Breeders Crown: Longtime owner Rounick enjoying the ride with Mirage Hanover
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Owner Marvin Rounick has spent more than a half-century owning Standardbreds. On Saturday night his Mirage Hanover will try to make a reality of his pursuit of a champion when he battles in the $600,000 Breeders Crown sophomore colt and gelding pace at the Meadowlands.
Rounick has limited his yearling purchases in recent years and surprisingly that strategy has perhaps paid off better than any of his past endeavors, producing a pair of solid sophomore pacers in Mad Max Hanover a few years back and now his half-brother Mirage Hanover. That pattern is quite familiar to a duo of fillies Rounick gained prominence with more than 20 years ago.
"I had Must See and she won the Sweetheart," said Rounick of the 2002 2-year-old pacing filly. "Then I bought her sister Glowing Report the following year. I like sticking with specific families."
The move paid off richly for Rounick with Must See, a filly by Artsplace that earned $487K through a 2-year-old career before being sold and becoming a broodmare. Glowing Report would prove to be Rounick's richest racehorse with earnings more than $2 million through a career that saw her compete in four Breeders Crown races without a victory, but capture plenty of stakes races in between, including the 2004 Jugette for the late trainer Jerry Silverman.
Well, actually, Glowing Report, a fourth-place finisher in both Breeders Crowns as a 2 and 3-year-old, finished second in a Crown Open Mares event in 2005 at Woodbine Racetrack and years later was awarded first prize when the courts would confirm that race-winner Loyal Opposition had raced with hidden ownership, contrary to the rules of racing.
"I was with Jerry for 20 years," said Rounick, recalling the time. "At one point I got up to owning 22 horses."
With the benefit of experience, Rounick looked back somewhat puzzled at how he allowed himself to get that carried away.
"I've got between three and six horses now," said Rounick. "It's mostly 2- and 3-year-olds where I buy a couple at the sales."
Trainer Jake Leamon has handled Rounick's horses and done a fabulous job just looking at the results with Mad Max Hanover and Mirage Hanover. Mad Max Hanover has gone over three-quarters of a million dollars in earnings, a solid return-on-investment for Rounick, who plucked the Always B Miki-sired colt from the 2020 Harrisburg auction for just $50,000. Leamon brought Mad Max Hanover along slowly during his 2-year-old campaign and saw the gelding blossom with a brilliant performance, flying for second in the Governor's Cup at odds of 50-1.
Mad Max Hanover would duplicate that effort for Rounick in the Meadowlands Pace in 2022. Again as a 50-1 offering, he flew home to finish second behind Beach Glass. A few weeks later it was another bridesmaid finish in the Cane Pace.
Lessons of the past were inevitable for Rounick, who did not step in when Mad Max Hanover's sister sold in 2021 but came back a year later to pluck Mirage Hanover. As is generally the case, the 84-year-old Rounick had to pay a premium for his own success story, and Mirage, a son of Bettor's Delight, cost $175,000.
"I'm not in the breeding business," said Rounick, who did admit to dabbling in it 20 years ago. "I did breed Glowing Report but eventually sold her."
Looking back in hindsight, Rounick recognized what can happen when you get attached to a particular family. "I stayed too long with the Grand Lady family."
Rounick sold Must See after her racing career, and she has proven to be an incredible broodmare.
"Must See produced Well Said," said Rounick, referring to the 2008 Breeders Crown 2-year-old champion who was trained by Steve Elliott, a conditioner that has handled all of Rounick's stock in recent years.
"Steve breaks and trains them before sending them up to Jake," said Rounick.
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Leamon was a longtime second trainer for Elliott. Elliott is currently racing in Kentucky with an improving 2-year-old named Boomerang for Rounick. The son of Downbytheseaside recently won a Kentucky-sired event at Cumberland Run following a third-place finish in Grand Circuit action at The Red Mile.
Elliott helped develop Mirage Hanover, and the fruits of his labor have really taken off as the season has progressed. So much so, in fact, that he has cast aside the image of runner-up in recent weeks and now enters the Breeders Crown final as a bona fide contender. Rounick didn't seem to want to get too excited while looking ahead to Saturday's race. When asked about whether Glowing Report was his best horse he wouldn't commit.
"I'd like to see what happens on Saturday first," Rounick said with a clear understanding of what's on the line, not just in his mind but on the racetrack.
Mirage Hanover has helped provide sire Bettor's Delight with a renaissance year of sorts with epic performances over the last six weeks. Following a pair of solid efforts in the Little Brown Jug, including a parked-the-distance second-place finish in the final, Mirage Hanover paced the second-fastest mile of the year in capturing a Tattersalls division in 1:46 3/5 for driver Dexter Dunn at The Red Mile on October 6.
Mirage Hanover came back last Saturday and took on North America Cup champion Nijinsky in one of two $25,000 Breeders Crown elimination races. It was no small task trying to track down that oft-winning son of Bettor's Delight, but Mirage Hanover showed his toughness, earning a head decision. The victory proved valuable with Mirage Hanover drawing the pole position for Saturday's finale.
Last year Mirage Hanover's sister sold at Harrisburg, but Rounick stayed on the sidelines.
"If I had been bidding, I would have been out long before the end," said Rounick, referring to the $300,000 price tag on Millie May Hanover, a filly that has already earned six figures for trainer Andrew Harris. "They're going to make out just fine with her as a broodmare."
As for Saturday night, Rounick is hopeful that Mirage Hanover will continue as he has throughout his entire career. "He's been an incredibly consistent horse," said Rounick.
That said, an elusive Breeders Crown victory after decades buying yearlings annually and hoping to hit a home run could be the type of event that would find an owner doing anything to witness it in person.
"I'll be watching from my home," Rounick said with certainty. "I watch every one of my horse's races, but don't go to the track anymore."
A lot has changed in the sport over the last 50 years, and Rounick's rationale for staying at home makes perfect sense. "It's too aggravating to drive home after disappointment," Rounick said.
Hopefully on Saturday night Mirage Hanover will give Rounick the ride of his life and capture an elusive Breeders Crown title.