Marymatt Hanover Euthanized

An illustrious racing career was cut all too short during Saturday night’s (December 6) sixth race at Woodbine Racetrack.

Marymatt Hanover (Blissfull Hall – Mary Mattgalane) was nearing the finish in his race when he suffered an injury to his pastern, forcing driver Mark MacDonald to pull the six-year-old bay up.

Trainer Gordon Ford rushed the horse to the University of Guelph, but Marymatt Hanover's injury was too serious to mend. The horse was euthanized Sunday morning (December 7).

Marymatt Hanover was bought at the 2003 Harrisburg yearling sale for $20,000 by Ron Matheson, Hal Bevan, and Tom Clark, all of Charlottetown PEI.

Conditioned by Charlottetown-based trainer Ron Matheson, Marymatt Hanover started his career off at Summerside Raceway in PEI at age three, winning in 2:01.3.

He then proceeded to wheel off 10 more victories -- the last three of which were at Hippodrome de Montreal, under the care of Marcel Barrieau -- before his streak was snapped at 11, with a second-place finish.

Soon after, the colt found his way to Woodbine Racetrack with trainer Dr. Ian Moore, who is a longtime friend of the ownership group.

Marymatt Hanover won his first two starts for Dr. Moore, including a win in a blistering 1:49.4 at the end of November with Mark MacDonald in the bike. MacDonald is married to Charlotte Bevan, daughter of Marymatt Hanover’s co-owner Hal Bevan.

When Dr. Moore returned to PEI, the horse was left in the care of Casie Coleman, who won a leg of the 2005 Valedictory Pacing Series with the athletic bay. That was 'Marymatt’s only win in the series, as he failed to defeat arch-rival Pacific Mariner in the second leg and final.

After brief stays in Charlottetown and Montreal, Marymatt Hanover made visits to the winner’s circles in Chester Downs (1:53.1) and the Meadowlands (1:51.4) while being trained by Joseph Holloway.

After another trip to Ontario, Marymatt Hanover came home to Charlottetown in 2007 to compete in the regional free-for-all circuit. After, the bay then again returned to Ontario, where he climbed up to compete in the Open pace at Woodbine.

This past summer, Marymatt Hanover finished a close second to Pownal Bay Matt in the $60,000 Gold Cup & Saucer final, with fellow Islander Robert Shepherd in the bike.

His last win was November 29 at Woodbine in 1:52.3 with Mark MacDonald at the controls.

Co-owner Tom Clark was faced with a tough decision Saturday night when he witnessed what happened to the pacer, while watching the simulcast from the Charlottetown Driving Park.

There was only a slim chance of survival for the horse and Clark believes he made the right decision.

“I think among the three of us (Clark, Bevan, and Matheson) we didn’t want to subject 'Matt' to any torture purely for our own motives,” Clark said.

Clark enjoyed having Marymatt Hanover around. “He wasn’t hard to handle. He was a good blend of talent and determination. I feel pretty fortunate to have had him.”

Everyone ever connected with Marymatt Hanover no doubt counts themselves lucky to have had the chance to work with him, as Clark wrapped up perfectly.

“None of us will ever forget him.”

(By Nicholas Oakes, a journalism student at Holland College, and a columnist with Atlantic Post Calls)