Ken Hanover and driver Tim Tetrick made a three-wide move on the final turn to overtake duelling leaders Maximus Miki and Coaches Corner, then held off a swarm of rivals in the stretch to win the $138,889 Joseph Auger Memorial Invitational (Grade 3) for older male pacers on the Super Sunday card on May 24 at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
Ken Hanover won in 1:49.2 by a neck over Mossdale Ben N (Jim Marohn Jr.). The top five finishers were separated by three-quarters of a length, with For Once Inmy Life (Jordan Stratton) third, Coaches Corner (Jason Bartlett) fourth and defending Auger champ Bythemissal (Yannick Gingras) fifth.
Tetrick guided Ken Hanover to the victory from post eight, the outermost spot on the starting gate, for trainer Roland “Polie” Mallar. The six-year-old son of Captaintreacherous-KJs Justine is owned by Mallar along with Patrick Leavitt of Buxton, Maine, William Jordan of Fryeberg, Maine and Dennis Osterholt of Boyton Beach, Florida.
Mossdale Ben N took the early lead from post five and brought the field to the opening quarter in :26.2 before yielding to Maximus Miki (Scott Zeron), who had pushed forward from post four. Maximus Miki led to the half in :54.2, but Coaches Corner was on the charge first-over from fourth, with Ken Hanover following that cover.
Maximus Miki reached three-quarters in 1:21.4 while locked in battle with Coaches Corner, who grabbed the lead briefly in the stretch before Ken Hanover’s arrival.
“Luckily, I got a good spot in the first turn and got lively cover,” said Tetrick. “My horse is a good closer, he can do it either way, but he likes a target. Today, we got a pretty good trip and it worked out for him.”
Tetrick added about the finish, “It was a horse race. I told Polie that I cleared a little soon with him; when he gets by them, he thinks it’s over. [Mossdale Ben N] had a lot of run up the inside – he got held up a little bit by [Maximus Miki] – but it doesn’t say that on the paycheque, so it all worked out.”
Ken Hanover improved to two-for-two this year and has won 23 of 60 race lifetime, with $1.52 million in earnings. Last year, he won eight races, with half of them coming in graded stakes.
Tetrick took over as Ken Hanover’s driver this season after David Miller returned to Ohio at the end of last year.
“It was a great pickup,” said Tetrick. “He was a great horse last year; he competed at the top level all year. When Dave left to go back home, I got the call, and I was real appreciative of that.
“It feels like he’s come back really good,” he added. “He’s happy and he’s so easy to drive. He’s a fun little horse to be part of.”
Ken Hanover, sent off as the 7-2 co-second choice behind 4-5 Maximus Miki, paid $9.60 to win.
Earlier in the day, Huntinthelastdolar made a first-over move from fourth after the half-mile point, took the lead exiting the final turn and won the $69,444 #SendItIn Invitational Pace by 2-3/4 lengths in a career-best 1:49.1. Captain Optimistic (Scott Zeron) and Twisted Destiny (Dexter Dunn) finished in a dead heat for second.
Sweet Beach Life led the eight-horse field through fractions of :26.1, :54.1 and 1:21.4 before Huntinthelastdolar, the 9-2 second choice, took control in the stretch.
Per Engblom trains Huntinthelastdolar for owners John Fielding of Scarborough, Ont., and E Five Racing of Boca Raton, Florida. The son of Huntsville-Eighthunrdolarbill was driven to victory by Jason Bartlett. It was the six-year-old gelding’s fourth win in seven starts this season and 27th in 78 career races. He has earned nearly $1.72 million lifetime.
Super Sunday got off to an auspicious start as the Betting Line-Lots A Blue gelding Young Bluey A went wire-to-wire in 1:50.1 in a $34,722 Open Pace. Yannick Gingras hustled the winner to the lead soon after the start and put down fractions of :26.4, :54.3 and 1:22.4. Favoured Redwood Hanover (Jason Bartlett) sat the perfect pocket trip but couldn’t get closer than 1-1/4 lengths at the finish as the recent Aussie import triumphed for trainer Jared Bako and owner David Kryway of Amherstburg, Ont. Young Bluey A took a new mark in his fourth stateside start (three wins) and caused the initial track rating of “good” to be immediately upgraded to “fast.”
Louies Girl N controls Betsy Ross field in 1:48.4
They were worried she might be ”too small,” but Louies Girl N certainly raced giant in the $138,889 Betsy Ross Mares Invitational Pace (Grade 3) on Super Sunday, reducing her mark three seconds to 1:48.4, just two-fifths off the stakes mark set by Twin B Joe Fresh in 2024.
