Nijinsky vs. Legendary Hanover this Saturday

MILTON, September 3, 2024 – This harness racing season’s top two sophomore pacing colts are set to clash in Saturday’s $167,000 Simcoe Stakes at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

Pepsi North America Cup winner Nijinsky (Bettors Delight) and Meadowlands Pace winner Legendary Hanover (Huntsville) lead a field of 11 for the Simcoe, one of six stakes on Saturday’s 12-race card. Both star colts are trained by Anthony Beaton and will meet for the first time since the Meadowlands Pace on July 13.

The score between the stablemates this season is 1-1, with each having taken one of the sport’s classic events for three-year-old pacers.

Nijinsky sports a near-perfect record of eight wins from nine starts this season. He has victories in the NA Cup, Somebeachsomewhere Stakes, OSS Gold Mid-Season Challenge and Meadowlands Pace elimination all to his name.

Louis-Philippe Roy will reunite with Nijinsky, starting from post-eight for owners West Wins Stable, John Fielding and Mark Dumain.

Legendary Hanover is the sport’s fastest horse this season, having taken a mark of 1:46.2 in the Cane Pace on August 3. He was fourth in the NA Cup before winning four of his next five starts, including The Meadowlands Pace and Empire Breeders Classic.

With his speedy wins in the Meadowlands Pace and Cane, Legendary Hanover is the only three-year-old pacer to have multiple wins in sub-1:47.

James MacDonald teams with ‘Legendary’ from post-six for owners Eric Good, West Wins Stable and Mark Dumain.

The $167,000 Simcoe 3-Year-Old Open goes as Race 7 (9:32 p.m. ET).

Similar to the colts, the season’s leading three-year-old pacing filly Its A Love Thing (Bettors Delight) will also be in Simcoe Stakes action on Saturday.

The Dave Menary trained Its A Love Thing will go for her eighth win in 10 starts this season, taking on seven rivals for a purse of $152,000. She has been cleaning up in both the Grand Circuit and sires stakes, earning over $633,000 in 2024 for owners Eric Good, Thomas Biederman, Josh Green and Rich Lombardo Racing.

Its A Love Thing’s accomplishments this season includes victories in the Fan Hanover, Jerry Silverman Memorial, SBOA, multiple OSS Gold events and the Kentucky Sires Stakes.

James MacDonald partners with Its A Love Thing from post-six.

The Simcoe 3-Year-Old Filly Pace is carded as Race 9 (10:16 p.m. ET).

The Grand Circuit action on Saturday also features a pair of divisions for both the Champlain 2-Year-Old Open Pace and Champlain 2-Year-Old Filly Pace.

Each division will go for north of $80,000 and they are carded as Races 2,3,6 and 8.

To view the early program pages for Saturday, click here.

Post time for the 12-race card is 7:10 p.m.

by Mark McKelvie, for Woodbine Entertainment