Favourites First In Fan Hanover Elims

The decisive betting choices in each of the $35,000 eliminations for the Fan Hanover on Saturday (Aug. 22) at Woodbine Mohawk Park did not disappoint.

Peaky Sneaky paced the quicker mile of the two eliminations, snagging the first split as the 3-5 choice in a lifetime-best 1:49.1.

Fresh from a two-week quarantine, driver Yannick Gingras floated Peaky Sneaky off the wings from post 7 and landed in fourth while Betalady led to the first quarter in :26.3. Perfect Storm soon vacated pocket into the backside and swept to the front heading to a :54.4 half as Gingras angled Peaky Sneaky first over into the far turn.

Perfect Storm sped around the final turn to protect the lead as Peaky Sneaky powered to race alongside moving to three-quarters in 1:21.4. Into the stretch Perfect Storm gave way while Peaky Sneaky pushed away, opening her lead as Alicorn closed to take second with Beach Sports rallying for third. Perfect Storm held fourth with Nectar finishing fifth.

“Nancy [Takter] told me she bled in her last start, so I kind of forget about that start. Other than that I think she’s been really consistent all year long,” Gingras said after the race. “She was on the front a couple weeks in a row, so I figured I’d try to give her a target but she paced home really good tonight. She felt really strong in the last turn. The minute she cleared she got a little lonely there, but she kept to her business and she finished good.”

A daughter of Bettors Delight, Peaky Sneaky won her fifth race from 16 starts, earning $163,917 for owners Howard Taylor, Judith Taylor and Order By Stable. Nancy Takter trains the $3.20 winner.

Party Girl Hill prevailed in the other elimination, winning narrowly over Lady Lou in 1:50.

Priceless cleared command moving to a :26.3 with Karma Seelster sitting second and Party Girl Hill third. Driver Doug McNair sent Party Girl Hill for the front entering the backstretch, brushing to the top before slowing the tempo towards a :55.3 half.

Lady Lou edged first over heading to the final turn and roared towards Party Girl Hill, ranging forward to match strides with the leader by three-quarters in 1:23.4. The race turned into a sprint straightening for the finish with Lady Lou bearing down on Party Girl Hill through the lane, but finishing a half-length shy of victory in the :26.1 dash to the end. Karma Seelster finished third with Lauras Love taking fourth and Priceless faltering to fifth.

“She’s got a real big engine under the hood,” McNair said after the race. “She goes along, does exactly what she’s asked to do. She’s just perfect to drive. I talked to Dexter about her throughout the week and she’s exactly how he said she’d be—she kind of relaxes on the lead, and then when you want her to go she goes. Jody [Jamieson on Lady Lou] kind of came quick on us in the last turn and she brushed with them; she did everything right in the lane and raced real well.”

Owned by Tom Hill, Party Girl Hill remains unbeaten in seven starts, earning $207,881. Chantal Mitchell overlooks the Captaintreacherous filly conditioned stateside by Chris Ryder. She paid $2.40 to win.

Woodbine Mohawk Park conducted the draw for the $400,000 Fan Hanover Final during the Saturday card, with the field as they will align appearing below:

1-Karma Seelster
2-Lauras Love
3-Party Girl Hill
4-Peaky Sneaky
5-Lady Lou
6-Priceless
7-Perfect Storm
8-Alicorn
9-Nectar
10-Beach Sports
AE-Rose Run Vantage

The Saturday card at Woodbine Mohawk Park also featured a Preferred Pace and the eliminations for the Pepsi North America Cup. For recaps of each event, click the respective link.

To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.

Have something to say about this? Log in or create an account to post a comment.