Second verse, quicker than the first.

After taking the tuck and sprinting home in his first appearance of the season, 2025 Dan Patch and O'Brien Award winner Ervin Hanover did all the heavy lifting and dazzled in his second charted mile of 2026.

Ervin Hanover completed the second qualifier of his six-year-old campaign during the 10-dash qualifying session at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Friday, May 22. It was a brisk Campbellville morning, perhaps to the pacer's liking as evidenced by his cooler-weather late-season exploits in 2024 and 2025.

Louis-Philippe Roy sent Ervin Hanover to the front against his pair of rivals, clearing to the top before the opening turn. After front-end fractions of :27, :55.3 and 1:24, Ervin Hanover sprinted home in a wind-assisted :25.4 to trip the timer in 1:49.4. Christopher Dance N, Ervin Hanover's Dave Menary-trained stablemate, finished 2-1/2 lengths back in second for driver James MacDonald with recent Open class winner Calicojack Hanover (Bob McClure) third.

Owned by Pollack Racing LLC of Venetia, Pa., Ervin Hanover sports a career summary of  26-8-9 from 75 lifetime starts but stepped up his game in 2025 with a stellar 10-1-1 record from 17 outings to garner divisional honours on both sides of the border. He comes into 2026 with earnings exceeding $1.68 million.

Only four pacers have broken the 1:50 barrier in a Canadian qualifier. Saulsbrook Victor's 1:49.1 mark at Grand River Raceway in 2024 remains the fastest ever, with Beach Glass (Woodbine Mohawk Park; 2023) and Warrawee Needy (Mohawk Racetrack; 2012) just a tick slower at 1:49.2.

The full video stream from Friday morning is available below. 

For results from the qualifying session, click the following link: Friday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park (Qualifiers).

(Standardbred Canada)