Hightstown, NJ – Wiesman Farms got its biggest win as an owner last year when Delaney Hanover captured the Grade 1 Kentucky Filly Futurity. Coupled with the way the female trotter finished her 3-year-old campaign, her connections decided against breeding the mare in 2026 and returned to the races.
Delaney Hanover won four of her final five starts last season, highlighted by her career-best 1:50.1 triumph in the Kentucky Filly Futurity at Lexington’s Red Mile. That winning time made her the fastest sophomore female trotter of the year, and it was only two-fifths of a second off the world record for a 3-year-old filly trotter.
In addition, Delaney Hanover handed the division’s eventual Dan Patch Award winner, Yo Tillie, her only loss of the year when she won a Grade 3 Bluegrass Stakes division in 1:50.2 at the Red Mile. Earlier in the season, she won a Hambletonian Oaks elimination before finishing a fast-closing third in the Grade 1 final, and she finished second to Yo Tillie in the Grade 1 Delmonica Hanover Stakes.
“For us, we love the racing aspect,” said Colby Wiesman, who with his dad, Jon, operate Wiesman Farms and share ownership of Delaney Hanover with Shermay Stables and trainer Lucas Wallin. “She looked so good at the end of last year and her win in the Filly Futurity was a special one. I was there with my dad and mom. They went to that race early in their careers and maybe never expected to have horses racing in it. Now, to be out there winning it, was definitely special.”
Wiesman’s father spent more than four decades in the sport overseeing breeding operations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Kentucky. Wiesman Farms began with a single starter in 2016 but has blossomed over the past five years. In addition to Delaney Hanover, the Wiesmans have picked up graded stakes wins with homebred male trotter Go Dog Go, who also is competing this season as a 4-year-old.
Delaney Hanover and Go Dog Go both will be in action on Saturday night (July 11) in the $425,000 E.T. Gerry Jr. Hambletonian Maturity, a Grade 1 event for 4-year-old trotters, at the Meadowlands. A field of 13 will go behind the starting gate and race 1-1/8 miles rather than the traditional mile.
On To Norway, fresh off his North American-record 1:48.3 win in last week’s Graduate Series Trot final (G2) at the Big M, is the 5-2 morning-line favorite. He will leave from post 8 with Yannick Gingras driving for trainer Ron Burke. Super Chapter, who was just a neck behind On To Norway last week, is the 3-1 second choice and will start from post 6 with Dexter Dunn in the sulky for trainer Marcus Melander.
Delaney Hanover, with driver Scott Zeron, will start from post 5. She finished seventh from post 10 in the Graduate final, when she was timed in 1:50.1. She was third in her previous race, the third leg of the Graduate, after making her seasonal debut with a fifth-place finish in which she was timed in 1:50.3. Incidentally, a mare has won three of the past four editions of the Hambletonian Maturity. Delaney Hanover is one of four mares in this year’s race, along with Miracle Maven, Walspea, and R Dutchess.
For her career, Delaney Hanover has hit the board in 13 of 21 races. The daughter of Muscle Hill-Danielle Hanover has seven wins and $582,421 in earnings.
“We brought her back slowly, kind of the same thing as last year,” Wiesman said. “She’s in deep with that competition, but she’s just getting tight with the few starts she’s got. I think she’s a long shot, obviously, but coming out of the 5-hole there, 13 horses, you get the right trip, we know she’s got the come-home speed (eight career sub-:27 last quarters) to compete with the other ones. We’ll see what happens with her.”
Go Dog Go, who is trained by Carter Pinske and co-owned by Wiesman Farms and Al Libfeld, will start the Maturity from the inside spot in the second row – post 11 – with Todd McCarthy in the sulky. He finished a parked-out fifth from post 8 in the Graduate final despite being timed in 1:49.2.
“That’s not right,” Wiesman said with a laugh. “Something is wrong with that line.”
Go Dog Go opened this season with back-to-back wins in Kentucky Sire Stakes action for 4-year-olds at Oak Grove Racing & Gaming, then went off stride in the $100,000 final. He was scratched sick from his next start before finishing second to Super Chapter in the second round of the Graduate and third behind Mr Mouton and On To Norway in the third leg.
For his career, the son of Greenshoe-Primary Target has hit the board in 17 of 28 races, winning nine and earning $690,660. Last year, he won a Bluegrass Stakes division in 1:49.3, which is tied for the third-fastest mile in history by a 3-year-old trotter. He also won a division of the Stanley Dancer Memorial (G3) last season and finished third in the Breeders Crown final (G1) for the second consecutive year.
“We’re waiting for him to surprise us,” Wiesman said. “We know he has it. He’s shown us the speed; he just hasn’t been consistent. He did go in (1):49.2, so he’s one of the top horses out there. I think he’s the type of horse that if he gets a good post position and a good trip, he can win any race. We’re not necessarily disappointed about (post) 11, it just depends how things develop in front of him there. I would rather have 11 than 8, 9 or 10.”
The E.T. Gerry Jr. Hambletonian Maturity is one of 10 graded stakes races on Saturday’s card at the Big M. The other Grade 1 is the $810,000 Meadowlands Pace, for 3-year-olds, with Brandon Blvd the 3-5 morning-line favorite. The Hambletonian Maturity and Meadowlands Pace are races 9 and 10, respectively.
Action from the Big M on Saturday can be seen on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) during a three-hour presentation that will feature an all-Meadowlands lineup of stakes races. The broadcast begins at 8 p.m. (EDT). Racing begins at 6:35 p.m. For free TrackMaster past performances for the Meadowlands, click here.