Who’s behind the name?

Both the Armbro Flight and the Fan Hanover eliminations will take place Saturday (June 10) night at Woodbine Mohawk, with both events being named in honor of two fillies who helped to put harness racing on the map during their careers.

Armbro Flight (Star’s Pride) was a foal of 1962, bred and owned by Armstrong Brothers (Elgin, Ted, Charles) of Brampton, Ontario. The bay daughter out of Helicopter 3, 2:02.3 ($99,559) brought a strong genetic presence to the races, with her dam being a Hambletonian winner, and her sire, Star’s Pride, 5, 1:57.1 ($140,969) having sired eight winners of that classic event. Armbro Flight won 20 of 26 starts as a 2-year-old, earning $107,452—the most ever by a freshman filly in a single season at the time.

At three, Armbro Flight was just as impressive, despite winning a heat of the Hambletonian at DuQuoin, and then being narrowly bested in the final, three-horse final. She went on to win the Horseman Futurity, the Kentucky Futurity, the Dexter Cup, and the American Trotting Classic, as well as numerous other stakes.

By career’s end she had pushed her career earnings to $493,602, thus becoming the richest money-winning Standardbred in Canada of all time, as well as the highest-earning trotting mare overall in North America. She had established five world records and was voted Canadian Trotting Horse of the Year for 1964, 1965, and 1966, with an overall total career record of 51 wins in 65 career starts, having retired after winning the $100,000 International Trot at Roosevelt Raceway on July 10, 1966, with trainer Joe O’Brien in the sulky, timed in 2:31.3.

Armbro Flight’s foray into the breeding shed proved just a fortuitous, as she produced 14 foals from 1968 through 1986, with all but two making it to the races. Her most successful foal was number 13, born in 1985, Armbro Goal, a son of Speedy Crown who earned $1,442,022, with a mark of 3, 1:54.3—who became the first Swedish-conditioned trotter to win the Hambletonian. Armbro Flight’s other top youngsters include Armbro Ermine (by Speedy Crown) 3, 1:55.1 ($284,641); Armbro Regina (by Speedy Scot) 3, 1:56.3 ($149,705); Armbro Demon (by Speedy Scot) 4, Q1:59.3 ($63,527); and Armbro Apollo (by Dream Of Glory) 4, 2:01f ($52,838), etc.

As a result of her success both on the track and in the breeding shed, Armbro Flight was honored by having her image placed on a Canadian postage stamp in 1999, along with Canadian-bred Thoroughbred, Northern Dancer.  She is also a member of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame (1976), and the (American) Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame (1998).

Similarly, Fan Hanover’s (Albatross) story nearly mirrors that of Armbro Flight. Foaled January 23, 1978, at Hanover Shoe Farms, the bay filly was out of the unraced Bret Hanover p, 4, 1:54.3f $(1,201,470) mare Farm Norah, and had a terrific freshman season, earning $201,264 with a mark of 2, 1:56.4f, that saw her win 16 of 19 starts, with a pair of seconds and one third to her credit as well.

As a 3-year-old, the tough little filly won 17 of 23 starts, including the Little Brown Jug (becoming the first filly to do so), earning $497,717, an American record for a 3-year-old pacing filly. As a result, she was named Harness Horse of the Year for that season (1981).  At 4, she earned another $270,643 from 12 wins, four seconds and six thirds in 30 starts, taking a time-trial record of 1:50.4 on July 17, 1982, at The Big M with trainer-driver Glen Garnsey at the controls. She retired to the broodmare shed and was named 1982 Aged Pacing Mare of the Year, with stats of 72 (45-9-8) and $969,724 in career earnings.

Fan Hanover went on to produce 12 foals, with only three who did not race.  Her best foal was her second-born, Glowing Tribute (by Tyler B) p, 5, 1:54.1f ($187,773), a winner of 52 races lifetime; along with Bold Hope (by Tyler B) p, 4, 1:51.1 ($178,090); For The Fans (by Abercrombie) p, 7, 1:55.4f ($169,229); and her last foal, Letsmoveon (by Village Jiffy) p, 4, 1:55h ($84,923). She is a member of the (American) Harness Racing Hall of Fame & Museum, inducted in 2000.

by Kimberly Rinker, for Harnesslink