Woodbine Mohawk Park: Metro highlights plethora of Saturday stakes

You would think there would be high expectations when Hanover Shoe Farms names one of their foals Legendary Hanover. It probably wasn’t the name but the pedigree that attracted a strong amount of bidding at the Harrisburg sale last fall.

Roughly 10 months later, the Huntsville-sired Legendary Hanover enters one of two C$40,000 Metro Pace eliminations on Saturday night at Woodbine Mohawk Park and appears to be meeting predictions, at least thus far. Undefeated in five lifetime starts with two stakes victories already to his credit at the 1:50 level, Legendary Hanover appears poised for greatness.

Trainer Anthony Beaton has guided the forces of Legendary Hanover since being sent north by Casie Coleman in May.

“I was really fortunate to get this colt along with a lot of other nice ones from Casie,” said Beaton. “He was very professional from the first time he arrived.”

Beaton trains Legendary Hanover’s half-brother Linedrive Hanover and sees similarities between the two as well as differences.

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“Both horses love to do their work. I took Legendary Hanover out for a jog at 8:00 and he was still full of himself when we hit the track at 11:00,” said Beaton.

As for other comparisons: “Both are very quick-footed; Legendary is a bigger horse.”

Coleman purchased Linedrive Hanover for $75,000 when the Betting Line-sired colt sold in 2019. With his success the price for his Huntsville-sired half-brother escalated to $260,000, with Beaton as an interested party.

“I looked at him and liked him, but he was out of my price range,” said Beaton.

Legendary Hanover gave Beaton and driver James MacDonald a vote of confidence following his victory in a Champlain division last Saturday (September 9) at Woodbine Mohawk Park. The colt paced to his second 1:50 mile, but it wasn’t the time that impressed.

“James [MacDonald] told me that he knew the horse that was chasing him [Chain Gang] was a good one because he had driven him and felt good that he was able to hold him off,” said Beaton.

Those two will once again hook up in the seventh race and first Metro elimination for juvenile pacing colts and geldings. Legendary Hanover landed post eight while Chain Gang drew post four.

Going a pair of 1:50 miles in your first five starts was not something Beaton was looking to do with Legendary Hanover.

“I was out of town [August 12] for the Dream Maker final and I didn’t think he needed to go that much to win the race,” said Beaton. “But when I saw him again the following Monday, he was full of himself.”

Eight horses drew into the second C$40,000 Metro elimination heat (race 9) with multiple stakes winner Mirage Hanover (post 2) looking for his fifth victory in his last six starts for trainer Scott McEneny. The Bettor’s Delight-sired colt drew post two coming off a 1:51 2/5 score in an Ontario Gold event on September 2 at Woodbine Mohawk. Mirage Hanover will be surrounded by a pair of colts with very similar bloodlines. Captains Quarters (post 1) is a Captaintreacherous colt from a full sister to the dam of 2019 Metro winner Tall Dark Stranger. Total Stranger (post 3) is a full brother to the 2019 champion. Captains Quarters has one win in three starts but shows encouraging form, coming from well off the pace into quick final halves. Total Stranger doesn’t seem to have the same killer instinct as his full brother but has managed four second-place finishes in five starts all against stakes company this year.

Just 13 fillies entered for the She’s A Great Lady juvenile filly pace and Beaton is hoping his Elodie Hanover is good enough to qualify for the rich final.

“She’s been knocking on the door,” said Beaton of the Betting Line-sired filly that landed post three in the second C$35,000 She’s A Great Lady elimination (race 3).

“She’s been chasing some good ones and holding her own.”

Following a victory in the Whenuwishuponastar final (August 12), Elodie Hanover finished third behind Caviart Belle in the Eternal Camnation (August 26).

“Nancy Takter’s filly [Caviart Belle] has been exceptional,” said Beaton, who hopes his filly can stay close to her and earn a finals berth. Caviart Belle landed post six in the field of just seven fillies.

Champlain winner It’s A Love Thing drew post six in the first She’s A Great Lady elimination (race 1) and appears the one to beat with recent Pennsylvania Sire Stakes runner-up My Girl EJ (post 5) likely to be her main rival in the field of six fillies.

The stakes-filled program includes elimination races for both the Canadian Trotting Classic for sophomore colt and geldings and the Elegantimage for sophomore trotting fillies. The feature of the night will be the C$220,000 Milton Stakes final, with all nine that entered represented in the evening’s 10th race.

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With the 2022 Milton champion Test Of Faith now retired it would appear as if Silver Label, a 4-year-old Bettor’s Delight-sired mare, is the one to beat. One of two Nick Gallucci-trained mares in the standout field, Silver Label has won eight of her 14 races this year including victories in the Lady Liberty and Perfect Sting at The Meadowlands this summer. Stablemate Prohibition Legal (post 5) needed extra time to regain her form this year but the Big Jim-sired mare was explosive in her second start back off the shelf with a 1:50 score, getting the best of her stablemate (Silver Label) in an Open affair at Woodbine Mohawk Park on September 1.

Grace Hill captured the Roses Are Red earlier this season at Woodbine Mohawk Park and hopes to regain her winning stakes form. A winner in seven of 10 starts this year for trainer Virgil Morgan Jr., Grace Hill prepped for the Milton with a 1:52 winning qualifier on September 8 over this surface capped off with a 25 3/5 final quarter.

Mikala, the winner of the Dorothy Haughton at 41-1, drew post two for the Milton with George Brennan coming north for the drive. Mikala drew the same post in last year’s Milton and finished second in that race.

Not to be overlooked in the strong Milton field is local favorite So Much More. The 7-year-old daughter of Big Jim has an astonishing 66 wins during her racing career. So Much More drew post three.

First post for Saturday’s 12-race Woodbine Mohawk Park program is listed for 7:10 p.m. with the track offering a mandatory Hi-5 Jackpot Payout in the 12th race with a starting pool of $583,607.95.