Showing the grit and determination that's propelled him to a 10-year career with 52 wins and more than $444,000 in earnings, Union Man Hanover repelled all rivals en route to victory in the Saturday (Sept. 26) feature at Exhibition Park Raceway.
Stephen Trites pointed the 11-year-old son of Artiscape - Up Front Rose to the front end in the $1,500 Winners Over Pace and took advantage of his rail position to make the lead ahead of his four rivals. JJ Breanne (John Davidson) attempted to engage Union Man Hanover into the first turn and rolled offstride. The pacing mare quickly reset and pestered the pacesetter through a :28.3 opener and :57.3 half. As the field approached the third station, JJ Breanne started to feel the burn of that first-over grind and her strides started to shorten. Union Man Hanover continued strong on the lead through that 1:27.4 third quarter and his :31.1 final stanza was more than enough as he tripped the timer some four lengths to the good in 1:59. Ultimatelyhandsome (Kyle Mason) held off Bugger Max (Mark Haig) for place.
Now a winner of four races from 15 seasonal starts, Union Man Hanover is trained and owned Robert MacNeil of Saint John, N.B.
The MacNeil stable also captured the back-up pace with Magical Alex, as Mark Haig guided the 13-year-old son of Harrods - Magical Ball to a wire-to-wire 2:01 score for his 60th career victory.
To view the results from the Saturday card of harness racing, click the following link: Saturday Results - Exhibition Park Raceway.