Sylvia Hanover and driver Tim Tetrick will aim for their third consecutive win, and fourth in five starts since being united in late June, when they face eight rivals in the $100,000 USD Grade 3 Cleopatra Invitational for older female pacers at Eldorado Scioto Downs on Saturday, Aug. 23.

Sylvia Hanover, the sport’s No. 2-ranked horse in this week’s Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll and Canada’s 2023 Horse of the Year, heads to the Cleopatra off wins in the Grade 2 Lady Liberty on Aug. 2 at The Meadowlands and the Grade 3 Clara Barton Distaff Pace on July 20 at Plainridge Park. Her 1:47.2 score in the Clara Barton made her the fastest female pacer in history on a five-eighths-mile track.

“She’s made more than $2 million for a reason; she’s a great mare,” Tetrick said about the five-year-old daughter of Always B Miki-Shyaway, who has hit the board in 40 of 46 lifetime races, winning 25 and banking $2.6 million for owner Hudson Standardbred Stable. “She’s on top of her game right now. It makes my job pretty easy.”

After beginning the season in Canada, Sylvia Hanover and Tetrick teamed up for the first time in the Grade 3 Perfect Sting Mare Pace on June 28 at The Meadowlands, where they won by two lengths over rival Twin B Joe Fresh in 1:48.2. Sylvia Hanover finished second to Twin B Joe Fresh in the Grade 2 Dorothy Haughton Memorial two weeks later at The Big M but has not lost since.

“She’s fun to drive,” Tetrick said. “She’s laidback, lazy if anything, but she goes what she has to. I really like her. She’s tough. She can take a lot of air, and she likes to go after horses. I’ve raced her different ways – on the front, grinded first-up, pulled the pocket. I came first-up at Plainridge and she paced a big back half and did her work really good.”

Trained by the father-son team of Mark and Shawn Steacy, Sylvia Hanover has four wins, two seconds and a third in seven 2025 starts. She will leave from post three in the Cleopatra Invitational and is the 2-1 morning-line favourite.

Here is the full field, in post order: Talk Curdy To Me, No Foolin April, Sylvia Hanover, Naked On A Hill, Always B Naughty, Shadows Dancers, Bath Bomb, My Girl EJ, and Fearless Ginger. My Girl EJ was the 2024 Dan Patch Award winner for best three-year-old female pacer.

The 2024 Cleopatra Invitational was won by Twin B Joe Fresh in 1:48.2, setting the track record for female pacers at Scioto.

The Cleopatra Invitational is one of four $100,000 USD Grade 3 events on the Saturday card at Scioto. The track also will host the Moni Maker for three-year-old female trotters, Nadia Lobell for three-year-old female pacers, and #SendItIn Invitational for older male pacers.

There also will be Ohio Sire Stakes divisions for two-year-old trotters and pacers on Saturday. Purses for the 16-race card total more than $1 million.

Racing begins at 5:52 p.m. (EDT) at Eldorado Scioto Downs. For a free race program, click here.

(USTA)