and while it seems almost inconceivable that Bulldog Hanover --who currently leads the industry's Top-10 poll by a huge margin -- could be unseated, on paper he has some competition. A loss by Bulldog Hanover combined with a win from Joviality would place their records on even terms and their earnings in a virtual dead-heat. A similar scenario combined with a Bythemissal win would place him ahead of Bulldog Hanover in victories and win percentage. ► Friday full-card analysis for Woodbine Mohawk Park ► Saturday full-card analysis for Woodbine Mohawk Park ► Insider selections for all 12 Breeders Crown finals ► FREE Harness Eye PPs for Woodbine Mohawk Park Friday & Saturday cards ► Read the Breeders Crown Preview issue of Harness Digest Newsletter ► Watch video analysis of the $100,000 GTD Pick 5 on October 29 ► Watch video analysis of the Friday Breeders Crown finals ► Bet the Breeders Crown at Woodbine Mohawk Park now Bulldog Hanover of course has the intangible of setting the fastest mile in the history of the sport -- 1:45 4/5 -- earlier this year and is also tied for the second-fastest mile (1:46) as well. So barring a complete dud of a performance in the $600,000 Crown Open Pace (Race 9 on Saturday) when he faces Allywag Hanover, who defeated him last time out at The Red Mile, Bulldog Hanover will remain the leader of the Horse of the Year pack. Bulldog Hanover is coming off a tune-up qualifier at Woodbine Mohawk Park on October 21 and won well in hand in 1:51 2/5. "He felt amazing," said driver Dexter Dunn. "He was full of himself and I couldn't been happier." "I've never seen him look any better. Dexter couldn't get him pulled up after the wire. He went a full lap after [the qualifier] and he still had trouble on the backside. So, he's as good as he could be going into the final," said trainer Jack Darling, who was hoping to get him an actual race either in eliminations or an Open but nothing filled. Horse of the Year aside, the aforementioned Joviality is actually in a dog fight (pun intended) in her division. The $675,000 3-year-old filly trot (Race 4) pits Joviality against the horse that recently defeated her in the Kentucky Filly Futurity -- Jiggy Jog -- as well as Hambletonian Oaks champion Fashion Schooner. Unless she finishes off the board, Joviality will have a clear edge in wins and earnings regardless of the outcome on Saturday, but back to back losses to Jiggy Jog or a résumé of the Hambletonian Oaks and Breeders Crown for Fashion Schooner are hard facts to discount when voting. Both Joviality and Jiggy Jog won their Breeders Crown eliminations, the latter in a track and Canadian record 1:51 2/5 set up by Fashion Schooner trotting a 27 1/5 third quarter, leaving her a vulnerable target for Jiggy Jog to attack. Tim Tetrick, who drove Fashion Schooner, felt his filly missing four weeks between starts played a major role in the loss. "The other fillies raced a week ago and [the time off] definitely played a role. I trained her at Lexington for [trainer] Jim [Campbell] and she was awesome, but it still isn't like racing competition-wise. She was way too fresh. She saw the gate and was aggressive, unlike on Hambletonian Day when she was perfect," said Tetrick, who expounded on the fast third quarter. "She wanted to go a half in 54 . . . I was tickled to death with her effort. My arms were just tired going to the five-eighths. I didn't want anyone to get too close just in case she wasn't as good as she felt." While Tetrick likes his chances leaving from post 6, the winningest spot at Mohawk Park, he respects the quality of the competition. "They can all trot in 1:51 on a bad day and 1:49 on a good day. It should be a great race." Bythemissal is another horse that has yet to separate himself as the clear standard of the 3-year-old male pacing division. The Adios and Little Brown Jug winner squares off with North America Cup and Tattersalls winner Pebble Beach in a $675,000 final (Race 7) that could easily sway the minds of voters. Beach Glass is also in the conversation but is sidelined due to throat surgery. Both Bythemissal and Pebble Beach won their eliminations impressively. The former was driven very confidently by Chris Page in a 1:49 1/5 victory. The latter brushed to the front and crushed his foes while in-hand in 1:48 3/5. "The horse felt really good. I kind of got a nice third-quarter breather so I knew he'd have a good punch coming home," said Page. Noel Daley, who trains Pebble Beach, said his horse has clearly turned a corner. "[Driver] Todd [McCarthy] said he was like a different horse tonight. I don't know if it was the Lasix that made the difference but tonight he was even better than he was earlier in the year," said Daley. Both $600,000 finals in the 3-year-old colt trot and 3-year-old filly pace are certain to be the deciding factor in divisional honors since neither grouping