Elista Hanover gets well-deserved queen’s farewell

The talented mare is officially retired and ready for her next chapter at Kountry Lane.

by Debbie Little

As the competitors for this weekend’s Breeders Crown eliminations were announced, one obvious absence was top-notch trotting mare Elista Hanover.

The owners of Elista Hanover — Lynn and Philomena Curry and her trainer Annie Stoebe — exclusively informed Harness Racing Update that the 5-year-old mare has been retired and is ready for the next chapter in her career with Kountry Lane Standardbreds.

According to Stoebe, it was decided in January or February that this would be Elista Hanover’s final year competing on the track.

“So, long story short, we knew that this was going to be her last year, regardless,” Stoebe said. “So, we took it one race at a time with her, and by the Jug, she told us she was done, and for a horse that has given me the world and owes none of us anything, she made that decision, and we’re so excited for her next career.”

The last start for the charming chestnut child of International Moni out of the Deweycheatumnhowe mare Evermore was on Sept. 24 in the Grade 3 Miss Versatility final on Little Brown Jug Day in Delaware, OH, where she finished seventh after an unexpected break at the start of the race.

Hall of Famer David Miller was Elista Hanover’s regular pilot during her 3- and 4-year-old seasons. That partnership was disrupted when Miller moved home to Ohio at the end of 2025, but he was the one in the bike this year on Jug Day.

“She doesn’t seem lame to me, she doesn’t seem sore, she doesn’t seem off like that, but she made a break with me, and I told Annie, ‘This ain’t the same horse I’ve been driving for two years. I don’t think she’s herself anymore,’” Miller said. “And they decided to retire her, which I think is a good thing. I think it’s a good move.

“That is a great horse, but she just didn’t seem like herself anymore. I can’t pinpoint what the problem was with lameness or attitude. I don’t know, but I mean, for her to make a break is not her. It’s not her to do that. So, you know, it’s time to pull the plug, and not cheapen her.”

Stoebe said she and her partners took Miller’s comments to heart.

“David knows that horse in a race more than anyone, and I trust him,” Stoebe said. “And you know what? If she doesn’t feel like doing it anymore, she never has to do it again. This animal did more for us than she should have ever done. So, if she doesn’t want to race anymore. That’s okay with us.”

The Hanover Shoe Farms-bred Elista Hanover sold for $240,000 at the Standardbred Horse Sales Company 2022 yearling auction in Harrisburg, PA.

“So, she was the first yearling I ever bought into,” Stoebe said. “We didn’t fall in love with her because of her color, we just loved her as an individual and a pedigree, and Lynn was pretty dead set on her and went way over budget. And you know, quite a few people told us we were crazy for spending that much on a red horse, but I think she’s come around to show we weren’t too crazy after all.

“I mean, obviously she’s the most beautiful standardbred I’ve ever seen, so that came with a lot of pressure because I think everyone has their preconceived notions when it comes to a red standardbred. So, I felt like it was a little bit of an uphill battle.”

Elista Hanover ended her career with a record of 16-7-7 for 51 starts, banking $1,027,632.

In her 3-year-old season, Stoebe said “Elista” blossomed into the horse they hoped she would be.

“We went from the Weiss to the sire stakes, and then to the Grand Circuit level, and she won 10 in a row, and all of those were stakes races,” Stoebe said. “She just was such an amazing horse to go on that ride with, because not only was she so amazingly talented, she literally was my best friend. To see a horse that you’ve had and you’ve believed in from the word go, go out on a grand stage and perform like she did, she really is like a dream come true.”

Duane Miller, the farm manager at Kountry Lane, said he couldn’t be happier that Elista Hanover will be joining them shortly.

“I think she stacks up great with the lineup of mares we have,” Duane said, adding with a laugh, “But we’re kind of spoiled at Kountry Lane. Mr. Yoder kind of lets us buy what we want to buy, and if we have that option, we’re going to go after those types of mares.

