Highwood Heart, Breeders Crown Dreams: The Smile That Says It All

MILTON, October 22, 2025— The smile fit for a Breeders Crown has yet to leave Annie Stoebe’s face.

Moments after Diabolic Hill captured his Breeders Crown elimination, award-winning Woodbine Mohawk Park photographer Clive Cohen snapped a photo of a beaming Stoebe making her way to the winner’s circle.

Days later, that smile still hasn’t faded – and for good reason.

“To have that colt perform on a stage that big was just… my head was in the clouds,” said Stoebe, who trains and co-owns the trotter (with Mazza Racing Stables) set to contest Friday’s $700,000 Breeders Crown final for 2-year-old male trotters at the Milton oval. “Our number one competition (Endurance) is scratched and then we watch him go out and wire the field.”

Stoebe and her boyfriend, Jeremy Morrison, who also serves as second trainer for the stable, watched the race from the paddock.

Seconds after Diabolic trotted home in :27.3, en route to a 3 ¼-length victory in 1:53.1 with Todd McCarthy in the race bike, Stoebe and Morrison made their way to the winner’s circle.

“We were both speechless,” said Stoebe. “We gave each other a big hug. It had just started raining, so we paused a bit and went out and met him.

“When he came back to us, I thought, ‘How do you even put those emotions into words?’ All you can do is smile until your face hurts and then smile some more.”

She still is.

“It’s tough to wrap your mind around everything in the moment. You go home and it takes a couple of hours to unwind and let it sink in. You try to respond to messages and thank everyone for their support and kind words.”

Stoebe has plenty of kind words for Diabolic Hill, too.

The son of Muscle Hill–Crysti Dream, bred by AM Bloodstock, has won four of eight starts this season, along with one second and a third. His purse earnings stand at $202,711.

Prior to his Breeders Crown elimination, Diabolic Hill finished fourth in the $1 million Mohawk Million on September 20. He then qualified in 1:56.1 at The Meadowlands on October 9 to prep for the Breeders Crown.

A $300,000 (USD) Lexington Selected Yearling Sale purchase (formerly named Ocean Rider), the bay colt has been a gift that keeps on giving.

His raw talent, combined with a fiery competitive spirit, has fueled his impressive rookie campaign.

“He is not a mean horse, but he is definitely the boy of the barn,” said Stoebe. “This is my first year with colts. It has definitely been a learning experience. He has come a long way and matured a lot.”

Like her stablemate, Elista Hanover, who will contest the $400,000 Breeders Crown Open Mare Trot on Saturday, has enjoyed plenty of success – albeit with more miles on her resume.

Bred by Hanover Shoe Farms, the consistent mare boasts a record of 16 wins, 6 seconds, and 6 thirds from 39 starts, with $1,240,235 in purse earnings.

Stoebe co-owns Elista Hanover with Lynn and Philomena Curry.

“We really wanted to get her a race before the Breeders Crown, but we had no choice but to qualify her,” noted Stoebe.

Elista Hanover cut all the fractions on her way to a lifetime-best 1:51 in that qualifier – which came on the same day as Diabolic Hill’s Breeders Crown elimination win.

“I think she had enough of the outside posts and tough trips, so she sure took David (driver, Miller) around and he said that she’s never felt better. So, we’re very excited going into the final like that.”

And doing so with a horse who has no shortage of charm to complement her striking looks.

“She is the sweetest, kindest horse. If anyone is around her for five minutes, they will say, ‘Annie, I love this horse.’ And I respond with, ‘Join the fan club.’ She is usually licking your face or begging for cookies. She is an absolute doll. I call her my unicorn because she has broken every stereotype out there about red horses.

“So, her and Diabolic Hill are polar opposites,” she added with a laugh.

What the two racehorses — and their trainer — share is determination, grit, and a commitment that has brought them to Standardbred racing’s brightest stage.

The road to the Breeders Crown hasn’t been without its share of adversity, but all three have answered every challenge on their way to the finals.

Now in her ninth year of training, Stoebe has taken a long road — both figuratively and literally — to get to this point.

After graduating high school, she attended college in Texas on a rodeo scholarship, then moved back to her hometown of Highwood, Montana, for a few years before relocating to New Jersey a decade ago.

“I have a crazy fact. I moved from Highwood, Montana to New Jersey and (Hall of Fame driver) Ron Pierce moved 13 minutes from my hometown in Montana two weeks after I had left.

“For the 100th Hambletonian in August, they had a whole bunch of people fly out for the celebrations and that was the first time I met Ron in person. We had a nice talk about it.”

In New Jersey – where she settled in the town of New Egypt – Stoebe was introduced to the world of Standardbred racing through trainer Brett Bittle.

What began with claiming her first racehorse, Uriel, has since blossomed into her own racing stable, which she launched in 2017.

Today, she heads into the 2025 Breeders Crown with not one, but two finalists, and a career-best season in purse earnings.

Stoebe is pacing herself with a familiar blueprint ahead of Saturday evening’s races.

“I’m giant on schedules,” said Stoebe, who sent out trotter Instagram Model to win the 2022 edition of the $355,000 Jim Doherty Memorial. “Their schedules do not change regardless of where we are. They will have the same schedule this week that they have had all year. It keeps them knowing nothing is different and it keeps me from changing anything as well.”

It has allowed Stoebe time to take in the sights and sounds of Southwestern Ontario.

“We took the train to Toronto, saw the aquarium and had a nice dinner. We will go to the races at Mohawk and enjoy that. There are plenty of great events going on throughout the week that keep us busy.”

Soon, she’ll be back at Woodbine Mohawk Park, hopeful for Breeders Crown glory.

It’s 2,820 kilometres (1,752 miles) from Highwood, Montana, to the finish line at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

And for Stoebe, that road has never felt more rewarding.

“It puts a big smile on your face when you look back at what brought you here.”

A look that, quite fittingly, Stoebe still wears with gratitude.

Chris Lomon, Woodbine Mohawk Park