Odds-on favourite Knight Angel lived up to expectations while delivering driver Bruce Richardson his second straight Dream Of Glory title at Hanover Raceway on Saturday evening (August 3).
Cool Clifford (Paul MacKenzie) got the first call leaving the gate from post five in Hanover's $64,100 signature race for three-year-old trotters and he worked his way past inside starter Magical Journey (Steve Byron) at the :28.2 quarter pole. Meanwhile, 2-5 favourite Knight Angel was parked from post four and forced to drive on, matching strides with his fellow elimination winner on the front as they raced by the half in :58.1.
Cool Clifford and Knight Angel were left all alone on top down the backstretch as Raising Royalty (Ryan Holliday) broke stride in the clubhouse turn from second-over and pocket-sitter Magical Journey jumped it off while gapping behind the leaders.
Knight Angel eventually gained the advantage outside as the front-striding duo passed three-quarters in 1:27.1 and he pulled clear into the final turn. The favourite was home free at the top of the stretch and cruised to victory in 1:58.2. Cool Clifford followed 3-1/4 lengths behind in second and filly Absynthe Hanover (Scott Young), the other elimination winner, finished third.
"I figured I had probably the best horse in the race, or had to be one of the best," said Richardson, who won last year's edition with Joey Bats. "I left the gate a little bit, kind of got myself into a bit of trouble, didn't get a hole so I was parked the whole mile and I just kind of sat on the outside of them for quite a while then turned down the backstretch, I popped the [ear] plugs and he just trotted right on by them and he was all on his own from there on in.
"This is probably the most important race in Hanover every year," noted the Fergus, Ont. reinsman. "I drive here all the time so you want to win the best race of the year, so it just worked out great."
Shane Arsenault trains and co-owns the Archangel-Dream Taker gelding with Justin Fisher of Cambridge, Ont., Gary Leeming of Simcoe, Ont., and Giuseppe Mascia of Mississauga, Ont.
Knight Angel, who returned $2.80 as the betting windows, notched his fourth win from 10 starts this year and bumped his career earnings to $149,026.
The Dream of Glory is open to Ontario-sired three-year-old trotting colts and fillies that are non-winners of $75,000 (fillies $100,000) in 2018.
Three-year-old pacing colt Good And Sweet improved his career record to five-for-five after posting a 1:59.1 victory on the undercard with Ryan Holliday aboard for one of his four Saturday driving wins. The homebred son of Sweet Lou out of Feels Good is trained and owned by Steven Colvin of Teeswater, Ont.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Hanover Raceway.