by Melissa Keith

Dave Menary was on the road to Woodbine Mohawk Park on Friday (Nov. 22) when he had a few moments to talk about his stable’s emerging star, Ervin Hanover (p, 4, 1:47.3s; $448,967). The 4-year-old stallion son of Captaintreacherous—Eloquent Grace has 15 wins from 57 starts to date. The last three victories have been at Mohawk for trainer Menary and driver Louis-Philippe Roy, taking the WMP preferred pace in breathtaking style Nov. 9 and 16. The latter win is Canada’s fastest mile by an older pacing horse this year and Ervin Hanover’s new lifetime mark.

Owned by Pollack Racing LLC of Venetia, PA, Ervin Hanover had raced at Mohawk earlier in his career, when he was trained by Ron Burke and owned by Burke Racing Stable of Fredericktown, PA. The former $115,000 Harrisburg yearling won his first two qualifiers at age 2, then broke his maiden in his first lifetime start, a 1:53.1f Pennsylvania Sire Stake win at The Meadows. Second to Confederate in their 2022 Breeders Crown elimination that Oct. 21 at Mohawk, Ervin Hanover drew post 10 for the Oct. 28 final, in which he finished fifth for driver Joe Bongiorno. He was the longest shot on the board, sent off at odds of 76-1.

On June 10, 2023, Ervin Hanover returned to Campbellville, ON for the North America Cup eliminations. Despite leading much of the mile for driver Yannick Gingras, the colt was overtaken late and ended up fifth behind winner Christchurch, so he did not make the final. The Burke trainee did win five of 21 starts at 3, including a May 28 Pennsylvania Sire Stake division at Harrah’s Philadelphia and the Pegasus Stake for 3-year-old male pacers on Oct. 28 at Harrah’s Hoosier Park. 

This year, Ervin Hanover changed ownership and debuted for trainer Jeff Cullipher, finishing second in a March 16 qualifier at The Meadowlands. His first 2024 win was an April 2 Yonkers overnight race with Todd McCarthy in the sulky. The narrow 1:53.4 victory on the sloppy track gave little indication of what was to come when the horse returned to Ontario this spring.

Menary, who is based at Classy Lane Stables Training Center in Puslinch, ON, said Ervin Hanover made an immediate impression.

“The first time I sat behind him, I let the hopples out,” he told HRU on Friday (Nov. 22). “He’s got a real presence about him. He’s a cocky stud, an absolute specimen, but not a mean horse.

“Tom Pollack and Jeff Cullipher did a great job with him in New Jersey. He was well taken care of. We do our best work as a team.”

Ervin Hanover drew post 7 in his May 15 Charles Juravinski Memorial elimination at Flamboro Downs. It was his first race for driver Louis-Philippe Roy. Sprinting to the early lead in :25.4 — “Flamboro’s fastest quarter ever,” said Menary — the stallion opened up on the front end through a :54 half, fighting the first-over All Class to three-quarters in 1:22 and finishing second to him in the 1:50.3 mile. It remains Canada’s fastest 2024 win by a stallion on a half-mile oval.

“In the final, he drew the 8-hole,” Menary said. “I still think he had the chance to swoop them.”

Ervin Hanover and driver Tyler Borth followed the cover of No Control along the backstretch and went three-wide approaching three-quarters, reaching the sulky wheel of front-end winner Huntinthelastdolar on the final turn. Although Ervin Hanover lost ground by the top of the stretch, finishing sixth, he never saw the proverbial rail in the gutsy effort.

After a fifth-place finish to Huntinthelastdolar at Mohawk on June 1, in the opening leg of the 2024 Graduate Series, Ervin Hanover went back to the United States.

“He went home to race in some other Graduate legs at The Meadowlands,” said Menary, admitting that he hoped to have the stallion back at Classy Lane again soon. “Every time I talked to them [Pollack and Cullipher], I said, ‘What about Ervin Hanover?’ He’s as pretty a horse as you’ll see, from a very desirable family.”

Ervin Hanover, bred by Hanover Shoe Farms of PA, is the second foal of Eloquent Grace (p, 3, 1:51.4f; $100,200). She also produced his full siblings Energetic Hanover (p, 4, 1:49.3s; $438,421) and Caviart Belle (p, 3, 1:49m; $687,750), who sold for $325,000 and $375,000 respectively as yearlings. Caviart Belle was originally named Eunoia Hanover.

Although Ervin Hanover had a pair of non-stake wins at Pocono on Aug. 18 and Sept. 7, he was back with Menary by mid-October.

