Voracious Hanover hungry for Governor’s Cup win
December 3, 2004,from Meadowlands Media Relations
Voracious Hanover is hungry for a victory in the $237,400 Governor’s Cup for pacing colts and geldings, one of the Fall Final Four stakes for two-year-olds on Saturday night at the Meadowlands.
The son of Dragon Again has finished in the money in all but one of his eight career starts, banking $48,088. He is rated as the 9-2 third choice, leaving from post six with Jim Morrill Jr. driving.
“We paid $22,000 for him at [the sale at] Showplace last year,” said Ben Stafford Jr., who trains the horse with his father, Ben Sr. “Dad liked him right from the start. I thought he was just average. He’d go where you wanted him to go but no more. But after a while you could feel just by jogging him that he was improving, a classy colt good to be around. He’s one that took care of himself well, not a lot of work.
“He doesn’t wear any bandages during the week, just a few on race night,” Stafford added. “We could tell right from the first baby race that he was pretty special. He closed in 27.4 from well off the leaders. He can leave quick, if you if you want him to. Earlier this year in Pennsylvania, he went out in 26.4, home in 27.4 in a 1:53 mile. He’s got a quick step out of the gate.”
The Staffords have had their share of top two-year-olds, including the divisional champion of 1990, Precious Bunny. Precious Bunny was sold at the end of his first season for $125,000 and raced in other hands for his 1991 Horse of the Year campaign.
“We hated to see him go, believe me,” Stafford recalled. “We knew he had the potential to be a top, top horse. But owner Al Ochnser got what he thought was a fair price and took it. We didn’t have any say in it at all.
“I was basically the groom for Precious Bunny at two,” Stafford explained. “He could leave the gate real fast-but we didn’t do so with him a lot at two. I remember as a three-year-old heading into the [Little Brown] Jug, Jack Moiseyev asked Jody [Stafford] if he could leave with him to get around Die Laughing. Jody told him he could leave 100 miles an hour, and Jack did just that and won the Jug because of it.”
After a sixth-place finish in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Final in September, Voracious Hanover had some off time, making his first start since then in the Governor’s Cup Prep last week. He finished second by three-quarters of a length to Dawn Ofa New Day, the even money favorite in the final.
“Speed Demon was awesome at Dover [winning the Matron],” Stafford said of the Governor’s Cup competition. “Dawn Ofa New Day can rough it. We’ve got post six and won’t be too far out of it at any point, I can tell you that much.”
Voracious Hanover races for the partnership of Kathleen Stafford of Voorhees, New Jersey and John Heckler of Perkasie, Pennsylvania.
The Governor’s Cup shares the spotlight with the $200,000 Three Diamonds for pacing fillies [second race], the $228,600 Valley Victory for trotting colts and geldings [fifth race] and the $211,800 Goldsmith Maid for trotting fillies [seventh race]. The Saturday night program also includes the $60,000 Oil Burner Final for three-year-old colt pacers [eighth race] and the $51,300 Charles Singer Memorial for three-year-old colt trotters [first race]. Meadowlands guests will receive a free Dunkin’ Donuts coffee tumbler that evening [with paid admission, while supplies last].
MICHIGAN’S BEST TO TEST HIS METTLE AT THE MEADOWLANDS
Eric Goodell, 12 times the leading driver in Michigan, will be testing his talents at the Meadowlands this fall. The 31-year-old from Howell, Michigan, has only had a few drives at the Meadowlands so far and is scheduled on 15-1 longshot Maximum Viking in Saturday’s 11th race.
“I know I have to be patient,” Goodell said. “Rob Harmon [trainer of Maximum Viking] has brought a few out here, and I’ll get those drives. Mark Ford talked to me about driving some of his horses. I’ve driven at Balmoral, which is about my only mile track experience prior to this.”
Goodell has been driving for a decade, compiling 1,943 victories and earnings of more than $7.1 million.
“I won the last four Hazel Park meets and also titles at Saginaw, Northville and Sports Creek,” he explained. “I always wanted to give it a try here. This is the big time. I know some of the guys here, and they are quite personable. Driving against the best, that’s what I want to do. This is the place to do that.
“I know quite a few of the drivers that are here as regulars,” he said. “In 1991, I worked for Keith Crawford when I was 17 and spent some time at the Meadowlands then. But this past couple weeks is the first time that I’ve driven here.”
The gamble to drive at the Meadowlands comes at the cost of a separation from his wife, Jamie, and their 18-month-old son, Ty, who recently were visiting him but have returned to Michigan.
Goodell has already recorded his best stats for a year, with 353 wins, 294 seconds and 213 thirds from 1,616 starts and earnings of $1.4 million.
“I’ll just have to wait and see how it works out,” he said. “This is always something that I wanted to do.”
AROUND THE MEADOWLANDS FOR DECEMBER 3, 2004
The last trainer to send out divisional champions as top two-year-old trotters of the same year was Bob Stewart three years ago with Andover Hall and Cameron Hall. Jimmy Takter is attempting to pull off the same feat with the colt Ken Warkentin and the filly Solveig. Solveig makes her next start in Saturday night’s Goldsmith Maid Final.
Larry Rathbone, who trained last summer’s North America Cup winner Mantacular and captured last year’s Merrie Annabelle with Ladylind, sends out Ladymatic in the Goldsmith Maid Final. The daughter of Muscles Yankee will start from post 10 in the $211,800 Goldsmith Maid. “Mantacular is now retired, and he will stand at Glengate Farm for $5,000,” Rathbone reported. “Ladylind was sold to Jeff Gural. As for Ladymatic, I had to baby her some the past few months. I reluctantly put trotting hobbles on her, and they sure helped. Generally speaking, I’m against trotting hobbles, but you got to use what’s out there if it will help. She’s a lot like Ladylind was last year, and of course they are both Muscles [Yankee’s daughters].”
Jeff Long conditions Magic Swan who leaves from post five in the Valley Victory Final. “He’s doing good,” said the 31-year-old Long.
“I was a little concerned warming him up last week and Cat [driver Cat Manzi] was, too. It was his first time under the lights in quite some time, and he was a little anxious. I had a hard time relaxing him. I saw as he was going to the gate he was a little lathered around the number pad, a little washed out. But he came out of the race good [finishing fourth. In most of his races this year, he’s been on the front end mainly because he’s been the big favorite. But I still think he’d be better from off the pace. There’s no horse who lays over this field. I use last week’s race as a bridge to the final. I just hope he’s not amped-up. I am glad he had that race and want to bring him to the final the best I can. He’ll be there and be ready.”
When Dave Palone won his 10,000th last Saturday, he joined a select club of four to surpass that plateau. At 42, he was the second youngest to do so. The others in the “club” and the age they hit 10,000 are Walter Case [40 years old], Herve Filion [47] and Cat Manzi [53].