Driver Ronnie Wrenn Jr. confidently stuck inside the pocket with Loua Dipa into the last turn and found clearance coming for home to emerge victorious from a neck-and-neck sprint to the finish with unbeaten Be Perfect BG for a stakes, track and Canadian record victory in the $420,000 Fan Hanover Stakes (Grade 1) for three-year-old pacing fillies on Saturday, June 13 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Be Perfect BG (Dexter Dunn) hustled from the center of the gate, prompting Wrenn to accelerate with Loua Dipa out of post three. Loua Dipa strung out Be Perfect BG through a :26.3 first quarter and comfortably tracked the 3-5 favourite up the backstretch to a :54.2 half.
Perfect Thought (James MacDonald), an elimination winner, pulled outside from sixth to push uncovered after the other two elimination winners moving to the last turn. As she marched forward, Wrenn opted to remain at the cones through the turn and raced locked at the cones behind Be Perfect BG to three-quarters in 1:21.2.
Rounding the final turn, Be Perfect BG lifted for home and began drifting off the pylons, giving Wrenn a seam to fire. Loua Dipa clawed forward through the final eighth and stretched her neck out late to defeat Be Perfect BG in a 1:48.1 mile by a head. Perfect Thought finished 1-1/2 lengths behind in third.
“I wanted to sit one-two and as long as Dexter had to use his horse a little bit to clear me; I was happy to sit the two-hole,” said Wrenn Jr., who won the Fan Hanover for the first time along with trainer Ron Burke. “I got lucky, shook loose late; she’s a true champion. Raced great. I was very confident in the horse, she knows how to win. I know she’s as tough as nails. She knows where the wire is and dug in late.”
Loua Dipa, a homebred Sweet Lou filly out of the Pet Rock mare Looksgoodinaromper for Pennsylvania owners Burke Racing Stables and Weaver Bruscemi, eclipsed the long-standing Canadian record for three-year-old pacing fillies of 1:48.2 first set in 2012 by American Jewel in the Fan Hanover Stakes, matched twice in this race – first by Sylvia Hanover in 2023 and then by Its A Love Thing in 2024 – and most recently equalled in 2025 by Miki And Minnie.
She won for the second time from three starts on the season and earned her 11th victory from 16 starts in her career. Loua Dipa has amassed $1,384,788 so far in a career that already has Ron Burke saying she’s the best filly he’s ever trained.
“And that’s saying a lot,” said Burke after the race, “because I can name a ton of other ones, but she’s special. She does things other horses can’t do. I think we’ve yet to see even the best of what she can do.
“I don’t think ever in her career she’s had to go to the inside,” noted Burke, “so that’s something new for her, and she fought all the way and got her head in front. But I give that other filly credit – she didn’t quit fighting. She was going right along with her so I was happy to get up.”
The second choice in the betting, Loua Dipa paid $4.40 to win.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click the following link: Saturday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
(With files from Woodbine)