Last year at two, Hockey Hanover achieved a rare, if not unprecedented, double, winning the championships of both the PA Fairs and the PA Stallion Series. This year, he’s aiming for an even bigger prize — the PA Sires Stake title. He begins his quest Saturday at The Meadows in the Super Bowl, a $174,888 PASS event for sophomore colt and gelding trotters. First post is 11:25 a.m.
While Hockey Hanover competed primarily in stallion series and fair stakes last year, he faced elite trotters in a single PASS appearance. The son of Explosive Matter-Hotentrot Hanover lost to Crystal Fashion by a nose.
“We wanted to make sure he would make the stallion series final,” says his trainer, Wilbur Yoder. “Once we were sure of that, we decided to try him in a sires stake. He showed he can go with them.”
If all goes as planned, Hockey Hanover will stay on the PASS trail this year and de-emphasize fairs.
“He was a big, strong colt last year, and he grew up a little bit,” Yoder reports. “He seems pretty sound and healthy right now. I think we have enough stake races this year to keep him away from the fairs. That’s the game plan, anyway.”
John McMullen of McMullen Stable, which owns Hockey Hanover, is a fixture on the PA Fairs circuit. He notes that the colt would need to race at a minimum of five fairs to be eligible for the championship.
“We’ve put him in races where we’ve never raced before,” McMullen says. “We’ll just see how the early part of the year works out. The fairs final is a pretty nice thing.”
McMullen Stable has bred, purchased and campaigned dozens of horses over the years, naming 39 of them to honour Pennsylvania counties. The Keystone State has 67 counties, so McMullen had plenty of opportunity to change Hockey Hanover’s name and extend the tradition.
“We thought about it, but Hockey Hanover is a pretty nice name. We decided to leave it, and I’m glad we did.”
Hockey Hanover leaves from post 7 in race 8, but Yoder, his regular pilot, is recuperating from what he describes as a broken sternum and several broken ribs suffered in a race mishap. Yoder estimates he’ll be sidelined another month, so Brian Zendt will take the reins.
Saturday’s action-packed Preakness Day card also features an $80,000 PA Stallion Series stake for three-year-old colt and gelding trotters and a pair of rich guarantees — $7,500 for the Pick 4 (races 4-7), $5,000 for the Pick 5 (races 11-15). Fan-centered activities include:
▸ A DJ and food and beverage specials at BBQ tents on the apron;
▸ Paddock tours and jog cart and starting gate rides, courtesy the Meadows Standardbred Owners Association (MSOA);
▸ “Plinko” games offering such prizes as hats and betting vouchers.
▸ To register or for more information, stop by the MSOA table in the Racebook.
(The Meadows)