Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Hanover Stakes Results
November 28, 2004
By Kimberly Rinker

Four Hanover Stakes, November 27, 2004
....results from Saturday Night at Balmoral Park
Third Race: $70,000   Hanover Three-Year-Old Colt Trot
Post/Horse                        Driver
3-Justice Hall                       Eric Ledford
1-Double Helix                     Ron Marsh
4-Two Weeks Notice             Richard Richardson
Time: 2:00.2

Fifth Race: $67,200   Hanover Three-Year-Old Filly Trot
#/Post/Horse                     Driver
5-5-Tady Strikes Again          Tony Morgan
9-11-Olympics                      Dave Magee
2-8-R Royal Belle                  Mike Oosting
Time:1:59.4

Seventh Race: $62,700 Hanover Three-Year-Old Filly Pace
#/Post/Horse                    Driver
3-Nu-Diamond Star              Ron Marsh
1-Female Champs                Tony Morgan
4-Princess Justice                 Dave Magee
Time: 1:55.3

Ninth Race: $71,700 Hanover Three-Year-Old Colt Pace
#/Post/Horse                    Driver
5-4-Artiology                        Tony Morgan
11-12-Prince Vince                Mike Oosting
7-6-Live Out Loud                 Tim Tetrick

Sophomores Shine in Hanover Stakes
The final four major stakes of Balmoral’s 2004 season were contested Saturday night at the Crete, Illinois oval. Both three-year-old trotters and pacers shared the spotlight in the richly contested Hanover Stakes.

Nu-Diamond Star’s 1:55.3 clocking in the $62,700 Hanover Stake for sophomore fillies was her third victory in a row for trainer Homer Hochstetler and driver Ron Marsh.

Marsh changed his driving tactics with the 4-5 favorite, who won the $100,000 Cinderella Stake at Maywood in her previous outing.

"This mare doesn’t like to race on the front end," Marsh said. "But with all the mud on the track I didn’t want her getting hit in the face with that for a long time so I decided to test her."

"Ronnie (driver Marsh) does a nice job of not over-using her in these races and that’s why she’s still so fresh this late in the year," Hochstetler said. "This filly has a series at the Meadowlands (in New Jersey) that she’s eligible to, so my plans are to race her just enough between now and then (February) to keep her tight for those races."

A field of just five three-year-old trotters went postward in the $70,000 Hanover Stakes for colts and geldings. American National runner-up Justice Hall prevailed easily for driver Eric Ledford, trotting in 2:00.2 over Balmoral’s rain-drenched racetrack.

"He was so much the best that I just wanted to make sure there were no miscues before I turned him loose," Ledford said. "At the three-quarter marker I knew that there was not a chance that anything in the field was going to catch us, so I just shut him down even before the halfway point in the stretch."

"Justice Hall has been good all year as you can see by his bankroll of more than $450,000," Ledford said. "And getting to drive a 1-9 shot when you’re going for $70,000 is an absolute gift."

A full field of ten fillies vied in the $67,200 Hanover Stake for sophomore trotters. Tady Strikes Again wore down her rivals in the late going to post a 1:59.4 victory for driver Tony Morgan.

"I was told not to worry about having this filly too far back throughout the mile," Morgan said. "Her connections told me that she could really fly home, so I wasn’t worried about being near the front early."

"Virgil (trainer Morgan) told me this filly was pretty sharp right now and I was very impressed with her," Morgan said. "She was a little skippy in the first turn but after that she settled down and was all business from then on."

In the final contest of the night, 12 sophomore pacing colts tried for a share of the $71,700 Hanover Stake pot. In a mild upset Tony Morgan steered Artiology to victory in 1:53.1.

"We've been ducking this horse for most of the year and he's really been closing well," Morgan said. "It was time to get him into the action a little earlier so that's why I left quickly with him. The pace was fast enough to keep the horses strung out so finding room was not a big concern for me."

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