The six-year-old daughter of Lord Forbes-One Bad Dream was away third for Jason Bartlett as No Foolin April (driven by Tim Tetrick, who has won the Ross a record seven times) flew away fastest as the wings folded, with Coastal Babe N (Scott Zeron) going up to get the pocket behind the leader, who reached the first pole in :26.2.
Bartlett said afterwards that, "Tetrick’s horse was a little hot early, but when she seemed more in control off the first turn, I made my move."
Louies Girl N took command in front of the stands, hit the half in :54.4, then took firm charge by going :26.4 down the back, making for a 1:21.3 three-quarters.
Through the stretch, Louies Girl N gave Bartlett, trainer Per Engblom and Pennsylvania-based Peaceful Acre Farm no reason for concern, with a :27.1 final quarter completing a :54 back half and a race where she won as she pleased over 25-1 shot No Foolin April, who lasted for the deuce in the wake of the winner. Miki And Minnie (Dexter Dunn), double U.S. divisional champion making her four-year-old debut, did not have great cover but still rallied for show.
Louies Girl N, like Miki And Minnie, was sent off at even-money, with the victor commanding $71 more in the win pool.
The remarkable form streak of the Ross winner reads like this: she won her last start in New Zealand then was unbeaten in six stateside starts in 2025. This year, Louies Girl N has had six wins in eight starts, giving her 13 wins in her last 15 races and success in exactly half her lifetime starts (19-for-38).
The real test will come when Miki And Minnie, along with stablemate Twin B Joe Fresh, are in prime form, but don’t rule out the small mare with the giant gearbox.
Antognoni S the best in Maxie Lee Invitational
Antognoni S and driver Yannick Gingras bided their time in second behind Sir Pinocchio for three-quarters of a mile before pouncing in the final turn to capture the $138,889 Maxie Lee Invitational (Grade 3) for older trotters by 3-1/4 lengths in 1:50.4.
Longshot Southwind Arturo (Anthony Napolitano), sent off at 61-1, finished second while defending Maxie Lee champion Aetos Kronos S (Dexter Dunn) was third and Sir Pinocchio (Jason Bartlett) fourth.
Sir Pinocchio went for the lead at the start from post five and led Antognoni S, who left from post four, to the first quarter in :26.1. Sir Pinocchio remained on top to the half in :54.4 and three-quarters in 1:22.3 before Antognoni S moved to the outside ahead of first-over Aetos Kronos S in third and trotted home in :27.4 to notch his third win of the season and sixth in a row since this past December.
“He really is pushbutton now,” Gingras said about Antognoni S, who has won 19 of 27 races and earned $784,526 since arriving in North America last year. “He’s so handy the way he is and he’s so quick when you make a move that he’s going to put himself in the right position more often than not.
“I was taking my time to get out. If [Aetos Kronos S] would have gotten closer, I would have pulled. I didn’t want to stay in the two-hole, but I knew the longer I could wait the better. He can trot the turn just as fast as the straightaway, so I knew I could take a shot in the turn and he would give me a good run.”
Antognoni S is a six-year-old gelded son of Father Patrick-Bouncing Bax. He is trained by Ron Burke, a four-time Maxie Lee winner, and owned by Gingras and partners Burke Racing Stable of Fredericktown, Pennsylvania, Weaver Bruscemi of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania and Fac Racing of Scarsdale, New York.
“I’m excited for the season,” Gingras said after Antognoni S gave the driver his fifth triumph in the Maxie Lee. “Hopefully, he stays sound and healthy and he’ll do the rest.”
Antognoni S, the 1-5 favourite, has won 25 of 47 career races and earned $860,530 lifetime. He paid $2.40 to win.
Another C Note continues perfect season in Pennsylvania Sire Stakes
Another C Note stayed undefeated in three Pennsylvania Sire Stakes preliminary starts and seven races overall in 2025, lowering his mark to 1:50.3 in one of three $51,854 PASS divisions for sophomore male pacers contested during the Super Sunday card.
A Captaintreacherous-Kate Cant Wait colt driven by Yannick Gingras for trainer Ron Burke (their third successful collaboration before the three Invitationals), Another C Note fired away wide and worked to the front in a :26.4 quarter, with Apocalypse Blue Chip (Joe Bongiorno) stepping away well to defend pocket position. The winner put up mid-splits of :55.3 and 1:23.1, with second choice Always B Charlie (Scott Zeron) advancing uncovered approaching the latter pole. But Another C Note had another gear in him, easily warding off Always B Charlie by 1-1/4 lengths while finishing out his lucky seventh victory for Burke Racing, Weaver Bruscemi and partners Let It Ride Stables of Boca Raton, Florida and Scott Dillon of Anson, Maine.
