Farewell to Free Willy Hanover
by Melissa Keith
Free Willy Hanover (7, 1:53s; $734,892) was foaled on Feb. 1, 2013, 20 years after the release of the 1993 movie Free Willy. The popular film focused on the story of an orca freed from captivity by a boy who loved him. The horse was a $100,000 Harrisburg yearling who matured into a fan favorite trotter at Woodbine Mohawk Park, racing mainly for trainer/co-owner Carmen Auciello.
The gelded son of Credit Winner—Free Spirit made his first Canadian start at Woodbine Racetrack on Dec. 1, 2016, crushing on the front end for trainee/driver Michael Vanderkemp. One win turned into three straight for Vanderkemp, and Free Willy Hanover’s streak continued through another four races after moving to a new barn.
“We bought Free Willy Hanover out of the January 2017 Preferred Equine Mixed Sale at The Meadowlands,” Carmen Auciello told HRU on Monday (June 22). “We bought into one-quarter of him from the start, with partners Rob Watson, Mike Bartram, and Armando Cappuccitti. He was such a gentleman and honest racehorse; it was tough not to like everything about him. He won his first four races for us, so it’s safe to say we liked him a lot right from the start.”
His time with the trotter eventually spanned 203 starts together.
In 2017, the gritty gelding had his first Woodbine Mohawk Park victory, holding off favorite Mighty Nicky by a neck in 1:54.1 on June 16. By Dec. 23, 2017, Free Willy Hanover had made it to the Woodbine preferred trot for the first time. Driven by Bob McClure, he closed for place at odds of 52-1, beaten only by Odds On Amethyst, eventual 2017 O’Brien Older Male Trotter of the Year.
Free Willy Hanover’s consistency and character stood out over his 11-year career. He never made a single break after April 8, 2017. He was a winner for Drury and Auciello on April 9, 2018, the final card of live harness racing at Woodbine Racetrack. He competed in the preferred class 54 times, winning at that level for the first time on March 18, 2019 and repeating a week later on March 25, 2019 for regular driver Drury. In both races, the place finisher was Musical Rhythm, later named 2019 O’Brien Older Male Trotter of the Year.
“My most memorable race was actually a race where he didn’t win, but finished a fast-closing second in 1:50.4 to the great Musical Rhythm in June of 2019,” Auciello said.
Although a half-length back in second, Free Willy Hanover shared the winner’s 1:50.4 clocking for the mile, which equaled the divisional track and Canadian record at the time. He just missed making the 2019 O’Brien Award ballot, finishing third in divisional voting.
Free Willy Hanover took his 1:53 lifetime mark at Mohawk on Aug. 10, 2020 at age 7. He briefly changed stables three months later.
“In November 2020, my partners wanted to try somebody new for ‘Willy,’ so they bought out my share and sent him to Kyle Fellows,” Auciello said. “In August of 2021, I bought my share back and brought him back home.”
On Jan. 16, 2023, Free Willy Hanover was claimed. Initially racing for Karen Seguin, he moved to the Rick Zeron stable in May. The 10-year-old trotter matched his lifetime mark on Sept. 11, 2023 at Mohawk, drawing clear to win by three open lengths.
The big win followed a bigger, more personal loss for his former trainer.
“I was very sad to lose ‘Will’ when we did,” Auciello said. “He wasn’t at the top of his game, so I thought he was safe for [the $65,000 claiming price], but it turns out he wasn’t. We missed him dearly and kept waiting for an opportunity to get him back, but it never transpired.”
In January 2024, the veteran trotter won his first qualifier at Saratoga on Jan. 30, 2024 for driver Chris Long, and again ascended the ranks. On June 16, 2024, he won the Saratoga winners over-open handicap in 1:56.3, a personal best on a half-mile track.
Harness racing superfan Sean Patrick Nolan was an admirer of Free Willy Hanover.
“He was such a warrior,” Nolan said. “He averaged like 30 races a year and was like an equine ATM… He didn’t always win, but he tried his hardest every race.”
At some point in his life, Free Willy Hanover was enrolled in the Standardbred Canada-U.S. Trotting Association Full Circle Program, which allows horses in trouble to be reunited with past connections who are willing to help. He never needed the lifeline, but the beloved gelding had many supporters in his corner, his former trainer and driver among them.
