Mark Weaver, who shares ownership of Hannelore Hanover, told harnessracing.com on Wednesday afternoon (February 14) that the six-year-old world champion mare will not only return to the racetrack in 2018, but she will do so as a mother-in-waiting.
After a spectacular 2017 campaign, Hannelore Hanover was named Canada’s 2017 Horse of the Year and Older Trotting Mare of the Year at the recent O’Brien Awards Black Tie Gala, which took place earlier this month at the Hilton Mississauga / Meadowvale hotel in Mississauga, Ont. For a complete rundown of the 2017 O’Brien Awards winners, click here.
Weaver has told harnessracing.com that Hannelore Hanover – the United States’ Older Trotting Mare of the Year in 2016 and 2017 and one of the favourites to be named the US Trotter of the Year and Horse of the Year at the Dan Patch Awards dinner in Orlando on Sunday, Feb. 25 – will be bred this spring to the world champion trotter Southwind Frank, who stands at Diamond Creek Farm of Pennsylvania. The embryo will then be transferred to a recipient mare to carry to term.
"This is something we've thought about doing, and we talked to some people we respect, like Adam Bowden (at Diamond Creek Farm) who has done it with a couple horses, Ray Schnittker, and other experts, and they all said they would 100 per cent do it," explained Weaver. "We can race her coming off potentially a Horse of the Year season or we can breed her, or we can be a little bit greedy and do both. We would love to have a baby from him and her."
Weaver, who also shares ownership of Southwind Frank, said he also consulted with Dr.
Bridgette Jablonsky at Hanover Shoe Farms and Dr. Pete Sheerin at Nandi Farms. He said the embryo will be transferred to a recipient mare at Nandi Farms in East Freedom, Pa.
"It's a tough thing to do, as we have a six-year-old mare who has the potential to make $1 million, and she can also have a baby," said Weaver. "We believe that Southwind Frank as a sire is in a good spot in Pennsylvania. We're supporting Southwind Frank and getting a baby from Hannelore. Everything together we just thought it made sense."
Hannelore Hanover won 10 of 17 races in 2017, including her 1:49.2 effort in the Allerage Farms Open Trot at the Red Mile, the fastest mile ever by a female trotter. Her other victories included the Breeders Crown, Maple Leaf Trot and Armbro Flight. Owned by Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Burke Racing Stable, Frank Baldachino and J&T Silva Stables, Hannelore Hanover's $1 million in earnings last year brought her career total to $2,473,814.
(Harnessracing.com)