Harness: Allywag Hanover not eligible to multiple major stakes

Something strange happened on the way to making stakes payments for 2021 Dan Patch Older Pacer of the Year Allywag Hanover. The winner of 10 races in 19 starts and $942,000 last year is not eligible to many of the major races which put him atop the division last year.

A quick review of a few stakes-eligible lists revealed that Allywag Hanover is not able to race in the William Haughton Memorial (July 16), Sam McKee Memorial (August 6), TVG Series and Canadian Pacing Derby. The now 5-year-old won all four of those stakes in 2021 for earnings of $622,950.

Neither trainer Brett Pelling nor any of the owners we were able to reach were willing to go on the record as to exactly what transpired, but it appears as though stakes payments were never sent for races with May 15 deadlines. It remains unclear whether the fault lies with the staking company or elsewhere.

Allywag Stable owns the son of Captaintreacherous. That group consists of Anatolia Stable LLC, Let It Ride Stables Inc., Adam Bowden, Frederick Hertrich III, Daniel Lagace, Nicholas Malcolm, Dana Parham, Diamond Creek Racing and McKinlay & Fielding.

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Allywag Hanover starts Saturday in the $99,500 Roll With Joe (race 10) at The Meadowlands from post seven. He remains eligible to the Breeders Crown at Woodbine Mohawk Park (October 22/29) and the Allerage Pace at The Red Mile (October 9). He can earn an invite into the TVG Open Pace at The Meadowlands in November with a Breeders Crown win. The gelding can also get invitations to a number of races including the $500,000 Aria Pace at Yonkers Raceway on October 15 and Joe Gerrity Memorial at Saratoga on July 23, though it remains unlikely he would compete since he has never raced on a half-mile track in his 42-race career.