Meadowlands: Bulldog Hanover set to make final on-track appearance Saturday

If you are a fan of racing - Thoroughbred or Standardbred - within a couple hundred miles of the Meadowlands, Saturday is a can't-miss opportunity to come to watch what is expected to be the final start of Bulldog Hanover's career. Scheduled as race 10 on a stakes-filled 14-race card that highlights horses of both gaits and sexes, the $345,000 TVG Open Pace will see regular driver Dexter Dunn leaving from post four behind Bulldog Hanover.

Jack Darling, who trains and co-owns Bulldog Hanover along with Brad Grant, said it will be a bittersweet moment watching the 4-year-old son of Shadow Play hit the track for the final time.

"I'm preparing myself for what is going to be an emtional moment," said Darling. "It will be sad not to see him race but I'm happy that he'll get a nice retirement and will go out sound. He hasn't had a sick day in his life, which is impressive considering all of the shipping he did. He really is a special horse."

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Following his Breeders Crown victory at Woodbine Mohawk Park in a sparkling 1:46 4/5 on October 29, Bulldog Hanover prepped for the TVG with an easy 1:52 qualifier over the same surface and trained on November 23 as a final tune-up for his career-closing race. "I was happy with the qualifier. I just trained him this morning and he was as good as can be," said Darling.

As the owner of an amazing six miles under 1:47 in his career, people have come to expect the unexpected from Bulldog Hanover, which poses the question as to whether he can beat his 1:45 4/5 record mile on a 40-degree night at the Meadowlands.

"It is hard to say," said Darling on how fast Bulldog Hanover will pace. "If he races his race and they set big fractions...I'm sure it will be a fast mile. How fast, I don't know."

Bulldog Hanover has won 13 of 15 races and over $1.4 million in 2022. While he faces a strong group of seven competitors on Saturday, none have defeated him this year and few have even come close to him at the wire. He'll get one final chance to shine around 10 p.m. in East Rutherford, New Jersey, before moving on to the next phase of his life.

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"I'm really looking forward to seeing the Bulldog yearlings over the next few years," concluded Darling.