Ervin Hanover won his fair share of stakes events during his award-winning campaign in 2025 that garnered divisional honours on both sides of the border. One of the races that narrowly eluded him: the Canadian Pacing Derby, finishing second by a head to Maximus Miki.
With eliminations for that Grade 1 stakes event slated for next Saturday (Aug. 29) at Woodbine Mohawk Park, the connections of Ervin Hanover dropped the speedster into a qualifying race on Friday, Aug. 21 at Mohawk.
Last in action on July 25 at the Campbellville oval, Ervin Hanover was a vet scratch from his Sam McKee Memorial division on Hambletonian Day (Aug. 8) at The Meadowlands. Back on home soil, the Canadian record holder looked no worse for wear.
Entered into a field of four scratched down to three, Ervin Hanover effortlessly towed driver Louis-Philippe Roy around the seven-eighths mile oval on Friday morning as if was a stroll in the park. After honest fractions of :28.1, :57 and 1:24, Ervin Hanover powered home in :25.4 with Roy not moving a muscle to trip the timer in 1:49.4. Control Heaven (Malik Smith) was next best, more than 15 lengths in arrears.
Dave Menary trains Ervin Hanover for owner Pollack Racing LLC of Venetia, Pa. A six-year-old son of Captaintreacherous-Eloquent Grace, Ervin Hanover sports a career record of 30-8-9 from 80 starts — four-for-five in 2026 — with more than $1.88 million in earnings.
The full video stream from Friday's qualifiers is available below.
For results from the qualifying session, click the following link: Friday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park (Qualifiers).
(Standardbred Canada)