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Dexter Dunn left hard with Fire Start Hanover, settling in third as Scarlett Hanover and JK Alwaysblady rushed ahead of her. The first quarter clocked in at :26.4 with Continalou in fourth and Somethingbeautiful finding the fifth spot.
JK Alwaysblady measured a sprint to the front off the fast panel to take the lead over Scarlett Hanover, but Dunn was restless after the shuffle and took to the outside at the :55.3 half to guide the field home. Somethingbeautiful, who briefly drafted behind Fire Start Hanover, was left uncovered as JK Alwaysblady chased the leader.
Fire Start Hanover reached three-quarters in 1:23.3 while JK Alwaysblady continued to gain and Somethingbeautiful broke in the middle of the stretch. As Fire Start Hanover was urged to keep the lead, Scarlett Hanover launched a bid but was unable to catch the leader or JK Alwaysblady, who missed by only a neck.
Fire Start Hanover, a daughter of Somebeachsomewhere and Fit To Frame bred by Hanover Shoe Farms, was two-fifths of a second off the Breeders Crown division record and won her seventh race from 11 starts for owners Pinske Stables, David Hoese and Lawrence Means.. She paid $8.20 to win.
"We got into a pretty good spot to win it," said Dunn. "She was sharper this week than [in the elimination] last week … getting a little tired at the end, though."
Trainer Richard "Nifty" Norman recorded his fifth Breeders Crown win, saying, "This is the one race you want to win all year and I was very sure she could do it tonight."
Marlys Pinske, co-owner of Fire Start Hanover, said she was "very confident" going into the race. "We had our first Breeders Crown win last year," she said. "This is a great night for the family."
Fire Start Hanover will train in Florida during the winter.
