Sometimes in stakes racing the winner is the horse that simply peaks at the right time. Trainer Mike Bishop and his connections will be hoping that’s the case for El Diablo Rojo heading into Saturday night’s Dream of Glory final at Hanover Raceway.

The son of Striking Sahbra -- after having gone winless in the first 10 starts of his three-year-old campaign -- showed a big improvement when he easily won his elimination in 2:00. Bishop says his horse has finally been putting it all together in recent weeks.

“Actually, for a three-year-old, he’s acted like a two-year-old,” the trainer explained about his pupil's slow start in 2013. “He’s just now starting to figure it out. He’s coming to the track ready to race. The other night was pretty much a walk in the park. Racing him over his head for a couple weeks really helped him improve his speed.”

On July 20 at Mohawk Racetrack, during the Canadian Breeders Championship for three-year-old trotters, El Diablo Rojo managed to race well enough to pick up a cheque in the $105,910 final.

After a front-stepping victory in his Dream of Glory elim, Bishop’s sophomore will now start from Post 1 in Saturday's $71,200 Dream of Glory final. Bishop is more than pleased with his pupil being able to start from the rail.

“It’s a big advantage, especially on a half-mile track. The trip is up to Bruce (driver Bruce Richardson). Going for that much money, I expect he’ll have his name called a lot in the early going of the race.”

El Diablo Rojo only trotted his mile in 2:00 last time out, but the trainer is sure he can improve on that clocking if necessary.

“He did that really easy,” Bishop stated. “Bruce didn’t really urge him and he trotted home in 29 seconds. If we get a fast track and a warm night, I think he can go a lot more.”

In the 12-year history of the Dream of Glory, the final has been trotted in 2:00 or slower only once.

Lastly, on the importance of racing opportunities like the Dream of Glory for Grassroots-level horses, Bishop says, “It’s extremely important. It’s unfortunate to see what’s going on right now. A lot of credit goes to Hanover for however they maintained that purse. The OSS (Ontario Sires Stakes) program has gone down, and it’s hard to imagine what it will be like for the future of young horses if the purses can’t be kept up.”

A field of eight OSS-eligible three-year-old trotters will contest the $71,200 final of the Dream of Glory Stakes Saturday night in Race 10 on Hanover’s 12-race card.

To view the harness racing entries for Saturday at Hanover, click the following link: Saturday Entries - Hanover Raceway.

(With files from Hanover)