Trot Insider has learned that sophomore pacer Bulldog Hanover has added new ownership.
Previously solely owned by trainer Jack Darling, Bulldog Hanover was a $28,000 Harrisburg yearling purchase that banked just shy of $250,000 in his six-start rookie season. The son of Shadow Play - BJs Squall finished his season with an impressive 1:50.2 score in the 2020 Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final.
Darling noted that the sophomore start this past weekend didn't go as planned but he saw no cause for concern. Racing against a group of older horses as well as divisional rival Lawless Shadow, Bulldog Hanover finished fourth by just over two lengths to four-year-old Uhtred in 1:50.
"The race didn't go like I wanted it to. He was hitting the bike and he was too keyed up in the hole...but he raced good, he paced his mile in 1:50.2 with a good last quarter. That was good."
Enter Brad Grant. Grant, who has a solid history with Darling going back to horse the likes of Apprentice Hanover and Big McDeal, is one of few people that have called Darling's number recently looking to see if Bulldog Hanover could be obtained. Darling admitted that, while every horse has a price, selling the sophomore entirely wasn't an idea he really wanted to entertain.
Selling a piece, however, was up for consideration. Darling asked Grant if he would be interested in buying half, to which Grant replied he would. A price was presented, to which Grant replied "Jack, you've got a deal!" with no hesitation.
The first start for Bulldog Hanover with his new ownership should come this weekend, as Darling would like to get a second start into his stable star before his first Ontario Sires Stakes event in early July. And going forward, the shifted dates in the OSS schedule hasn't impacted the roadmap Darling established for Bulldog Hanover earlier this year.
"Nothing's really changed. He wasn't stakes into anything in the U.S. until after the Super Final, and then he's got a bunch of races at Hoosier Park. There was just nothing that really fit into his schedule around the Sires Stakes. And now that they've moved some of the Sires Stakes and the Somebeachsomewhere and the N.A. Cup, he's got a full schedule right here in Canada."