Hanners’ star continues to rise

In 2022, Austin Hanners was recognized as an up-and-coming star in Ohio. In 2023, the young harness racing driver continued his ascent.

The 24-year-old Hanners set career highs with 218 wins and $3.23 million in purses last year, more than doubling his previous best totals in those categories, which were established in 2022. Among his highlights was winning an Ohio Breeders Championship with 2-year-old male pacer Rose Run Zane with a world-record-equaling performance on Little Brown Jug Day at the Delaware County Fair.

Overall, Hanners appeared at 30 different tracks in 2023, piling up 2,397 drives.

He was eighth in wins at both Eldorado Scioto Downs and Miami Valley Raceway, with 78 and 50, respectively. He was ninth at Hollywood Dayton, with 38 victories, and also ninth on the Ohio fairs circuit, with 39. His .452 driver’s rating at the fairs was third among drivers with at least 100 starts.

“I got very lucky; I had a very good year,” Hanners said. “I got a lot of seat time, that’s for sure. I didn’t really have a plan (to drive more) but if I can fill up my schedule, I usually do. I don’t turn down drives if I can fit them into my schedule. So, that was never a goal, I guess, but it’s my goal to do the best I can.

“I enjoy it,” he added about the travel. “Especially going somewhere new for the first time or two. It’s definitely fun. There are always different styles of driving, and you can learn something every time you go somewhere different. Something new that you can take to your home track, or maybe somebody new that you can learn from. You can definitely learn a lot, I think.”

Hanners won 98 races and $1.42 million in purses in 2022 and was named the recipient of the Peter Haughton Memorial Award, presented by the Ohio chapter of the U.S. Harness Writers Association, for being the young Ohioan who is a rising star in the sport.

“It’s always a good thing to get some recognition, no matter what level it is,” Hanners said. “It’s good for your self-confidence. I definitely think it helped me.”

Hanners picked up his most lucrative career victory last season with Rose Run Zane in the $75,000 OBC at Delaware. The Dan Venier-trained freshman stopped the clock in 1:51.1, equaling the world mark for a 2-year-old gelding.

“He was definitely my home run horse for the year,” Hanners said. “(Equaling the world record) was something I never thought I would be able to accomplish. That was a blast. I was extremely fortunate to get the opportunities to drive horses like that last year, getting to step up and drive some stakes horses.”

Rose Run Zane and Hanners won two preliminary divisions of the Ohio Sire Stakes series. Hanners won an Ohio Fairs Championship with Steve Carter-trained 2-year-old female pacer Legend N Cress and a Buckeye Stallion Series consolation final with Carter’s 2-year-old male pacer Bronx Drifter. Overall, Hanners won 14 state-bred stakes in 2023 and hit the board in an additional 38.

A change in driving style has helped Hanners, who has $6 million in career purses and nearly 500 wins, continue his development.

“I’ve learned to be more aggressive,” Hanners said. “I started off very passive, I think. The way the sport has changed, I’m still not overly aggressive, but you have to be more aggressive than years ago. I think that’s a big thing. If you’re not aggressive here (in Ohio), I don’t think you do very good. It’s just the style of driving. There are no big, long stretches, so you have to be up close when you turn for home.”

Hanners is the son of trainer Alicia Hanners. His father, Brad, accumulated nearly 5,000 wins as a driver before passing away at the age of 43 in 2015 following a battle with cancer. Hanner’s younger brother Luke also is a driver and trainer. Luke raced more in the east in recent years but has returned to Ohio.

“He just moved back a couple months ago,” Hanners said. “It’s fun getting to drive against him a lot now. It’s definitely different. When I’m not in the race, I want to see him do good, but I definitely don’t like to see him beat me.

“Hopefully, (the move) serves him well. It has so far. He’s added to a colony that’s already tough. He’s going to make it even tougher, that’s for sure. You definitely have to be on your toes and sharp every night. There are no nights off. There is always somebody that’s very capable behind you.”

Hanners has started this year with 18 wins and 72 top-three finishes, which he hopes is a sign of more good things to come. Last year, he had 13 victories and 41 top-three finishes at the same point of the season.

“I’m having a better start to the year than I’ve ever had, so I’m hoping I can keep it up all the way through the year and have a better summer than last year,” Hanners said. “I don’t usually look at my stats until the end of the year, but as long as they’re better at that time, I feel like that’s a good accomplishment. If I can do better than I did last year, I’ll feel like I’m on the right track. That’s how I look at it.”

by Ken Weingartner, for the USTA