The older trotting mare was the star of a stakes-laden show Saturday at Red Mile.

by Dean A. Hoffman

Yannick Gingras was smiling through the opening panels of the $135,000 MVP open trot on Saturday afternoon at Red Mile as the 83-1 I Know My Chip set supersonic fractions of :25.3 to the quarter and :53.2 to the half. Close in pursuit was Crazy Wow.

Gingras was sitting several lengths off the tempo with his prize mare Hannelore Hanover.

“They were mixing it up on the front end pretty good and my mare was very comfortable,” he said.

When the frontrunners began to tire, Hannelore Hanover was ready to pounce. And that she did as she trotted strong to the wire in 1:49.2, the fastest trotting mile ever by a mare and the fastest trotting effort ever at the historic Lexington track.

“Some people said after the race that the fractions were too fast,” Gingras said, laughing. “But I was loving them. It set up perfectly for her.

“I knew that once I got clear on the lead that she was going to trot under 1:50 and I was just waiting for the timer to flash up. Wow. 1:49.2! That’s an incredible accomplishment for her. She gets all the credit.”

Trainer Ron Burke pulled the shoes on the 5-year-old daughter of Swan For All—High Sobriety and she skimmed over the red clay of Lexington like a ballerina, trotting to the wire full steam.

Ironically, Hannelore Hanover was coming off a disappointing seventh-place finish in the Dayton Derby where she went off at 2-1, got parked for driver Matt Kakaley, and surrendered in the final quarter. Gingras recognizes that such trips happen to even the best horses and he wasn’t worried about her fitness for the Allerge. She went off as the even-money favorite.

The driver was confident because he knows that the bigger the track, the better Hannelore Hanover likes it.

“Oh, definitely she’s better on a bigger track,” he said. Gingras also said that Hannelore Hanover is not going to compete in the Yonkers International over the half-mile track at Yonkers. She broke stride in the first turn of last year’s International Trot.

She is now seven for 12 in 2017 and her career earnings are almost $2.1 million. She is owned by the Burke Stable, Weaver-Bruscemi, Frank Baldochino, and J&T Silva.

Hannelore Hanover is named for Hannelore Wurzinger, one of the top female amateur drivers in Germany.

In the $119,000 Mister Big for older pacing horses and geldings, Dealt A Winner survived a grueling first-over trip in the second half to prevail by a diminishing margain over McWicked.

The mile was in 1:47.3 for winning owner Jeffrey Snyder and trainer Mark Silva.

“He really can’t leave that well, so he often has to race from off the pace,” said winning driver David Miller. “Down the backstretch I was hoping to flush cover but that didn’t happen. But I had to pull because I saw [Brian] Sears coming with McWicked.”

Dealt A Winner had the jump on McWicked and led into the stretch while drifting out a bit. Sears then ducked McWicked inside and was closing fast when Dealt A Winner hit the wire.

Mel Mara finished third.

Three divisions of pacing fillies

Youaremycandygirl paced the fastest mile ever by a freshman pacing filly on Saturday as she prevailed in a stretch duel with Rainbow Room, tripping the timer in 1:50, breaking a four-way tie for the world record.

Yannick Gingras stepped the filly to the front in the first turn, wresting command from Come See The Show. Rainbow Room moved at the 3/8-mile marker for David Miller to take control.

But Youraremycandygirl was just waiting for the time to pounce and Yannick Gingras stirred her up entering the stretch. Rainbow Room drifted out a bit while fighting with determination but she couldn’t hold off the new world champion.

After Hannelore Hanover’s epic mile, it was the second world record of the afternoon set by the combination of trainer Ron Burke and driver Yannick Gingras.

Youaremycandygirl was a $150,000 yearling purchase by popular owner Bill Donavan of Florida. She was bred by Seth Rosenfeld’s Birnam Wood Farms of Florida. She is a daughter of American Ideal—Sweet Lady Jane.

“Go to the front and improve your position,” is tongue-in-cheek advice offered to drivers but that is exactly what Yannick Gingras did in one of the splits of the freshman filly pace with heavy favorite Kissin In The Sand.

