He has submitted nearly several hundred names to Hanover Shoe Farms for consideration recognizing European horsemen and horsewomen and readily admits the vast majority of those have never been selected or the horses never quite panned out, but when it came to Hannelore Hanover, Dean Hoffman struck pay dirt when he suggested this then-youngster be named after quite possibly one of the best amateur female drivers of all-time.
“When Dean called me and told me a horse was named after me I was honoured and thrilled,” said Hannelore Würzinger. “I asked him if she would maybe race in the Hambletonian and he said he didn’t think so as she only made two starts in her career as a two-year-old. Even though she won one, he did not think she would amount to much, but I always had faith she would be something special. He told me she would probably be a dud and not to get too excited, but I ended up being right. What a horse she is.”
A four-year-old daughter of Swan For All and the Dream Vacation mare High Sobriety, Hannelore Hanover was the recent winner of the Hambletonian Maturity and has won ten of 11 starts this year, with earnings of $509,100. Trained by Ron Burke, the mare is owned by Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi and Frank Baldachino. She races next this Saturday in the Fresh Yankee for older trotting mares.
Hannelore Würzinger resides in Johanneskirchern, Germany, which is located outside of Munich, was a highly successful amateur driver in Europe. She commenced her harness racing career at the ripe old age of 17, captured 470 amateur contests in the sulky during her days of competition and won such contests as the World Cup and the Europ Cup when she was at the controls.
Unfortunately statistics are not available to truly demonstrate not only where Würzinger’s number of triumphs rank historically or internationally, but clearly this woman is not only a top pilot in respect to her gender, but anyone that sat behind a horse in amateur races across the globe.
“My family has always been involved with trotting horses,” she said. “We owned them and bred them. At one time we had more than 50 horses. Since I have gotten older, I retired from driving because it just is not as easy as it used to be when I was young. We have also cut back on the number of horses we have and now have maybe 20. Harness racing is not as popular in Germany as it used to be or like it is in the United States, but my husband and I watch as much racing as we can. We watch all of Hannelore’s races and would love to come see her in America.”
Würzinger has been stateside in her earlier years, in fact, she raced in Florida at Pompano Park where she finished second in an amateur competition that took place on the same timetable as the Breeders Crown that year. It was also where she met Hoffman and a certain other member of the Hall of Fame that was one of the highlights of her sojourn in the Sunshine State.
“Do you know who this man is?” she asked after sending a picture of herself with John Campbell. “I could not believe such a famous horseman took the time to have his picture taken with me and recognize my accomplishments. I don’t think he realizes everyone around the world knows who he is and what he has done in racing. That occasion was just one of the many things we were so impressed with when we came to America.
“I only finished second in that race in Florida, but we had such a wonderful time. My husband and I have always wanted to return, but we have not had the opportunity. Maybe Hannelore Hanover will provide us with that chance.”
On any evening the world champion trots, Würzinger is glued to the Internet and has not missed any race Hannelore Hanover participates in.
“I have watched her progress,” she said. “She only became stronger and stronger after her two-year-old season. Dean called me and told me he did not think she would amount to much and he was sorry she would not become a top horse. Then last year when she was racing at Hoosier Park you could see with each start she was improving. She is a big, strong filly that kept trotting better with each race.
“I was not surprised when she started winning, but for her to win like this and at this level...I cannot explain how fantastic it is to not only have an American horse named after me, but for her to be such an outstanding horse. I was beside myself watching her tie the world record and then beating males at the Meadowlands.
“Every time she reaches new heights it makes me want to hop on a plane to America so I can be at her races in person. I can’t express enough how happy I am that Dean thought enough of my achievements to name a horse after me and then for her to be such a horse. There are no words to express it.”
As the season progresses, Würzinger’s attention will remain focused on the mare that carries her name, but she harbors a secret hope that one day she will be in a position to do something much more than witness her compete online.
“I told Dean I fervently hope she will come to the Elitlopp in Sweden next year,” she said. “My family and I not would not miss that for the world. We would certainly travel there and hopefully her connections would be kind enough to introduce her to us. We are her biggest fans and would just be overjoyed to root for her at a race like that. Can you imagine what kind of excitement that would bring to me?
“I cannot thank Dean, the owners and Hanover Shoe Farms enough for not changing her name. This mare has been the ride of a lifetime and I am so lucky to have a horse like her named for me. Sometimes I still can’t believe this happened.”
(with files from USTA)