On August 4, Hanover Raceway will host its signature event, the $100,000 final of the Dream of Glory for three-year-old trotters.
The 11th annual event looks to be shaping up as another fantastic race, with plenty of contenders emerging among those that are paid into the event. Eighty-eight horses had their second payment paid, thus making them eligible to enter into the eliminations, which will take place Saturday, July 28 at the Hanover, Ont. half-mile oval. The fields for the eliminations will be drawn Tuesday, July 24, but the 'Dreaming of Glory' features will take an early look at some of the contenders.
The first contender to have a look at is Cold Certified, trained by Gary Lance who shares ownership with his son Trevor, Brian Samis and GL Racing Inc. They acquired the colt from a pair of breeders in Ohio from whom they had bought Structure Fire, a horse that competed in the Ontario Sires Stakes Gold program and went on to have great success as a four and five-year-old. According to owner Trevor Lance, Cold Certified did not race until December in his two-year old campaign because “he had a high white blood cell count and got a little sick on us.”
Cold Certified - OSS Gold Elim (Georgian Downs, June 30, 2012) - 1:55.3
As a three-year old, Cold Certified has looked plenty healthy, and has racked up two OSS Gold Elimination wins, as well as a second-place finish in a Gold Final at The Raceway at Western Fair District. In five lifetime wins, the gelding has posted a mark of 1:55.3. The three-year old son of Kadabra was suffering from injury during his latest OSS Gold Final start at Georgian Downs and finished sixth. Currently, Cold Certified is tied for the lead among all OSS three-year old colt trotters in the Gold Series in points.
When asked about the direction Cold Certified is headed, Lance informed that he is entered in the Canadian Breeders Championships for his next start, as he was eligible for a bye into the final for that event. Then, he says, his sophomore star is pointed to the $100,000 Dream of Glory at Hanover Raceway. Interestingly, it will be a special race for Cold Certified, as Lance explained that the connections have family in the Hanover area. "We plan to race there and make a weekend of it,” Lance explained.
With all his success in the OSS Gold Series, Cold Certified is a definite contender to take lion’s share of the $100,000 Dream of Glory. The first step towards that goal will be taken Saturday, July 28 in the eliminations.
(Hanover Raceway)