Canada's Horse of the Year for 2023, Sylvia Hanover finished first during her second outing of the season on Friday, May 10 at Woodbine Mohawk Park. And she did so with different tactics than usual.
Known for her heart-stopping rallies and overland trips, Sylvia Hanover won just one race last year when charted on the lead at the three-quarter mark -- the 2023 Fan Hanover Stakes final at Mohawk last June. Bob McClure positioned the four-year-old mare forwardly in her Friday qualifying attempt, clearing stablemate Front Page Story (Jonathan Drury) through a :58.1 half after a :28.2 opener. Sylvia Hanover then sped through a back half of :55.2, pacing home in :26.4 to trip the timer in 1:53.2. Front Page Story was next best, nearly five lengths in arrears.
"She qualified very well and was strong again," trainer Shawn Steacy told Trot Insider after the qualifier. "She doesn't do her best work on the front but she still did everything right the way we wanted."
Owned by Hudson Standardbred Stable of Hudson, Que., Sylvia Hanover (Always B Miki - Shyaway) sports a 18-3-0 record from 22 starts with earnings in excess of $1.7 million.
The full video stream from Friday's session is available below.
For results from the qualifying session, click the following link: Friday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park (Qualifiers).
(Standardbred Canada)