One of the favourites in the 2015 Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book will make his seasonal debut in a Friday morning qualifier at Mohawk Racetrack, and he'll have some added support when he heads behind the gate.
Reverend Hanover is one of harness racing’s newest and brightest stars to reserve stall space in the Stable That God Loves. The handsome, undefeated three-year-old joins a barn full of 48 horses campaigning with hoof beats with heart to support a major fundraising initiative that has attracted the attention of mainstream media and embraced by a groundswell of support from horsepeople that have a collective sense of purpose to help their own.
The Reverend, a $24,000 yearling purchase at Harrisburg, capped his undefeated four-win two-year-old season for co-owners Steve Calhoun of Chatham, West Wins Stable of Cambridge, Anthony Beaton of Waterdown, Ontario and trainer Casie Coleman with an easy victory in the $250,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final.
The Sportswriter colt is second choice in Trot’s Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book, Canada’s richest race, set for Mohawk Racetrack on June 20.
Reverend Hanover heads to the gate in the fifth qualifier of the morning on Friday, part of an all-star standardbred lineup set to start seasonal campaigns.
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O'Brien Award winner Lady Shadow qualifies for the second straight week against world record holder Hes Watching and 2013 O'Brien Award winner Vegas Vacation, returning after missing his four-year-old season in the second qualifier.
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Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final winning fillies Code One Hanover (Qualifier 3) and Danielle Hall (Qualifier 6) are both in action
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Pierce Hanover (22-1 in the N.A. Cup Spring Book) makes his seasonal debut in the ninth qualifier
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In the tenth, dual O'Brien Award winner Riveting Rosie makes her second qualifier of the season against a returning Prestidigitator, who hasn't raced since winning his OSS Super Final in 2012.
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Speedy pacing mare Beach Gal makes her four-year-old debut in the eleventh
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Completing the appearances from freshman OSS Super Final victors, trotting colt Dont Rush makes his sophomore debut in the 13th qualifier
To view full entries and past performance lines for Friday's qualifiers, click the following link: Friday Qualifiers - Mohawk Racetrack.
Some of Reverend Hanover's big-name stablemates in the Stable That God Loves now include Ed James’ McWicked, John Fielding’s 2014 Dan Patch recipient Shake It Cerry, John Craig’s 2013 Breeders Crown winner Luck Be Withyou, Adriano Sorella’s 2013 Little Brown Jug winner Vegas Vacation and a host of upcoming three-year-old talent: Jack Darling’s Code One Hanover, winner of the Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final, Dustin Jones’ Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final winner Dont Rush ($296,985), George Millar’s Our Hot Majorette, John Fielding’s Manny In Sports ($185,870) and Doug Millard’s Elegant Serenity.
Silky Flashy N Fast, owned by Harry Rutherford and trainer Ben Baillargeon, is the lone two-year-old in God’s Stable. The Kadabra-sired colt is a half -brother to their good trotting mare Rockin With Dewey.
The members of the Stable That God Loves will contribute one per cent of their 2015 purse earnings to the Standardbred Racetrack Chaplaincy of Canada. To date 47 standardbreds and one thoroughbred are bedded down in in God’s Stable. The lone thoroughbred is Mac Nichol’s three-year-old Madefromlucky, from Erin, Ontario, who has already banked $225,200 from three trips postward this season.
The leading money winner in God’s Stable is the Norm Clements trio of Its Payday Friday, PL Hellcat and PL Idaho with $75,676 from eight wins and seven seconds in 21 starts.
Stall space is always available in the Stable of Horses That God Loves. Stall applications should be sent to Norm Clements: [email protected] or Ken Middleton: [email protected].
(with files from The Standardbred Racetrack Chaplaincy of Canada)