Melillo, a Grand Circuit stakes winner at two and a good second in each of his two previous Sire Stakes races this season, showed himself a likely contender throughout North America again this season with a powerful 1:48.4 victory, equalling his mark and giving trainer Burke a second PASS victory.
A North America Cup eligible colt by Burke Brigade “mascot” Sweet Lou out of Rosemary Rose, Melillo had the lead before the middle of the first turn under Tim Tetrick’s direction, and paced on to fractions of :27.1, :54.4, and 1:21.4, at the last-named station beginning to leave his opposition further behind. The victorious colt, now a winner of $591,103 for Burke Racing and Weaver Bruscemi along with the winner’s namesake, Jason Melillo of Powell, Ohio, saw two longshots finish closest to him, 33-1 Easy Breeze (Andrew McCarthy) second and 50-1 Talbot Andretti (Dexter Dunn).
Sneaky Squeaky was trying to ring up his third Sire Stakes victory, but the Papi Rob Hanover-Odds On Pussycat gelding Papi Rick, handled alertly by Andrew McCarthy, worked out a pocket trip behind the favourite, who set fractions of :27.2, :56.1 and 1:23.3. McCarthy had room in the passing lane and Papi Rick sprinted a last quarter in :26.3 to win by three-quarters of a length in a lifetime best 1:50.3.
Papi Rick had been absent from Victory Lane since last July 27, but he had shown progress going up the Pennsylvania ladder from Stallion Series to All-Stars to Sire Stakes, and he reached the winner's circle in the last stakes of Super Sunday for trainer Noel Daley and owners Patricia Stables of Massapequa, New York, Sjoblom Racing of Delray Beach, Florida and L A Express Stable of Lincoln University, Pennsylvania.
Stallion Series winners take new lifetime marks
The Stay Hungry gelding Spunky Hanover became a two-time Pennsylvania Stallion Series winner when he commanded the pace in a $27,778 division on Sunday and kept a distance of a half-length between him and pocket-pursuer Ballroom Affair, who had been two-for-two in the Stallion Series, at the wire, with the 1:50.1 clocking the best of his career. Jason Bartlett guided Spunky Hanover for trainer Tim Lancaster, who shares ownership in the winning sophomore with Mark and Joy Lancaster.
Another Stay Hungry gelding, McHungry, moved uncovered down the backstretch, had a chance to get a rest in the pocket behind favoured Callmebigpapa, then proved strong in the stretch to draw away to an easy victory in 1:50.2, a lifetime best. Mike Wilder had the drive for trainer Dan Altmeyer and the ownership group of Altmeyer Wilder Racing, Hutchison Harness, David Wills and Jean Allred.
The Sweet Lou gelding Sounds So Sweet raced third-inside, then came up the passing lane and stopped favoured Really Bright’s two-race run in the Stallion Series, catching the pacesetter by a quarter of a length in a lifetime best 1:50.4. Chisholm gave his horse a patient drive to get the big money for trainer Brett Pelling and the partnership of Let It Ride Stables, Morrison Racing Stables, Jesmeral Stable and Donald Hawk. Sounds So Sweet surely picked the right occasion for the best mile of his life – his dam, Southwind Tempo, won the first two Betsy Ross Paces.
Chisholm, Pelling, Let It Ride, Morrison and Jesmeral came back later on the card to win a second Stallion Series division with the Captaintreacherous gelding Barrow, also in a career best 1:50.4. The race came down to the two favourites, 6-5 Barrow and 4-5 Treacherous Lou, and the pacesetter had built up enough of a lead to fend off the closer by 1-1/4 lengths for his second straight win, both in the Stallion Series.
Another altered son of Sweet Lou, Winnercircleseeker, lived up to his name, making two forward moves early, yielding to the favourite Sea Bistro Hanover, then rallying back up the inside to win by 2-1/4 lengths while reducing his mark to 1:51. Yannick Gingras drove the Ron Burke-trained winner for Burke Racing Stable, Lawrence Karr, Phil Collura and Brad Grant.
(With files from PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia; photo of Ken Hanover, No. 8, in a blanket Joseph Auger finish)