A race day scratch due to sickness forced morning line favourite Margarita Mary to watch from the sidelines as Kandor Hanover sailed to a 1:55.4 triumph in the $60,000 final of the Lifetime Dream Trotting Series on Sunday
afternoon at Woodbine Racetrack.
Veteran trainer John Burns and driver Randy Waples joined forces to score the victory with Kandor Hanover, who was second – once to Margarita Mary and once to Queen Creek - in the two preliminary legs of the series.
Queen Creek left alertly from the pole position in the nine-mare affair, and she had the field lined up behind her at the opening quarter in :26.3. Even though she got a bit of a breather in the second quarter, she still had the field down to the half in :56 which proved to be too quick.
Kandor Hanover, who got away fourth, made the first-over move shortly past the half, and she brushed to the lead at the three-quarter pole in 1:26.1 before using a :29.3 final frame to hold off a hard-closing Another Vixen in 1:55.4. La Marchesa closed from out of the clouds to finish third.
The 1:55.4 clocking shaved three-fifths of a second off Winnie The Who’s former record of 1:56.2 set in the 2008 edition of the Lifetime Dream Trotting Series.
Trainer Burns co-owns the five-time winner with Online Stables of Mississauga, ON and J Patrick Huber of Lima, OH. The four-year-old daughter of Tagliabue out of the former Burns trainee Katelyns Glory has banked more than $133,000 in her career.
To view Sunday’s results, click here.