by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Ken Weingartner

Freehold, NJ — Dream On Hanover, a full sister to 2007 Hambletonian winner and Horse of the Year Donato Hanover, was among 14 2-year-old filly trotters entered in the Merrie Annabelle Stakes at Meadowlands Racetrack. Two seven-horse eliminations will be held Friday (July 29), with the top five from each division advancing to the $440,000 (est.) final on August 6.

Purchased by Karl-Erik Bender’s Bender Sweden Inc. for $260,000 at the Standardbred Horse Sale, Dream On Hanover has won two of three races. She went off stride in her debut, finishing fifth, before winning divisions of the Reynolds and Tompkins-Geers stakes. She is trained by Staffan Lind and was driven by Brett Miller in her first three starts. Brian Sears, who drove the filly in two qualifiers at the Meadowlands, is listed to drive in the Merrie Annabelle elim.

USTA/Ken Weingartner photo

Dream On Hanover topped the first day of the 2010 Standardbred Horse Sale with a price of $260,000.

“She was a tough one to break, but she is starting to get the hang of it,” Lind said. “Like many good fillies, she wanted her own way. We’ve tried to take it easy with her and not push her. We hope she is going to improve every race now. She wants to go forward; she wants to race.”

Dream On Hanover went off stride early in her first start, a division of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes at The Meadows. In the Reynolds Memorial, on July 6 at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, she was third for the first half of the race before winning by eight lengths in 1:57.4. In the Tompkins-Geers on July 14 at Tioga Downs, she reached the lead by the half-mile point and won by 2-1/2 lengths in 1:59.2.

“She was anxious starting out and made a break in her first start,” Lind said. “After that, she’s improved every race. She’s a very big filly and I expect there’s a lot of development in her. She has that competitiveness in her, but after her last start Brett said he could pretty much do anything he wanted with her.”

Dream On Hanover will race in the first of the two Merrie Annabelle elims on Friday. Her elim includes New Jersey Sire Stakes champion Upside Hanover. The other division is headlined by Check Me Out, who is 4-for-4 with a mark of 1:56, which is the best among the Merrie Annabelle hopefuls. Her wins include divisions of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes, Reynolds and Tompkins-Geers.

Following are the elim fields in post position order, with listed drivers and trainers.

Elim One: 1. Dream On Hanover, Brian Sears, Staffan Lind; 2. Aunt Mel, Andy Miller, Erv Miller; 3. Real Babe, Tim Tetrick, Ray Schnittker; 4. Miss Paris, David Miller, Richard “Nifty” Norman; 5. Upside Hanover, Sears, Robert Krivelin; 6. Sterling Volo, Sears, Jan Johnson; 7. D’Orsay, Yannick Gingras, Jonas Czernyson.

Elim Two: 1. Win Missy B, Charlie Norris, Norris; 2. Love Walked In, Andy Miller, Julie Miller; 3. Quarantine S, Andy Miller, Jonas Czernyson; 4. Sculpted Vanity, Tim Tetrick, Linda Toscano; 5. Bluff, Trond Smedshammer, Smedshammer; 6. Swinging Nadine, Yannick Gingras, Bruce Saunders; 7. Check Me Out, Tetrick, Ray Schnittker.