York County horse wins $600,000 race at Toronto track

Pure Country, the Wellsville-born filly, won the $600,000 Breeders Crown for 2-year-old female pacers on Saturday at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto.

Pure Country won by three lengths over Shezarealdeal in 1 minute, 51.4 seconds for owner Diamond Creek Racing. Pure Country is 10-for-10 this season, with earnings of $689,968.

It was the first Breeders Crown win for Diamond Creek Racing's Adam Bowden and his father, Chris, with a horse they both bred and owned in York County. They were partners on previous Breeders Crown-winning trotter Father Patrick. It also was the first Breeders Crown win for driver Brett Miller.

Pure Country took the lead on the backstretch, fended off a challenge from Lyons River Pride on the final turn, and coasted to victory in the stretch. Mayhem Seelster finished third behind Shezarealdeal.

"She's such a nice filly," Miller said about Pure Country. "I was trying to give her a breather on the final turn. I was still pretty confident. She's something else. She's got all the tools."

Pure Country is trained by Jimmy Takter, who extended his Breeders Crown record for wins to 22 with the filly. She was the 1-9 favorite and paid $2.30 to win.