by Kim French, USTA Internet News Editor

Kim French

Columbus, OH — Despite not growing taller over her winter vacation, Roaring To Go certainly transitioned from an awkward teenager to a young lady after her third birthday. In fact, her conditioner Kevin Lare compares her much more mature appearance and potential to perform to the sculpted physique and celebrity status of none other than superstar Jennifer Lopez.

The now 3-year-old filly, who was in the hunt for divisional honors last year as a freshman prior to her fourth place finish in the Breeders Crown, will attempt to snare the spotlight once again when her considerable talents will be on display in the first of two C$35,000 eliminations for the Fan Hanover at Mohawk Racetrack on Saturday (June 10).

“I tell everyone she looks just like JLo,” said Lare. “She has all the curves in the right places as she really filled out her frame. She has that nice big chest now and that well-rounded butt. She just looks great and she has always had such a terrific attitude. She is not a horse that is loving, but is just grumpy enough for a mare or filly to be very good.

Lisa photo

Roaring To Go has banked $307,079 in her career.

“She is also right where we want her to be right now as she had that really nice qualifier at Harrah’s Philadelphia in 1:53.1 (May 23, defeating Prairie Sweetheart). All I wanted was to not draw the eight-hole or have to face Tequila Monday in her first start (in a New York Sire stakes leg on June 2) and one of those wishes was granted, but I was very happy with her race (second to Tequila Monday).

“She has trained enough to be fit and the last race and this race this weekend should have her race-tight to fire her best in the Fan Hanover final. I couldn’t ask for anything more from her.”

Owned by Frank Chick, Roaring To Go will have the services of regular pilot Brett Miller when she commences her mile from post two in the evening’s fifth contest. She is the second selection on the morning line (4-1) behind Dan Patch and O’Brien Award winner Idyllic Beach (6-5, Yannick Gingras), recent Ontario Sire Stakes Gold winner Soiree Seelster (6-1, Sylvain Filion) and a filly that looks to be improving in Jaye’s A Lady (8-1, Louis-Philippe Roy).

“All I know is there are eight other very talented fillies in there,” Lare said. “There is no Tequila Monday in this one, who I think is the one to beat right now after that mile she went to win the Lismore Pace, but all these fillies are so good. That’s why we race them; anything can happen and any one of them can win. I’m just thrilled we have a horse with enough ability to be in there with them.”

Roaring To Go, a daughter of Art Major-Lionness Hanover, was purchased for $16,000 at the 2015 Goshen Yearling Sale and her dam is a half-sibling to Lookout Hanover (The Panderosa, $405,774), Long Fight Hanover (Allamerican Native, $162,337) and Lonewolf Currier (The Panderosa, $483,601).

The filly has collected $307,079 from a record of 15-7-4-0 and established the track record for her age, sex and gender at Saratoga (1:54) last July. Roaring To Go has also defeated Idyllic Beach in a 1:50.4 mile in a $73,000 division of the Bluegrass Stake at Red Mile and hit the wire before New York Sire Stakes and Lismore Pace champion Tequila Monday in the $225,000 Sire Stakes final, only to be placed second for a brief venture inside the pylons.

After her success in Kentucky, the filly scored a powerful triumph in her $20,000 Breeders Crown elimination while leaving Lismore Pace runner-up Agent Q and the aforementioned Idyllic Beach in her wake. Lare, who has a Breeders Crown trophy for guiding the career of the late, great Snow White, was understandably very confident Roaring To Go had a strong opportunity to bring home the hardware for his close friend and long-time colleague Chick. After decades in the industry, Chick still does not possess a Breeders Crown championship and Lare felt this was an excellent opportunity to remedy that situation.

Unfortunately, it was not meant to be as the filly was fourth after setting the middle fractions and tired in the lane to finish behind winner Someomensomewhere, Agent Q and Idyllic Beach. She did, however, have an extremely excellent reason for not visiting the winner’s circle that evening.

“We didn’t know if we were going to even race her right up until we were warming her up that night,” Lare said. “We changed barns and she was really sick. She even went off her feed, which isn’t like her, and was filled up with mucus. About two days before the final she started feeling better, but we still thought we were going to have to scratch her right up until we were getting her ready to go to the gate and she was very responsive, so we decided to keep her in. She raced so well considering the week she had and it’s just like us when we get sick. It takes us some time to rebound even though you feel better and I think that’s what happened with her. The sickness zapped her ability to pace home strongly, but we were really proud of her.

