All hail All Speed's Crown

All Speed Hanover fired three-wide around the final turn and nipped the undefeated Sportswriter at the wire in the $720,860 Breeders Crown Two-Year-Old Colt Pace on Saturday at Woodbine Racetrack.

Heavy favorite Sportswriter flashed early gate speed leaving from Post 2 with Ok Commander (Doug McNair) charging up from Post 8 and remaining parked out in second with Post 9 starter Malicious (Paul MacDonell) three-wide heading into the first turn. The first quarter was up in :27.4 with Sportswriter leading the pack down the backstretch.

Ok Commander applied heavy pressure to the half in :55.4 with Malicious dropped in behind and All Speed Hanover angling out from sixth with Ron Pierce at the controls. Pierce sent his charge three-wide past three-quarters in 1:23.3 and the Cams Card Shark-Allamerican Cool colt hooked up with the leader in the stretch. All Speed Hanover poked a head in front with Sportswriter digging deep and battling back, but in the end it was All Speed Hanover who prevailed by a nose in 1:52.

"Unbelievable race, can't take anything away from Sportswriter - he was huge,” said co-owner John Fielding, who scored his second Crown tonight. “What a great three-year-old year it looks to be for both colts."

"That was a great show and I hope it's a sign of things to come for those two colts,” added co-owner Adam Victor, Jr., who is a part of the Adam Victor And Son Stable of New York, New York. “We don't have enough stretch drives like that."

The winner of five races in seven starts and $497,390 in purses is trained by Michael Vanderkemp. (WEG)

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