Richard Moreau captured his first Breeders Crown

Richard Moreau, the nine-time O’Brien Award winner for Trainer of the Year captured his first Breeders Crown with 2-year-old male trotter Gaines Hanover. Moreau, who ranks No. 3 in history for training wins with 6,428, had appeared in five previous finals. He nearly won in the 2015 Mare Pace, finishing second by a nose with Sandbetweenurtoes.

Gaines Hanover’s owner Jean Yves Blais, who also got his first Breeders Crown, enjoyed sharing the moment with Moreau.

“He is very happy,” said Blais, who has had horses with Moreau for 20 years. “He was nervous for the past week. He could not sleep, it was impossible. We knew that (Gaines Hanover) was a good horse, and I thought he was the best of that group. But you don’t always win, even when you’re the best. It’s a race.”

Gaines Hanover, who also gave driver Louis-Philippe Roy his first Crown, won for the fourth time in five races after going winless in his first three.

“It’s a big thrill,” said Blais, who has been involved in racing for three decades. “You hope to have a horse in the final of the Breeders Crown, but to have the winner is another thing. It’s not the money that he won that is a thrill for me, it’s to win a race against the best horses of that category. He’s a super horse.”