“It was the second time I’ve had him this year,” said the trainer. “To be honest, I was lucky to have him for three starts in the spring, when they sent him up for the Juravinski.”

Returning to the seven-eighths-mile training track at Classy Lane, Ervin Hanover showed his potential to rapidly climb the Mohawk class ladder, regardless of lacking Grand Circuit wins at age 4.

“The 4-year-old year is tough for a lot of horses,” said Menary, whose stable has been based at Classy Lane for about six years because of the ability to send top horses like Ervin Hanover through their paces on site. “I think it’s the nicest place in North America, and we have the second-best track in Canada after Mohawk.”

On Oct. 19 at Mohawk, Ervin Hanover advanced early from post 8, opening up past the :26.3 opening quarter in what announcer Ken Middleton called “a serious-looking front-end mission” for driver Doug McNair. Hitting three-quarters in 1:20.3, he was reeled in by P L Ozzy and late-charging American History down the stretch, still finishing third, individually-timed in 1:49.2.

“I think that mile kind of blew the carbon out of him,” said Menary. “The first start that I had him back, when Dougie drove him, [McNair] came back and apologized… He said he didn’t mean to go those fractions.”

Ervin Hanover was no worse for the wear, making his WMP preferred handicap debut Oct. 26 with Phil Hudon in the bike. Getting away eighth from the rail, he gained ground third-over from the back of the field approaching three-quarters, swinging widest of all at the top of the stretch. He closed for fifth behind winner Saulsbrook Victor.

Reunited with Louis-Philippe Roy on a Nov. 2 class drop, Ervin Hanover sat fifth as Sometime Somewhere and American History battled to the :54 half. He got rolling first-over at that point, squaring off head-to-head against American History to three-quarters in 1:21.2, then drawing away by over six lengths to stop the teletimer in 1:47.4.

“I think he kind of bonded with Louis,” Menary said.

Two races later, Ervin Hanover and Roy followed Taurasi and Saulsbrook Victor from third to the :54.3 half before unleashing another devastating late kick. Winning by six open lengths again, this time a fifth of a second faster than his previous best, the stallion’s third consecutive win took little out of him.

“He was just ears up all the way through the stretch,” Menary said. “Louis said he was just so happy and willing. When he went to the test barn, he was playing around and barely blowing.”

Saturday night (Nov. 23), Ervin Hanover was absent from the Mohawk top class. Menary told HRU there was nothing amiss.

“I planned on giving him this week off,” he said. “It seems like he and Louis really get along, and Louis isn’t driving Saturday night. We hope to be back eight days from now. We’ll have to talk about it, but I think we’d like to race him a few more times this year [at Mohawk] and then give him a break, probably at dad’s place.”

Menary’s father, Larry, has looked after well-known trainees like the now-retired 2017 O’Brien Older Pacing Horse of the Year Sintra (p, 4, 1:47.2m; $1,370,839) and recent WMP filly and mare preferred winner Dabarndawgswatchin (p, 5, 1:49.0s; $548,756) on his rural Ontario farm.

With his star ascending late in his 4-year-old season, Menary said Ervin Hanover is expected to race again at age 5, likely returning to Grand Circuit competition. He wasn’t sure about whether top 3-year-old filly pacer Its A Love Thing (p, 3, 1:48.2s; $1,044,535) would be returning to race again in 2025.

“I’d say it’s 50-50,” he said. “It’s hard to say. They have to make the decision, and they are in the breeding business.”

The 2024 Fan Hanover, Jerry Silverman Memorial, and multiple Ontario Sires Stakes Gold winner is owned by Eric Good of Davidsonville, MD, Thomas Biederman of Lexington, KY, Joshua Green of Midway, KY, and Rich Lombardo Racing Llc of Solon, OH.

With year-end awards on the horizon, 45-year-old Menary said he’s just hopeful for his stable to be short-listed.

“Whatever [category] it is, the more, the merrier,” he said.

He won the 2023 O’Brien Award for 2-Year-Old Pacing Filly of the Year with Pass Line, while also training divisional runner-up Its A Love Thing, and brought home the 2013 Dan Patch Award for 2-Year-Old Pacing Colt of the Year with New York-based He’s Watching.

“But I always hope that the best horse in the barn is one of the babies,” he added with a chuckle.

Right now, the Cambridge, ON horseman said he is just happy to have the horse to beat in next Saturday night’s WMP preferred (Nov. 30). Ervin Hanover has made a late-season statement, leaving Menary in awe.

“Just the way he’s done it,” he said, “and the horse couldn’t be sounder or fresher.”