Storybook Love, Nezuko Kamado S Charge to Victory in Breeders Crown Elims

October 17, 2025

MILTON, October 17, 2025— Storybook Love landed a 33-1 upset rallying over the top of her competition and Nezuko Kamado S later zipped down the center of the track to win their respective $34,250 Breeders Crown eliminations for 2-year-old trotting fillies on Friday night at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

Storybook Love soared off cover in the stretch and easily overhauled 4-5 favorite Setyoursightshigh to win the first Breeders Crown elimination in 1:53.2.

Driver Todd Ratchford settled Storybook Love into fourth, right behind Setyoursightshigh, while Southwind Chaska pushed forward to grab the lead from Im Kronos S through a :27.1 first quarter. Southwind Chaska cruised to a :56.4 half and rolled through the last turn as Setyoursightshigh pulled off the pylons with Storybook Love in tow. Setyoursightshigh slid by Southwind Chaska after three-quarters in 1:25.4 and chugged for the finish while Ratchford tipped Storybook Love wide and gathered momentum late. Storybook Love drew alongside Setyoursightshigh and then glided by with ease in the last eighth for a three-quarter-length win. R Ro rallied from off the speed for third with Wishuponastar Deo grabbing fourth from a tiring Southwind Chaska, who clinched the last berth into the final as the fifth-place finisher with the highest seasonal earnings between the two eliminations.

“It's pretty sweet,” Todd Ratchford said about winning a Breeders Crown elimination, which happened in his first Breeders Crown drive and in just his third year of driving. “I never would have guessed it, but I'm happy it happened.

“Last week [finishing second at Vernon] really showed what she was capable of,” Ratchford also said. “And I just figured I would just put her in a good spot tonight. She'd have a good chance of making the final, let alone winning. So it was pretty good. She knows to pull herself right out and go forward, so she's pretty easy to drive.”

A filly by Chapter Seven-Stirling Debutant bred by Alan and Larry Troyer, Storybook Love won her third race from 11 starts and has now earned $207,726 for owners Al Libfeld and Brad Grant.

“She's really matured over the last little bit,” said trainer Matt Bax, who also won his first Breeders Crown elimination in just his second appearance. “Early on in the year she mentally wasn't all the way there, and luckily she's putting it together just at the right time. She actually raced great in Vernon [and I] thought she had a shot. I told Al and Brad, you know, great people. They said ‘if you think she's good enough.’ I said ‘Well, she's not going to embarrass herself in the Breeders Crown.’ So I'm glad it worked out.”

Storybook Love, off the second longest shot on the board, paid $69.70 to win.

Marcus Melander trainee Nezuko Kamado S punched forward following fast fractions to swoop to a 1:53.1 win in the second elimination for freshman trotting fillies.

Starting from the pylon post, Nezuko Kamado S landed in seventh behind a scramble for the lead in a :28 first quarter. Jailbird Jog sliced through traffic and was the last in the shuffle to plant onto the lead while stretched out through a :55.3 half by Shimmering Hanover. Driver Scott Zeron meanwhile found a third-over seat as Jailbird Jog scurried on an open lead to three-quarters in 1:23.1. Zeron fanned Nezuko Kamado S towards the grandstand side spinning for home and powered by a weary Jailbird Jog in the last eighth before notching a two-length win in hand. Lainey W skimmed a seam at the pylons to snatch second with Bingo Night rallying for third and Sparks flying from near last for fourth.

“She was far off, but there was some good pace there and she really flew home,” Marcus Melander said after the race. “She’s got a great attitude, great speed. I probably put her in the wrong races; I kept her in the New York Sires Stakes with the half-mile track – she probably could’ve raced on the bigger tracks, brought her to Kentucky or something like that. But she’s a really good horse and I’m looking forward to the final.”

Nezuko Kamado S, a homebred Chapter Seven-Zefira Kronos IT filly for Courant Inc., collected her sixth win from nine starts and has banked $508,208 in her career. Off the slight second favorite, she paid $8.30 to win.

After the evening’s ninth race, Woodbine Mohawk Park conducted the post-position draw for the $959,000 Grade 1 Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Filly Trot. The two elimination winners, along with Jim Doherty Memorial champion Atlantic Summer, earned draw protection from posts 1 through 5. Below is the field:

$959,000 Grade 1 Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Filly Trot Final

PP-Name-Driver-Trainer

1-Lainey W-Yannick Gingras-Marcus Melander

2-Nezuko Kamado S-Scott Zeron-Marcus Melander

3-Southwind Chaska-Tim Tetrick-Jim Oscarsson

4-Atlantic Summer-Ronnie Wrenn Jr.-Ron Burke

5-Storybook Love-Todd Ratchford-Matt Bax

6-Bingo Night-Tyler Jones-R. Dustin Jones

7-Sparks-Ake Svanstedt-Ake Svanstedt

8-Wishuponastar Deo-Tyler Borth-Susie Kerwood

9-Setyoursightshigh-Dexter Dunn-Marcus Melander

10-R Ro-Jody Jamieson-John Butenschoen