Rockyroad Hanover appears to be on the right path

Lexington, KY — The 2021 campaign for Rockyroad Hanover has been a bit of a rocky road, but the 3-year-old harness racing colt pacer appears to be on the right path now following a career-best 1:48.1 victory in the $276,150 Cane Pace on Aug. 7 at The Meadowlands.

The Tony Alagna trainee will now attempt to follow up on that victory when he lines up in post seven with driver Dexter Dunn in Saturday’s (Aug. 21) $300,000 Max Hempt Memorial Pace at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.

“Post seven is not ideal, but it’s better than the eight or nine,” said Alagna. “With the slanted gate he can get out of there decent, I’m sure.”

In addition to the Hempt, the 14-race card (post time 12:30 p.m.) includes the $300,000 Earl Beal Jr. Memorial for 3-year-old male trotters, the $250,000 James Lynch Memorial for 3-year-old filly pacers, and the $250,000 Delmonica Hanover for 3-year-old filly trotters. The four races were seeded by money won in 2021; there is a consolation in each of these races for the next-highest money winners declaring in, and in the case of the Hempt there are two consolations based on the number of entries.

After a freshman season that saw him win once in three starts, Rockyroad Hanover’s 3-year-old year got off on a strong note when he won three of his first four starts. In his sixth start, a $148,332 Pennsylvania Sires Stakes event on June 26 at The Meadows, Rockyroad Hanover edged past the reigning divisional champion Perfect Sting nearing the wire to cross the wire first, but he was disqualified by the track judges for causing interference when he briefly got rough gaited and was placed fifth.

Rockyroad Hanover then finished fifth in his Meadowlands Pace elimination to qualify for the $700,000 final, and then misfortune occurred again when he went on a break due to interference while following live cover in the far turn. Alagna said he and Dunn believe the mishap cost Rockyroad Hanover a Meadowlands Pace victory.

“I felt like he was sitting on a big effort there when that happened,” said Alagna. “Shoulda, coulda, woulda, you just have to move forward and keep going.”

Rockyroad Hanover bounced back with second-place efforts in the Adios eliminations and final at The Meadows, which were then followed up by his victory in the Cane Pace, where he again rallied past Perfect Sting nearing the finish line to win by three-quarters of a length.

“When I moved him, he really was moving,” said Dunn, who tipped Rockyroad Hanover from fourth at the :53.4 half in the Cane. “I really liked the way he finished the mile off. He wasn’t done at the end of it.

“I had felt sorry for the horse himself and the owners, but he was healthy the whole time so I knew he was going to get his chance. I was pretty confident in the horse last start. He gives you confidence.”

Alagna said he had high expectations for Rockyroad Hanover heading into the Cane.

“That was his race to win or lose, and to build back up what we were thinking of the horse, and he did it,” said Alagna.

When asked if the Cane Pace was a confidence builder since it was his first trip to the winner’s circle in seven starts dating back to a June 11 score at Harrah’s Philadelphia, Alagna quickly shrugged it off.

“No, I don’t think so as he doesn’t know he got set back at The Meadows; he thought he won that day,” said Alagna.

Dunn admits his task in the Hempt could be daunting from the outside post, and he expects a brisk early tempo.

“It’s going to be a tough race because there is a lot of speed inside of him,” Dunn said as he looked at a program page of the Hempt. “It’s hard on the inside at Pocono. When you look at the race, you see speed, speed, speed, speed, speed.

“I’m sure the other drivers in the race will be worried about him, that’s for sure.”

Alagna said Rockyroad Hanover will next be pointed toward the Pepsi North America Cup (eliminations on Sept. 4 and the final on Sept. 11) at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

“Hopefully he can get a nice piece (in the Hempt) and get ready for the North America Cup,” he said. “There is a lot of money left on the table.

“He trained well (Tuesday morning) so it sets him up for Saturday. He looks great. He was always a big horse, he just filled out and matured a lot.”

A $65,000 yearling purchase by Riverview Racing, Brad Grant, Ken Jacobs and Plouffe Head and VJ Stable from breeder Hanover Shoe Farms, Rockyroad Hanover comes into the Hempt with $291,864 in career earnings. A son of Captaintreacherous, Rockyroad Hanover is out of the $1 million-winning mare Romantic Moment.

Alagna will have a second Hempt starter in Abuckabett Hanover, who starts from the outside post nine with driver Andy McCarthy.

Abuckabett Hanover won his first four starts of the year, including a May 16 win in a Pennsylvania Sires Stakes when he handed the previously undefeated Perfect Sting his first career defeat. But Abuckabett Hanover has also had a bit of bad luck as he made an ill-timed break in the $500,000 Messenger on July 2 at Yonkers Raceway and also went offstride as a result of his involvement in the final-turn incident in the Meadowlands Pace. Abuckabett Hanover then won his Adios elimination and was fifth in the final.

“I didn’t race him in the Cane because he had raced too many weeks in a row,” explained Alagna. “I wanted to give him a little break. I wanted to freshen him up. It seems he responded to it great as he trained last Saturday (Aug. 14). It seems he’s got back on track.

“He’s had bad draws and bad luck. He’s an awful drawing horse when the money is down.”

A $160,000 yearling purchase also from Hanover Shoe Farms, Abuckabett Hanover is owned by Crawford Farms Racing, Alagna Racing, Jablonsky Held Stable and Barbera N Wienick Stable. The son of Betting Line out of the mare All Tucked Up has career earnings of $295,771.

For complete entries for the Saturday card at Pocono, click here.

by Gordon Waterstone, for the USTA