North America’s latest wave of juvenile talent has been gracing the tracks for the better part of a
couple of months now.
While there is plenty of water to go under the bridge, let’s look at some of the pedigrees and see
who is laying claim to throwing down the early speed markers in North America to date, this
week looking at the pacing males.
Legendary Hanover (Huntsville – Lillian Hanover – Well Said)
In the words of Woodbine Mohawk Park announcer, Ken Middleton Jr, “check the voltage in this
colt-age!”
That was the awesome summation in the stretch of an awesome performance by the Anthony
Beaton-trained Legendary Hanover, who smacked his juvenile opposition last Saturday in
winning the Dream Maker Series Final in 1:50 flat.
The nine-and-a-quarter length romp by the son of Huntsville marked the fastest time recorded to
date by a 2YO male pacer, and in doing so extended the colts unbeaten streak to three wins
from three starts.
Legendary Hanover was a $260,000 yearling sales purchase from none other than the Hanover
Shoe Farms draft at the Lexington Select Sale.
His dam is the Well Said mare, Lillian Hanover, who for all intents and purposes didn’t show
nearly as much ability as her $ 1.5 million earning half-brother, Dealt A Winner (Cams Card
Shark. However, this hasn’t stopped her from producing some quality pacers in her short career
at stud.
Her first three foals which include Legendary Hanover have all paced 1:52 or better, including the
1:47 free-for-aller, Linedrive Hanover (Betting Line). Three years earlier, he was fourth in the
Dream Maker Series Final in a race won with a 1:53 mile!
It’s a family that has exploded from mild obscurity, with most of the recent heavy hitting coming
from Legendary Hanover’s second dam, Lazan Hanover (Matts Scooter), who was a perfect nine
for nine winners at stud. They included the aforementioned millionaire, Dealt A Winner, whilst her
own dam Lodi Hanover (Big Towner) was 11 winners for 13 foals with five six-figure earners and
a millionaire in 2004 Little Brown Jug winner and 3YO C&G of the year, Timesareachanging
(Cams Card Shark).
Legendary Hanover is bred on one of the most successful crosses for the current leading money-
winning sire of juveniles in Huntsville, with the son of Somebeachsomewhere producing 10
(71%) winners from 14 eligible foals bred to Well Said mares. 57% of them have won as two-
year-old’s and the same percentage of them have broken 1:55.
The resulting 3 x 3 reverse sex cross to Western Hanover is something of a commonality now for
the vaunted No Nuke’s line, which time and time again has proven a winner when line-bred back
to its own origins.
With this in mind, it should come as little surprise that daughters of Rock N Roll Heaven have
produced the equal highest number of $100k earners when bred to Huntsville, with 5 (36%) of
the 14 breaking the six-figure threshold.
Huntingforchrome (Huntsville – All On Top Hanover – Betterthancheddar)
The Jennifer Bongiorno trained Huntingforchrome suffered defeat in the first start of his juvenile
campaign when beaten by Newsroom in a leg of the Kindergarten Series back on the 7 th of July.
In his three starts since, the gelded son of Huntsville is unbeaten and on the 4 th of August, paced
the current third fastest time by a 2YO male, stopping the clock in 1:50.2 for the mile at The
Meadowlands in a leg of the Kindergarten Series.
On Saturday, he won a $110,000 division of New York Sires Stakes at Vernon Downs in
dominant fashion, wiring the field in 1:52.3.
Huntingforchrome is another who has already exceeded his sale tag, with the $77,000 Lexington
Select Sale purchase having now bankrolled $104,700 in stakes.
He is out of the Betterthancheddar mare, All On Top Hanover, who was a winner in 1:52.3 as a
two-year-old career where she was only out of the money once in seven starts.
Since her somewhat premature end to her race career, the lightly tried race mare has wasted
little time in stamping her mark in the broodmare paddock for her owners, Crawford Farms. All
three foals of racing age are by Huntsville, all three are winners in 1:52 or better for total progeny
earnings of $364,000.
Her second foal, Blue Hunt, was race timed in 1:49.4 last year when running second behind
Loubet in the final of the Kindergarten Series. Despite being winless in his three-year-old
campaign, a 1:51 qualifier on Saturday suggests it won’t be long before he visits the winner’s
circle.
The statistics on Huntsville over Betterthancheddar mares aren’t readily available, but given how
he has nicked with the Cam Fella line in Bettor’s Delight (63%), Camluck (73%) and Cam’s Card
Shark (50%) for foals to winners, it’s unsurprising All On Top Hanover is enjoying success with
the son of Somebeachsomewhere given the gluttony of Cam Fella blood in ‘cheddars’ parentage.
Add in the fact the second dam of Huntingforchrome is the Keystone Classic and Reynolds
Memorial winning juvenile, All American Apex, is by Western Hanover, and the engine room for
success becomes apparent with the 3×3 cross to the son of No Nukes to the fore again in a
speedy son of Hunstville.