“I didn’t enroll him in the Full Circle Program, but J.D. [Jonathan Drury] and I had talked about it, and we were both interested in getting him back at some point to give him a nice retirement,” Auciello said. “If the situation would have arisen, we would have brought him home, for sure.”
On April 14, 2026, the 13-year-old warhorse wired in 2:00.2, his latest and last victory for owner/trainer Robyn Mangiardi of Saratoga Springs, NY, and co-owner Richard Cortese of Schenectady, NY. Although he came close on June 15, edged out late by a rival half his age, Free Willy Hanover went out a 44-time winner.
Hours later, he was one of the 17 horses who perished overnight in the June ١٦ barn fire on the Saratoga Harness backstretch. In the heartbreaking aftermath, Tuesday qualifiers and racing were canceled.
On Wednesday (June 17), Free Willy Hanover and the other 16 horses were individually buried on the grounds in a private ceremony. They will be recognized at 10:45 a.m. on Sunday (June 28) at a public memorial service in the Saratoga Harness winner’s circle, organized by Saratoga Casino Hotel and the Saratoga Harness Horseperson’s Association.
Born with a star on his forehead, Free Willy Hanover was seemingly destined to become a good horse. The always-game gelding won at least twice every year since his 3-year-old season, and ended his career just a neck away from keeping his record intact.
“He was a fan favorite and a barn favorite,” Auciello said. “He was my father-in-law’s favorite horse, and he’ll always be remembered by me and my family. Such a shame to see him die so tragically and so close to becoming a [Canadian] millionaire. He deserved that honor and to be retired to a nice home. Such a shame.”
TWIN B SPEED DIAL’S GUARDIAN ANGEL: SARATOGA SURVIVOR
Twin B Speed Dial (p, 6, 1:50.4f; $525,041) is the lone survivor of the June 16 overnight backstretch fire at Saratoga Harness. Owned by Tina Rockwell of Vernon, NY, the 12-year-old Well Said—Smart Card gelding escaped the burning barn with only singed ears and symptoms of smoke inhalation.
Six other horses in the Abigail Adist-Timothy Benson stable lost their lives in the tragedy: thoroughbred saddle horse Red; Five Star Lou (p, 3, 1:54.1f; $88,188); Our Father Lindy (3, 1:57.2f; $43,125); unraced 3-year-old filly Perfect Bang; Quite Like Me (3, 2:04.3h; $32,777); and 4-year-old maiden mare Race Me Bombshell ($44,103).
“It just was a miracle, you know, by the grace of God [Twin B Speed Dial] got out,” Adist told Saratoga News 10 on June 17. “Because there were no other survivors in that barn either side.”
She told the news outlet that Twin B Speed Dial, a winner of 43 races from 261 starts, would be retired: “He survived this. I don’t think he’ll ever race again, which is totally fine by me. He can chill with me the rest of his life.”
Even those not inclined to believe in guardian angels will wonder after learning Twin B Speed Dial’s origin story.
He was foaled on March 28, 2014 and raised at Twinbrook Farms in Embro, ON. The colt was the second Twin B Speed Dial; his full brother, the first Twin B Speed Dial, was welcomed to the farm on April 13, 2011.
Twinbrook owner/operator Tammy McNiven confirmed that there had been an original Twin B Speed Dial. “Yes, the first Twin B Speed Dial died on the surgery table getting OCD’s removed,” she said, adding with sad irony, “Yes the breeding business is easy.”
The colt’s name could be used again; the first Twin B Speed Dial was never old enough to race or breed. He died in 2012.
“He was first crop Well Said,” McNiven told HRU. “Absolutely gorgeous colt. This next Twin B Speed Dial [born in 2014] was the spitting image of the first. We gambled using the same name, [but] it paid off as he sold for $75,000 in the fourth crop of Well Saids. He was another very gorgeous colt and one of the smartest horses we’ve had.”
The second Twin B Speed Dial proved smart and lucky enough to engineer an escape from his stall during last week’s blaze at Saratoga Harness. Adist told Saratoga News 10 the gelding had “busted through one of the webbings… he managed somehow to get out on his own.”
McNiven suggested that aside from intelligence, Twin B Speed Dial might have had an unseen protector by his side.
“Maybe his big brother was watching out for him and got him out of the fire,” she said.
