Can Ken Hanover remain sharp in Brower Memorial?

Ken Hanover (Captaintreacherous-KJ’s Justine) was on his game last week when he won his harness racing division of the Graduate Series in a career-best 1:47.4 at The Meadowlands, and the 4-year-old stallion will look to bring another top effort to the Big M on Saturday when he meets a deep field of older pacers in the $152,190 Dave Brower Memorial.

The Brower Memorial is part of a stakes-loaded card at The Meadowlands, joined by the $131,250 Crawford Farms Open Trot, $112,500 Six Pack for older female trotters, $112,500 Perfect Sting for older female pacers, and five divisions of the W.N. Reynolds for 3-year-old male and female trotters (featuring stars Karl and T C I in separate divisions).

Ken Hanover is no stranger to speed. Last year, he paced the fastest mile ever by a 3-year-old on the half-mile oval at the Delaware County Fairgrounds in Ohio as he won his elimination of the Little Brown Jug in 1:48.4. Nine days after the Jug, he finished second to eventual Horse of the Year Confederate in a division of the Bluegrass Stakes at The Red Mile, where he was timed in 1:48 with a :25.3 last quarter.

KEN HANOVER GRADUATE PACE REPLAY

This year, Ken Hanover has posted a win and two seconds in four races. He was second in an open handicap at The Meadowlands in his seasonal debut, where he was timed in 1:48.1, and second to Ruthless Hanover in the Auger Memorial at Harrah’s Philadelphia, missing by a half-length in 1:47.2 (the second-fastest pacing mile of the season).

Ken Hanover’s 1:47.4 victory last week, which saw the David Miller-driven stallion in front at the half for only the second time in his past 12 starts, is only one-fifth of a second off the fastest mark of the season by a 4-year-old pacer.

“He was on his game the other night, that’s for sure,” said Ken Hanover’s trainer and co-owner Roland “Polie” Mallar. “David drove him pretty aggressively. He’s got that kind of mile in him, but you need a little bit of luck and have the trip go your way. And it did the other night.”

Ken Hanover has hit the board in 29 of 35 career races, winning 13 and earned $638,093. He has won on the Grand Circuit five times (at least once each season) and finished third in last year’s Jug final and Matron Stakes.

“He knows his job, that’s one thing about him,” Mallar said last year. “He likes his work. He always seems to pick it up when he needs to. That’s one of his best traits, I think; he always seems to give you a little extra coming home. That’s what you need, especially racing against this caliber of (horses). You’ve got to be able to get home.”

Mallar said that remains on of Ken Hanover’s best attributes.

“If he’s in the hunt turning for home, he’s going to pace home as much as he can,” said Mallar, who owns Ken Hanover with Patrick Leavitt, William Jordan, and Dennis Osterholt. “He’s pretty good that way. But you still need a little bit of luck. Sometimes, you need a lot of luck. But a little bit here and there doesn’t hurt.”

On Saturday, Ken Hanover will start from post 11, lining up in the second tier, in the 11-horse Brower Memorial. He is 12-1 on the morning line. Ruthless Hanover, leaving from post one with Andy McCarthy driving for trainer Tom Cancelliere, is the 5-2 favorite.

The field also includes millionaires Allywag Hanover, Charlie May, I Did It Myway, and Abuckabett Hanover. Ken Hanover is one of only two 4-year-olds in the group, with Christchurch.

“It’s going to be tough, we expect that,” Mallar said. “Hopefully, he’ll be tough enough to go with them.”

Ken Hanover is staked to many of the sport’s top races for older pacers, including the William R. Haughton Memorial, Sam McKee Memorial, Dayton Derby, and Breeders Crown. The Graduate Series final is July 6 at The Meadowlands.

“He’s got enough on his plate,” Mallar said. “If he stays sound and healthy, we’ll try to go to most of them and see what happens. If we can pick up some pieces here and there, knock a few off, that would be great.”

As for the remainder of the Big M’s Saturday card, Karl and T C I, ranked 1-2, respectively, in Meadowlands announcer/analyst Ken Warkentin’s Road to the Hambletonian, will compete in separate divisions of the Reynolds. The $1 million Hambletonian is Aug. 3 at the Big M.

Returning Dan Patch Award-winner It’s Academic makes his 2024 debut in the Crawford Farms, which also includes Maxie Lee Memorial winner Venerate and 2023 Breeders Crown champion Southwind Tyrion.

Twin B Joe Fresh, coming off victories in the Roses Are Red and Betsy Ross Invitational, meets Canada’s 2023 Horse of the Year Sylvia Hanover in the Perfect Sting. Twin B Joe Fresh defeated Sylvia Hanover by 1-1/4 lengths in the Roses Are Red on June 15.

Cutler Memorial winner Jiggy Jog S, Armbro Flight winner Call Me Goo, and Miss Versatility Series leg winners Tactical Mounds and M-M’s Dream highlight the five-horse Six Pack.

Racing begins at 6:20 p.m. (EDT) at The Meadowlands. For free TrackMaster programs for the Big M, click here.

by Ken Weingartner, for the USTA