Red Mile: Steady ‘Elan’ pleases Pollack

Elan Hanover might not be flashy, but that is perfectly fine with co-owner Tom Pollack.

A 2-year-old trotting colt, Elan Hanover has finished no worse than third in all nine of his career races heading into Friday’s International Stallion Stakes at Lexington’s Red Mile. The son of Bar Hopping-Expect A Lot is the 3-1 morning-line favorite in the first of four $80,000 divisions for the freshman male trotters.

Elan Hanover, purchased by Pollack and trainer Jeff Cullipher in July after three starts for George Ducharme, has posted two wins, six seconds, and a third this year. Half of his runner-up finishes have come by a neck or less, including in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes championship on Sept. 5 at Hollywood Casino at The Meadows. He has earned $181,706 overall, with $157,145 coming since the sale.

“Would I like to flip-flop the seconds and the firsts? Absolutely,” Pollack said. “But he’s done nothing wrong. He hasn’t had any clunkers. It’s tough racing. He got snapped at the wire a few times by sprinters. He’s a big, strong, good-gaited horse; not a sleek sprinter.

“He’s professional, does his work, nothing flashy. He’s just consistent, shows up every start. I’ll take that all day long over a horse that might be a little faster, but a little more unstable. At this level, seconds aren’t bad. If you can keep hitting the board, you’re doing all right. You picked a pretty good one.”

Pollack and Cullipher became interested in Elan Hanover after seeing the colt race in a division of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes at The Meadows on July 12. (Their colt Father TJ was competing in a different division that day.) Elan Hanover finished second by a head to Meshuggah, the same horse that caught him nearing the wire of the series final.

“George owned him himself,” Pollack said. “We heard that George might sell him, so we pursued it and put a deal together. Hopefully, it was a good deal for George, since he owned him himself, and certainly it’s been a good deal for us because the horse has been super. George has been following the horse and rooting for us. He’s a good guy to do business with.”

Elan Hanover has impressed Pollack enough that the owner purchased one of the colt’s family members, Princess Tara, for $45,000 during Tuesday’s second session of the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale. Princess Tara is a daughter of stallion Gimpanzee out of the mare Pantera, who is a half-sister to Elan Hanover. The family also includes Kentucky Futurity winner My MVP and Hambletonian Oaks winner Must Be Victory, plus Grand Circuit winner and Kentucky Sire Stakes champion Top Expectations.

“We liked (Elan Hanover) that much that we went to the well again for next year,” Pollack said.

On Friday, Elan Hanover will leave from post five in a field of nine in his International Stallion Stakes division. Todd McCarthy will be in the sulky. He enters the race off a second-place finish in a division of the Bluegrass Stakes last week.

If all goes well, Pollack said the Breeders Crown later this month at The Meadowlands would be next.

“George paid him in, so we’ll put up the starting fee and give him a shot,” Pollack said. “He’s definitely earned a trip to New Jersey if he races like he’s been. The big track at Lexington and The Meadowlands doesn’t hurt him because he’s big and strong. That’s a good thing.

“We’re excited. Sometimes these things work out, and sometimes they don’t. This one is in the working out column, so that’s always good.”

The favorites in the remaining International Stallion Stakes divisions for the trotters are Happy Jack B, Meshuggah, and Super Chapter.

Ake Svanstedt trains and drives Happy Jack B, who is coming off a win in a division of the Bluegrass Stakes last week and is even-money on the morning line.

Meshuggah and Super Chapter are both from the stable of trainer Marcus Melander. Meshuggah, driven by Scott Zeron, is making his first appearance since a third-place finish in the Mohawk Million on Sept. 21 and is 5-2. Super Chapter, with driver Dexter Dunn, is making his first start since winning the Kentucky Sire Stakes Championship Series final on Sept. 15 at the Red Mile. He is 6-5.

Friday’s Red Mile card also features three divisions of the International Stallion Stakes for 2-year-old female pacers.

Action begins at 1 p.m. (EDT) at the Red Mile.