Soiree Hanover back in form winning $252,200 Bluegrass division

LEXINGTON, Ky.— Soiree Hanover (Walner) soared over the slop and her compatriots to register a slight 5-1 upset in a 1:54.2 mile, the fastest of the three harness racing divisions for the $252,200 King Of The North Bluegrass Stakes for 3-year-old trotting fillies, on Saturday (Sept. 28) at The Red Mile.

Driver Tim Tetrick secured a second-over ride for Soiree Hanover by landing her in fourth out of post 7 and flushing cover from Senorita Palema (driven by Ake Svanstedt) after Sadbirdstillsing (Todd McCarthy) fronted the fillies through early fractions of :29.1 and :57.1.

Senorita Palema slightly advanced when uncovered around the final turn while Sadbirdstillsing continued strongly by three-quarters in 1:25.3. Tetrick tipped Soiree Hanover three wide into the stretch and accelerated forward to seize the lead in the closing eighth and hold a 1-3/4-length advantage at the beam.

Buy A Round (Andy McCarthy) kicked from the back with too much ground to recoup and settled for second while Sadbirdstillsing held third and Spy Coast (Yannick Gingras) held fourth off a pocket trip.

“It’s been a little up and down this year,” trainer Lucas Wallin said after the race. “But when she’s good, she’s very good. And today she was very good.”

Soiree Hanover collected her eighth win from 17 starts and pushed her bankroll to $741,708 for owner Snogarps Gard Inc. She paid $13.28 to win.

SOIREE HANOVER REPLAY

She Shaq (Southwind Frank, Ake Svanstedt) rushed into contention as speed diminished late to snag a 1:55.1 victory in the second split of the King Of The North.

Green Mercedes (Andy Miller) barreled on a line for the lead through a :27.4 first quarter and settled once on the helm in the backstretch. She strolled up the backside to a :56.1 half, but clung to a line again as even-money favorite Miss I La (Andy McCarthy) popped pocket moving for the far turn. She Shaq meanwhile stayed steady from fourth and crept outside towards the four-wide path as Miss I La took the lead by three-quarters in 1:25.3.

Miss I La scooted two lengths clear of her peers into the stretch but levelled in the lane while She Shaq gathered steam to the center of the track. She Shaq kept charging and clenched the lead in late stretch while withstanding a push by Drawing Rights (Dexter Dunn), rallying from last, to win by a nose. Drawing Rights settled for second with Miss I La third and Slip Sliding Away (Tim Tetrick) riding the pylons for fourth.

“She started out good and then she had some breathing issues, so she had throat surgery,” co-owner Matt Franklin said. “Since she’s come back, she’s peaking right now. I hope that win gets us in [the Kentucky Filly Futurity].”

Franklin partners with trainer Ake Svanstedt’s incorporation and Little E LLC on She Shaq, a filly by Southwind Frank. She won her fifth race from 17 starts, has now banked $243,938 and paid $15.38 to win.

SHE SHAQ REPLAY

Date Night Hanover (Chapter Seven) (Dexter Dunn) steamrolled first over as the 1-5 favorite to win easily in the final division of the King Of The North.

Starting from the pylon post, Dunn kept Date Night Hanover steady and sat fourth while Paulina Hanover (Tim Tetrick) swooped to the lead into a :29.1 first quarter. The tempo increased up the backside and Dunn waited for cover to pull until no one showed themselves a taker, so Date Night Hanover initiated a first-over attack past a :57.4 half.

She progressed towards Paulina Hanover and pushed to the lead effortlessly after three-quarters in 1:26.2 to wrap the victory by the final eighth. Date Night Hanover trotted over the line geared down in a 1:55 mile and 2-1/4 lengths in front of pocket-sitter Samuca Hanover (David Miller) in second while Star Attraction (Yannick Gingras) took third and Upallnight Hanover (Ake Svanstedt) closed from last for fourth.

“She better be for real, she cost a lot of money as a yearling,” co-owner Jeff Snyder said jokingly of Date Night Hanover, the $600,000 sales topper from the 2022 Black Book Sale in Harrisburg, Pa. “It’s just a thrill owning her. We plan on racing her next year, too.” Snyder added Date Night Hanover will race in the Kentucky Filly Futurity next Sunday (Oct. 6) before heading to the Breeders Crown at The Meadowlands.

DATE NIGHT HANOVER REPLAY

Marcus Melander trains Date Night Hanover, a filly by Chapter Seven, for owners Jeff Snyder and Onda Racing Stable LLC. She won her ninth race from 25 starts, has now earned $773,309 and paid $2.46 to win.

Each division of the King Of The North Bluegrass Stakes was sponsored by Kountry Lane Standardbreds.

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

by Ray Cotolo, for The Red Mile