Dahlquist Hanover, dropping in class from the Woodbine Mohawk Park conditioned ranks, prevailed in a three-across finish in the $11,000 Preferred 2 Trot at Grand River Raceway on Monday, June 16.
Sam Fillion floated the gelding out from post five and drove on into the first turn, taking over before the quarter in :26.2. The 4-5 favourite R Royal Port (Daryl Thiessen) quickly re-took as they straightened for the stands and brought the field of five to the half in :55.3.
Myretirementdream (Paul MacKenzie) marched first-over from three-eighths and moved into striking range midway down the backstretch, pressuring the leader to three-quarters in 1:24. Those two traded blows around the final turn with Dahlquist Hanover licking his lips from the pocket, and he fired up the passing lane at the top of the stretch to make it a three-abreast race to the wire. R Royal Port tired in the final metres, and Dahlquist Hanover reached up at the pylons to beat Myretirementdream by a head in 1:54.1. Myretirementdream was a hard-fought second over R Royal Port.
Dahlquist Hanover, trained by Garry Merner, improved his seasonal record to three-for-nine. The five-year-old Walner-Dangle Then Deke gelding has earned $160,873 lifetime and won 14 of 51 starts for Gino Toscani of Mount Hope, Ont. His clocking in Monday’s win was a tick off the career mark he took a week ago at Mohawk.
To view Monday’s harness racing results, click the following link: Monday Results – Grand River Raceway.
(Standardbred Canada)