He sent her to the front out of the gate, intimidated the pursuers, and then simply sprinted clear in deep stretch to win without effort in 1:51.

It was the fifth win in 10 starts for the Somebeachsomewhere—Kiss Me Kate filly, trained by Nancy Johansson for owners Marvin Katz and the Hatfield Stables. She was also a winner last week in Grand Circuit action at Lexington.

Band Stand trailed the winner all the way and never threatened but picked up second money over Sansovina Hanover.

Kissin In The Sand was a $130,000 yearling last fall at Harrisburg.

Five splits for frosh pacing colts

The opening split of the freshman filly pacers was captured by Miswave Hanover as she prevailed in a calvary charge to the wire over favored Majorspeciallady and KJ’s Bekah.

David Miller sent Ana Hanover to the front at the start and she furnished torrid fractions of :26.1, :53.1, 1:21.3 but in the final eighth she waved the white flag as a troika of fillies swept past her the pacesetter.

Miswave Hanover was doing the hottest paccing and she got the 1:51.2.

Marcus Miller drove the Somebeachsomewhere—Maremma Hanover filly — a $20,000 yearling bargain— for trainer Erv Miller, a co-owner with Nick Surick and Hannah Miller.

Hayden Hanover had it all his way in the opening split of the Captaintreacherous as driver Andy Miller sent him to the front at the start, discouraged all challenges, and then was under a stern whip to withstand a threat in the last hundred yards from the pocket-sitting favorite This Is The Plan and Tim Tetrick.

Closing Statement was mounting a challenge around the far turn, then broke stride, affecting several pacers following him.

It was just the second win in 10 starts for the son of Somebeachsomewhere—Hana Hanover and he tripped the timer in 1:50 as the program got underway beneath overcast skies. Hayden Hanover was coming off a lucrative second-place finish in the Metro at Mohawk for his owners, the Pinske Stables and James Simpson, president of Hanover Shoe Farms. An $85,000 yearling at Harrisburg, Hayden Hanover now has $288,092 on his card.

Karpathian Kid won in 1:50.1 at 9-2 odds in taking his division of the Captaintreacherous for trainer Erv Miller. David Miller waited until the final 200 yards to launch a challenge to Babes Dig Me. The son of Somebeachsomewhere—Vysoke Tatry easily passed the pacesetter and Miller kept him engaged as they paced to the wire.

The winner now has a trio of wins for owners David and John Prushnok, Lawrence Means, and David Miller.

Trainer Erv Miller said afterwards, “Lexington has been good to me. I love this track.”

Tim Tetrick steered heavy favorite Nutcracker Sweet with supreme confidence in their split of the Captaintreacherous as Ideal Flip got the early lead, then yielded to Fashiononthebeach as they neared the half-mile marker.

Tetrick left from post eight, dropped Nutcracker Sweet in fourth for the first half-mile and simply waited his time.

In the final turn, Nutcracked Sweet began his attack in the outer flow and edged past Dancin Doug just before that colt made a break and scattered some of the trailers.

Nutcracker Sweet was the live horse in the stretch and easily paced past Fashiononthebeach and Ideal Flip to win in hand in 1:50.2

He’s a son of Bettor’s Delight—Sweet Future trained by Jimmy Takter for owners Richard Lombardo, Order By Stable, and Howard Taylor. The $150,000 yearling pushed his earnings to $114,116 this season with his third win in nine starts.

The final division of the Captaintreacherous was an easy-does-it victory by Lost In Time for Scott Zeron as he shot to the front down the backstretch after a soft opening panel of 28.1.

The son of A Rocknroll Dance—Summer Mystery was never under pressure in the stretch as he scored by open lengths over I’m A Big Deal and Twin B Tuffenuff.

The wining trainer is Jim Mullinix, who also trained the colt’s sire.

Lost In Time was coming off a win in the Metro at Mohawk and now ranks with the best of the freshman pacing crop after only five starts.