“When you have Plunge Blue Chip, Shartin N, and Lyons Sentinel, and you know the list goes on, it’s hard to buy something lesser than that… We all know a no-name mare can be a great producer, but when we have that option, when we go to buy a mare, I kind of look for the name brand mares, and to me, she fits right in with our group.”

To a breeder, Elista Hanover’s pedigree is very inviting.

“That is another thing to me that was worth more because she’s an outcross,” Duane said. “A lot of our mares we buy these days that are name brand or good or our type are Chapter Sevens, Muscle Hills, or Walners. Well, where in the heck do you go with them? Some of them you are so limited.”

Duane said there will be a short list put together of who they’d like to pair up with Elista Hanover, including Walner and Chapter Seven, but they’re not ready to put pen to paper just yet.

Kountry Lane had the sale topper in Lexington and still has to get through the Midwest Sale in Indiana and Harrisburg before they start thinking about breeding for next year.

“All we’ve talked about is what’s great about that mare is we can go to anything we want to go to,” Duane said. “So, we haven’t even put a short list together for her yet. That’ll probably happen the week after Harrisburg.”

Duane said that he likes the fact that Stoebe and her boyfriend, Jeremy Morrison, will be driving Elista Hanover from New Jersey out to Kountry Lane in Wakarusa, IN.

Stoebe said she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“They said shipping, and I said, ‘I’m delivering her,’ and they were like, ‘Okay,’” Stoebe said with a laugh.

“When it’s a horse that’s that special, I’m doing that. Like it’s not even a question to me. Of course, I’m taking her.”

Stoebe is planning a private Elista Hanover retirement party fit for a queen.

“So, the theme of my party is a queen’s farewell,” she said. “Her racing days are over; her legacy is beginning.”

The party will be bittersweet for those closest to Elista Hanover, as they know her days in New Jersey are dwindling.

Martha Palafox has been Elista Hanover’s caretaker for most of the mare’s career.

“Martha started working for me at the end of her 2-year-old year, and she walked in and said, ‘I’m taking care of that one,’” Stoebe said with a laugh. “And her and Elista, they have such an incredible bond. And as hard as this is for me, it’s just as hard, if not harder, for her.

“It’s pretty amazing to have a horse that has made an impact on so many humans’ lives. There are so many people that I could list that are going to miss seeing her at the track.”

When it comes to Elista Hanover’s triumphs on the track, Stoebe and David Miller are in agreement about which was their favorite.

Her Hambletonian Maturity,” David Miller said. “She raced her ass off that night. She two-moved back to the front and just kept rocking. That was probably the biggest win of her life. She was freaking awesome. I think she went the mile and [1]:49, and went a-mile-and-an-eighth, in like 2:03. They weren’t beating her. They weren’t going to beat her that night.

“She’s a champion. I thank God I got to drive her.”

In the 2025 Hambletonian Maturity, Elista Hanover beat a mostly male field and went 1:49.3 for the mile and a stakes record 2:03 for a-mile-and-an-eighth.

Stoebe said even though she couldn’t be happier for Elista and expects her to be a terrific mom, the next few weeks will be tough.

“Honestly, I can’t even think about it,” Stoebe said. “It’s hard because I’m so happy for her. Like she deserves this, and I got a really good chance to sit down and talk to Kountry Lane for a while in Lexington, and knowing what an amazing farm she’s going to, that she’s going to go from the queen of my barn to the queen of their barn, you can’t ask for more. You can’t ask for a better retirement. Like it’s absolutely perfect.

“But is there going to be a hole there? Absolutely. She’s more than a horse. She’s, you know, Martha’s and my best friend.

“The barn can be pitch black, and if she talks to me, I know it’s her. I know her voice. Yeah, there’s going to be an emptiness there, but you know, that’s me being selfish. She gave me her heart; she made a million dollars; she did what most red horses have never done or even thought of accomplishing. So, you know, she has broken the mold in so many ways, and she’s been such a special horse for so many reasons, and it’s amazing to have a horse that legitimately has so many fans and people that care about her and love her.”