Three-across thriller in $455,000 Goldsmith Maid

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – What A Bid Hanover (Muscle Hill) stormed home mid-stretch and down the center of the harness racing track to win the $455,000 Goldsmith Maid, for 2-year-old trotting fillies, at The Meadowlands on Saturday (Nov. 30).

Trainer-driver Ake Svanstedt was in no rush off the gate with What A Bid Hanover while longshots Spicy Nice, Panacea Hanover and R Dutchess shuffled through the first turn for the top spots. R Dutchess broke stride into a :27.3 first quarter, leaving Spicy Nice to lead until she was overtaken from a first-over charge by Luna Lovegood. Spicy Nice then jumped to a gallop from the pocket before a :56.1 half while Luna Lovegood coasted for the far turn.

Luna Lovegood held a healthy lead passing three-quarters in 1:24.3 but drifted wide off the final turn and started to feel the pressure looming. Voguish mounted a serious charge down the center of the track with Sound Judgement weaving through traffic to the inside, all while Svanstedt came soaring from the back with What A Bid Hanover. Ake Svanstedt urged What A Bid Hanover to take advantage of the erratic field with a cannonball close and nailed the win by a nose in 1:53.3. Voguish settled for second, Luna Lovegood took third in the three-way photo and Sound Judgement finished fourth.

What A Bid Hanover survived a judge’s inquiry (for contact with Voguish’s wheel in the stretch) and carved a fifth of a second off her personal-best mile to notch her third win in seven starts.

“She started good training in Florida,” said Sarah Svanstedt after the race, “then she got sore and had some muscle problems. She’s a nice horse but we had to take our time with her.” Still, Sarah insisted, “She is one hundred percent racehorse.”

Svanstedt owns What A Bid Hanover, through his Ake Svanstedt Inc., with S R F Stable. She is out of the Donato Hanover mare What A Knockout and has now earned $297,863.

Off the slight favorite at 7-5, What A Bid Hanover returned $4.80 to win.

For complete race results, click here: US Trotting results.

by Frank Cotolo, for The Meadowlands