Breeders Crown: On To Norway toughs out record-breaking triumph in Open Trot final

On To Norway ground down odds-on favorite Super Chapter through the far turn en route to becoming the fastest 4-year-old male trotter on a five-eighths-mile track and the fastest trotter ever at Eldorado Scioto Downs with his 1:50 win over Emoticon Legacy in Saturday's (Oct. 24) $600,000 Grade 1 Breeders Crown Open Trot.

Ronnie Wrenn Jr. was reserved early with On To Norway, keeping him in mid-division off a hotly-contested pace after being looped by a three-wide Super Chapter and Dexter Dunn on the first turn. After Go Dog Go (driven by Scott Zeron) pushed three-wide off the first turn to clear Antognoni S (Yannick Gingras) and French Wine (Jason Bartlett) at the end of a 26 1/5 first quarter, Dunn floored the accelerator with 4-5 favorite Super Chapter, who surged to a clear lead over Go Dog Go before the 54 second half. Meanwhile, On To Norway began his uncovered ascent in earnest upon reaching the backstretch.

Nearly four lengths down at the half-mile pole, On To Norway made steady inroads up the backstretch and was a quarter-length behind Super Chapter at the 1:22 1/5 three-quarters with Emoticon Legacy (Bob McClure) following in a live second-over tow before pointing three-wide off the turn for home. Despite being parked for virtually the entire journey to that point, On To Norway had plenty left to take the lead and then keep Emoticon Legacy three-quarters of a length at bay at the finish. Antognoni S shook free from traffic to save third, another two lengths behind.

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"I wanted to be near the front, and I was able to find a hole for a couple steps before coming right back out," said Wrenn Jr. of his trip with On To Norway. "To go by a horse like Super Chapter, who's a world champion himself, and outlast Emoticon Legacy just speaks volumes of the horse and shows how great a horse he is."

Now a 39-time winner in his career with over $1.5 million in career earnings, On To Norway has won 12 of 15 starts this year for trainer Ron Burke and the partnership of Burke Racing Stable, Frank Baldachino, Black & White Stable and Michael Rosenthal. The Muscle Massive-One Class Act gelding, who was bred by Bennett Farms of Michigan, paid $28.40 to win as the 13-1 fourth choice.

"I wasn't worried, because he just keeps going," Baldachino said about On To Norway’s journey. "He'll just chase down horses until the wire. Naturally, you don't want to ever see a trip like that in a big race … but he was just mowing them down, and the longer the mile went, the faster he was going."

The win gave Ron Burke his 25th Breeders Crown trophy, second-most in history among trainers, and Wrenn Jr. his third.

"I'm so pumped and just so proud of this horse," Wrenn Jr. said. "He raced so good. Ronnie took him home last week and made a shoeing change, and it was the right decision to make.

"It's a great feeling. I'm so happy to get the job done."