Harness: Hanover Shoe Farms wins Dan Patch Breeders award

Hanover Shoe Farms, the south-central Pennsylvania harness racing nursery which has produced the biggest money-winners of every racing year since records began to be kept in 1949, has had an outstanding 2024, and have been honored for this fact by being selected the Dan Patch Breeder of the Year Award winner in a poll of the United States Harness Writers Association (USHWA) members.

As the days dwindle down to a few left in this season, Hanover will post either the second- or third-best earnings figure for one year in harness history – it already holds the mark of $35.6M, set in 2022, and with additions to its current at press time total of nearly $34.8M, it will be close to the $35.1M figure the Shoe Farms reached in 2021.

Their two highest money-winning graduates in 2024 racing, two-year-old trotting colt Maryland ($1,227,695) and older pacing male Abuckabett Hanover ($833,022), were recently voted Dan Patch Awards as champions of their respective divisions, and a pair of their three-year-old pacing male output, Mirage Hanover and Legendary Hanover, ruled the roost at various points of their sophomore seasons.

“Hanover” horses were selected as Broodmares of the Year. Pacing Broodmare honoree Lillian Hanover (Well Said – Lazan Hanover) was sold as a yearling, then was purchased back by Hanover the year after her racing career ended while in foal with Linedrive Hanover, who lowered his mark to 1:47 this year. She has further produced Legendary Hanover, mentioned above and a 1:46 2/5 winner in 2024, and the stakes-winning baby filly Lily White Hanover.

Trotting Broodmare of the Year is Emoticon Hanover (Kadabra-Emmylou Who), whose dam was acquired by Hanover in 2012 (and who still owns her) and who sold “Emoticon” to Quebec powerhouse Determination as a yearling. After winning two Breeders Crowns and over $1.7M on the racetrack, Emoticon Hanover is establishing herself as a premier producer as well, with the filly Drawn Impression, who took a mark of 1:51 1/5 this year and has won Crown eliminations at two and three, and Emoticon Legacy, who trotted in 1:52 3/5 at two in 2024 and also was a Crown elim winner.

The competition for Pacing Sire of the Year was "justthistight", with the “judges examining a photo” and then finding no separation at 46 votes between Bettor’s Delight and Sweet Lou – both members of the Hall of Fame.

Bettor’s Delight (Cam’s Card Shark – Classic Wish), outstanding on the racetrack earning over $2.5M, had an amazing stallion campaign at the ripe young age of 26, topping the money list for all-age and three-year-old performers with such fast offspring as Nijinsky, Mirage Hanover (those two sub-1:48 winners), and It’s a Love Thing. He now embarks on a new adventure for the Bettors Delight Syndicate (no apostrophe in the syndicate name), as the dual-hemisphere stallion will be moving “on a one-way ticket” from Winbak Farm of Canada to Woodlands Stud of New Zealand.

Co-champion Sweet Lou (Yankee Cruiser – Sweet Future) also moved from being a stellar racetrack performer (a winner of nearly $3.5M) to becoming an outstanding dual-hemisphere stud, being owned by the Sweet Lou Syndicate and standing “here” at Diamond Creek Farm. Sweet Lou produced two Dan Patch divisional champions in 2024, Louprint and My Girl EJ, and was among the top three North American stallions for money in the two-year-old, three-year-old, and all-age ranks.

Chapter Seven (out of La Riviera Lindy by sire Windsong’s Legacy, yet another Hanover connection) is like his pacing counterparts a member of the Hall of Fame, and there is no arguing with the earnings numbers his progeny posted in 2024 – Chapter Seven topped the list for two-year-olds, three-year-olds, and all-age performers. Maryland (Hanover again), with over $1.2M in freshman earnings including the Mohawk Million and Breeders Crown, was the richest trotter of 2024, and his work was joined by three-year-old trotting filly R Melina, seemingly right there every week against the best of her section.

The winners will be recognized at the 2024 Dan Patch Awards Banquet, presented by Caesars Entertainment, which will honor the best of the best of harness racing, both human and equine. The Banquet will be held on Sunday, February 23, 2025 at the Rosen Centre in Orlando, Florida. Sponsorship information for the Banquet can be obtained from Shawn Wiles at swiles@rwcatskills.com; advertising in the souvenir Journal can be arranged through Kim Rinker at trotrink@aol.com; tickets through Judy Davis-Wilson, zoe8874@aol.com; for room reservations, click on this hotel link. More information about the Banquet and associated USHWA meetings that weekend will soon be available at www.usharnesswriters.com.

-edited release (USHWA)