Meadowlands: Emoticon Hanover downs Atlanta to defend TVG Mare Trot title

Emoticon Hanover won the TVG Mare Trot final for the second straight year, hauling down 1-9 favorite Atlanta in the lane to win the $175,000 dash on Saturday night at the Meadowlands in 1:51 4/5, tying the stakes record.

Driven by Daniel Dube, Emoticon Hanover sat in the pocket behind Atlanta through fractions of 27 3/5, 56 3/5, and 1:25 2/5. Emoticon Hanover gapped back just a bit going to that three-quarter-mile mark as 3-year-old Beautiful Sin (Ake Svanstedt) moved out first-over from third to challenge the pace-setter.

In the lane Atlanta put away Beautiful Sin and continued to show the way, but Dube tipped Emoticon Hanover out to try and mount a bid in the last eighth, and she was full of trot on the end of the mile, chasing down Atlanta to win by about a neck. Former Horse of the Year Hannelore Hanover (Tim Tetrick), making her final career start, rallied on the inside for third, followed by Beautiful Sin and Darling Mearas (Dexter Dunn), who broke before the start.

"That's what I thought, to follow (Atlanta) as long as I can," said Dube. "We got lucky, it worked out. We got room late, and she did the job. When they went fast in the turn, that way they wore themselves out, and in the end mine came back. She was real good."

A 6-year-old Kadabra mare, Emoticon Hanover is trained by Luc Blais for owner Serge Godin and his Determination stable. This was Emoticon Hanover's 26th career win, and she has now earned $1,765,283. Sent off at 7-1, Emoticon Hanover paid $16.40 to win.

"It was a good win. We're very happy," said Blais. "I don't know for next year, we'll see."

Hannelore Hanover, a 7-year-old daughter of Swan For All, was feted with a post-race ceremony after her good third-place effort in her career bow. The 2017 Horse of the Year, trained by Ron Burke and owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC., Weaver Bruscemi LLC., Frank Baldachino, and J And T Silva Stables LLC., finishes her career with 46 career victories.

"She's a tremendous horse. She's one of best ones I've ever driven," said Gingras. "What I really liked about her is every time you went on the track, you knew what you were going to get. Some of the other top horses I've driven, you go on the track, they're maybe not super consistent or sometimes they make breaks, but her, never. You always get behind her and you knew she'd give 110 percent, and most nights 110 percent was enough."

"Timmy drove her great, gave her a great chance down the lane, and you know what, darting to the inside, I thought she was going to get up late, but she goes out like the champion that she is," remarked Baldachino. "She's just a great horse, and she raced like a great horse tonight.

"Dr. Jablonsky and the connections at Hanover have always wanted her back, and we have a great business relationship with Hanover Shoe Farms. It was just the right fit for her to go back home and start her broodmare career. Hopefully it's real successful and we all can't wait to see the first one on the ground. She's got a couple little ailments that do bother her that flare up on her a lot more now than what they used to. Ronnie made the decision, and Mark (Weaver) and I, we all made the decision that it's now time. You just know with some horses that it's time."