has a clear leader. Hambletonian champion Cool Papa Bell probably has the inside track should he win the sixth race sophomore trot, while it is truly a crapshoot on the filly pacing side (Race 5). Cool Papa Bell was in an absolutely awful spot in his elimination. Driver Todd McCarthy had him fifth-over, and while the Jim Campbell trainee rallied with a 26 3/5 final quarter, it was only good enough for fourth behind King Of The North, who picked up his first win of the year in 12 starts. "Todd [McCarthy] didn't plan on getting away last, it's just the way it worked out," said trainer Jim Campbell. "When King Of The North left and then put in a couple steps, he was kind of in front of [Cool Papa Bell] and Todd had to grab up a little bit. When you get away last, you're at the mercy of the flow, and the flow never moved. I thought the horse did a tremendous job to pass the ones he did and get qualified." Moving back to the older pacers and trotters. Bulldog Hanover has at least a divisional Dan Patch award virtually locked up as does the 4-year-old pacing mare Test Of Faith, who starts from post one in Saturday's third race worth $400,000. Bella Bellini hooks up with Atlanta and When Dovescry in the $350,000 Mare Trot (Race 2). A win for her locks up divisional honors, though even a good second-place finish from Bella Bellini would keep her in the driver's seat. Finally, Back Of The Neck has moved to the front of the open trotting division by winning the Maple Leaf and Dayton Derby. A victory in the $600,000 final (Race 8) on Saturday would seal the deal for him. "I think he wants a target and not have somebody chasing him," said Tetrick about Back Of The Neck, who is coming off a second-place finish in the MGM Yonkers International Trot behind Cokstile. "In my heart, even with the tough trip I gave him [in the International], if I would've backed up and let him follow the winner, I beat him. He didn't like that horse coming at him." ► Bet the Breeders Crown at Woodbine Mohawk Park now The picture is much clearer in some respects for Dan Patch awards in the 2-year-old arena. With fewer major stakes in play throughout the year for the rookies, almost any horse that wins a $600,000 final on Friday (Races 6-9) would move to the head of the class for an award. That said, there are a number of stakes races left in the division that could change the landscape, including the Fall Final Four at The Meadowlands on November 26. The most interesting race of the quartet on paper has to be the filly trot (Race 8). Here we have Jim Doherty winner Instagram Model riding a four-race winning streak versus Kentucky Sire Stakes champ Special Way on a six-race streak of her own and Peaceful Way winner Righteous Resolve, who hasn't lost a race since her career debut on July 3. Tetrick drives a pair of 2-year-olds that would be heavy favorites for year-end honors if he is able to steer them into the winner's circle on Friday. The first is Oh Well in the colt trot (Race 6), another one of his charges that was coming into his elimination race having missed four weeks, and it showed when he lacked his usual pop in a 1:53 2/5 mile behind Celebrity Bambino. "[Trainer] Marcus [Melander] going into it said, 'Tim, I haven't done much with him. I've been trying to keep him fresh.' When I came off the track he had a huge grin and was super happy with the effort. Maybe he was just blowing up my ego because I thought I should've given him more run, but again, Yannick's [Gingras] horse had just raced at Pocono 10 days before and he got a great trip while my horse missed four weeks," said Tetrick, who likes his spot and hasn't lost any confidence in the horse. "I like the 9 [post] better than the 1 or the 2 because of the slanted gate. He's not a great sprinter but he has a big set of lungs, so I'm not too worried about it. Can he win? Yes. Can he get beat? Yes. But he's a finals horse. He's a horse that shows up when the money is on the line." The nearly unbeaten Confederate is the presumptive favorite in the rookie colt pace (Race 9) and a horse Tetrick called his best shot to win. "What he did the other night was super easy. Hopefully he comes back just as good as he was in the elimination," said Tetrick, who has driven his share of top young colts. "Do I compare him to Captaintreacherous? I think he is a little different and is more of a sprinter. "He's done everything I've asked of him. As bad as I drove him in the [Kentucky] Sire Stakes final -- I think I was six to eight lengths off turning for home and I still won by three lengths -- he's a good horse and overcame it." The 12 championship races over two nights at Woodbine Mohawk Park will not provide all of the Dan Patch answers, but by midnight on Saturday, whether you are an owner, trainer, driver or bettor, there will be winners and losers. May the best horse come out on top.