“But we were also really disappointed, because we had hoped to supplement her to the Matron, as it’s Frank’s home track and then finish the year in Canada. Frank asked me what I thought and I told him to just shut her down to concentrate on this year, so that’s what we did.”

Roaring To Go opened her 2017 season with a second in a qualifying race at Harrah’s Philadelphia on May 16. Although she did not win, she paced her final quarter-mile in :26.2, then won her second qualifying contest prior to her second place finish in her pari-mutuel debut on June 2 in New York Sire Stakes competition at Saratoga.

If all continues to go according to plan, the filly will have numerous opportunities to demonstrate abilities that could propel her to the very top of her division.

“The idea was to bring her back a little later because it is a long season,” Lare said. “She has 23 or 24 starts this year including the Sire Stakes and all her stakes races. After the Fan Hanover, she will head back to the States to be in the James Lynch at Pocono, then go to Yonkers and Batavia for some Sire Stakes races.

“She will need to give her very best in every race. All these fillies are fast and they can all win every time out. While we are looking forward to the whole season with her, we also want to focus on those races in the fall; especially after what happened last year.”

Lare definitely is excited about what will transpire with Roaring To Go’s season and future, as she was a surprise to her connections, who felt she was a nice horse, but did not realize just how fast she was until she proved herself as her 2-year-old campaign progressed. The filly, however, has some company in the shedrow which also has Lare and Chick eagerly anticipating the fruits of their labors in 2017.

“We have definitely put in some work over the winter and now it’s time to see what we have,” Lare said. “We have 12 2-year-olds we are very happy with, including a full brother to Wakizashi Hanover and a half-sister to Yankee Bounty, who Frank owned and then sold.

“I had to talk Frank into going to Kentucky with Roaring To Go last year and he had never been. Of course it is always better when you win your first time there like he did, but I kept trying to tell him how Lexington is; the horsemen all come together and everyone is so kind and congratulatory. Now he wants to go again, which we are with her and those two 2-year-olds, but he was asking me about staking each one down there this year; he has never done that before. It’s just great to see him this way about it as he breaks each horse himself before they ever change addresses to come to me. Hopefully all that hard work pays off again and there will be many more trips for him to Kentucky in the future.”

Fan Hanover – Elimination 1 (Race 5)
Post-Horse-Driver–Trainer-Line
1. Al Mar Got A Fever-Brian Sears–Mike Weller-12/1
2. Roaring To Go-Brett Miller–Kevin Lare-4/1
3. Soiree Seelster-Sylvain Filion–Tony O’Sullivan-6/1
4. Jaye’s A Lady-Louis-Philippe Roy–Nancy Johansson-8/1
5. Dancing Shadows K-Randy Waples–Rod Boyd-15/1
6. Future Headlines-Tim Tetrick–Colin Johnson-12/1
7. Idyllic Beach-Yannick Gingras–Jimmy Takter-6/5
8. Blameitonthenight-Jonathan Drury–Tony Alagna-12/1
9. Roselily-Travis Cullen–Richard Moreau-10/1

Fan Hanover – Elimination 2 (Race 7)
Post-Horse-Driver-Trainer-Line
1. Agent Q-David Miller–Aaron Lambert-3/1
2. Obvious Blue Chip-James MacDonald–Mark Steacy-6/1
3. Action Majesty-Yannick Gingras–Gregg McNair-8/1
4. Dudesalady-Brett Miller–Howard Okusko Jr.-20/1
5. American Sara-Sylvain Filion–Murray Brethour-20/1
6. Tequila Monday-Brian Sears–Chris Oakes-2/1
7. She’s Watching-Scott Zeron–Tony Alagna-8/1
8. Bettor’s Up-Doug McNair–Scott McEneny-5/1
9. Someomensomewhere-Tim Tetrick–Jimmy Takter-8/1
10. Ain’t Three Ok-Trevor Henry–Mike Weller-20/1

For entries for the full card, which includes North America Cup and Roses Are Red eliminations, please click here.