Saturday evening marks the highlight of the Hanover Raceway season as the half-mile oval plays host to the 15th annual Dream Of Glory Trot.
"Not only is the field outstanding, it is probably one of the toughest Dream of Glory finals to handicap,” said General Manager Gord Dougan.
The field includes some local interests, and two trainers with finalists entered already have their names on the Dream Of Glory Trophy.
Peter and Curtis Clements of Dobbinton each have a horse in the final, and trainers John Bax and Keith Jones know what it’s like to win the final.
Local fans will be cheering for P C Foreign Affair who drew post 1 for Curtis and Amy Clements and P C Cantore who drew post 3 for father Peter Clements.
Jones won the first ever Dream Of Glory Trot with Abbey Road C who went on to win over $2 million in earnings. Jones has two horses in the final. Pukka drew post 5, while Chestnut Schofield has post 6.
Bax, meanwhile, is nationally known as a top trot producer and has won the Dream Of Glory title three times in the past. Bax will team up with 4-time Dream Of Glory winning driver Steve Byron on Very Classy who drew post 2.
The $67,500 Dream Of Glory Final isn’t the only reason to come to Hanover Raceway Saturday evening. The track will also feature five divisions of three-year-old colt pacers competing in the Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots program.
Five of the top 10 colts in the Grassroots are taking part including leader Continual Hanover in Race 8. The son of Bettors Delight is owned by Jack Darling of Cambridge, Ont. and won his last start at Mohawk in 1:52.
Other top Grassroots colts include Derecho, Perseverant, Spirit Shadow and Flaherty.
Dream Of Glory day includes a Beef BBQ, a live band and a huge fireworks presentation after the races. Track officials are expecting a crowd upwards of 4,000, including some off duty Hanover Fire Personnel, as well as members of the Hanover Curling Club and Hanover Police departments to help out. Post time is 6:15 p.m.
(With files from Hanover Raceway)
To view entries for Saturday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Saturday Entries – Hanover Raceway.