by Dave Little, Meadowlands Media Relations

East Rutherford, NJ — She’s baaack! And much to the chagrin of the others in the older trotting division, she just might be better than ever. Hannelore Hanover, the defending Dan Patch Horse of the Year, overcame post position 12 in her 2018 debut to win the $182,500 Arthur J. Cutler Memorial at the Meadowlands Saturday night (May 5).

Lisa photo

Hannelore Hanover made her 2018 debut a winning one, taking the Arthur J. Cutler Memorial at the Meadowlands Saturday night.

The betting public was unafraid despite the second-tier starting spot, sending the Ron Burke trainee to the gate as the 3-5 choice. With the race at a mile and an eighth, the starting gate looked a bit wobbly as they made their way out of the turn heading to the start.

“The gate bounced in everybody’s face (in the first tier),” said winning driver Yannick Gingras. “So I had to give myself a little room and be a little cautious.”

At the start, 9-1 chance Will Take Charge was on the go and led at the quarter before yielding the point to 7-2 second choice Crazy Wow, who hit the half in :55.1. Mambo Lindy was making progress racing on the rim while towing Hannelore Hanover closer to the leaders. At the head of the stretch, Mambo Lindy was at Crazy Wow’s throat as Hannelore Hanover tipped off cover and started to roll.

With a sixteenth to go, Will Take Charge found room after racing in the pocket and was rallying along the inside, but he did not have quite enough to prevent Hannelore Hanover from winning for the 37th time in 59 lifetime starts.

“At the top of the stretch, I thought I was going to be an easy winner,” said Gingras. “Then I was a little worried, but she kicked in. She’s definitely better now than she was at the start of last year. Hopefully, she has as good a year as she had last year. She’s just an incredible horse.”

The 6-year-old daughter of Swan For All finished the 1-1/8 mile distance in 2:06, a neck in front of a stubborn Will Take Charge. Crazy Wow held on for third. The winner, who returned $3.40 to her backers, is owned by Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi, Frank Baldachino and J&T Silva Stables. Her lifetime bankroll now stands at $2,565,064.

Filibuster Fabulous: Filibuster Hanover ($2.80 to win), who was nothing short of vicious closing in :25.2 in a 1:49.3 qualifier on April 28, kept that momentum by using an electric brush to grab the lead down the backstretch on the way to a 2:04 score (for the 1-1/8 mile distance) in the first division of the first leg of the Graduate Series for 4-year-olds on the pace. The winner was from the team of Gingras and Burke.

Tim Tetrick guided Donttellmeagain ($10.00) to a perfect second-over trip in the other division to win in 2:04.1.

A Little More: The 20-cent Survivor Pick-10 resulted in a single player surviving all 10 legs, and that Oregon simulcast patron cashed in for $14,761. Betting was strong all night long, as a total of $2,950,771 was wagered on the 11-race card, an average per race of $268,251. The average per race was a Meadowlands’ 2018 best. The Late 20-cent Jackpot Super High-Five failed to result in a single-ticket winner, upping the carryover to $215,668. Racing resumes at the Big M Friday at 7:15 p.m.