Closing a week ago with a sub-:26 final quarter to finish second in his 2024 debut, Canadian half-mile track record holder Linedrive Hanover prepared for a possible MGM Borgata Pacing Series opening leg appearance with a sizzling qualifying effort on Saturday, March 9 at The Meadowlands.
Scott Zeron positioned Linedrive Hanover behind a seasonally-debuting Fortify (Andy McCarthy) through fractions of :27.2, :55.2 and 1:24 over the track listed as 'good' for the session. Zeron right-lined Linedrive Hanover approaching the head of the lane and the six-year-old gelding replied to that request with a :26.3 final quarter. Linedrive Hanover easily put away pacesetting Fortify and hit the wire more than three lengths to the good in a time of 1:50.4.
Half-mile track world champion This Is The Plan finished a solid second in his 2024 debut for driver Yannick Gingras, with Churchviewfrankl Ir (Jordan Stratton) edging out Fortify to finish third.
Trained stateside by Linda Toscano, Linedrive Hanover (Betting Line - Lillian Hanover) is owned by Casie Coleman's West Wins Stable of Wellington, Florida, McKinlay & Fielding of Toronto and Mac Nichol of Burlington, Ont. The 14-time winner boasts a bankroll of $590,735 and is the fastest horse on a half-mile track in Canadian harness racing by virtue of his 1:49h win in the 2022 Charles Juravinski Memorial at Flamboro Downs.
Linedrive Hanover and This Is The Plan are two of the 30 horses eligible to compete in the 2024 Borgata, with the opening leg of the series slated for Monday, March 18.
(Standardbred Canada)