WINDSOR, ON — When the three-year-old pacing colts roll up behind the gate at Windsor Raceway on Sunday evening, trainer Mark Ford is hoping that the real Alastor Hanover will show up.

Last year’s Ontario Sires Stakes champion scored his second straight victory with a 1:51.3 effort in last weekend’s elimination and Ford is fervently hoping the colt is getting back on his feet after going winless through his first six starts.

“I always thought Alastor Hanover was by far the best two-year-old I ever had,” says Ford. “And I was just amazed when I saw him this year. He had filled out, he looked great, he was big and strong; I couldn’t wait to race him.

“We raced him in the Berry’s Creek (Apr. 29) and he raced very good in the elimination. In the Final he got sort of a rough trip and he did not come out of it well, he was sick, and we made the tremendous error of racing him again a week later.”

Alastor Hanover finished eighth in that May 13 start, the Max Hempt Memorial Eliminations at Pocono Downs, so Ford gave the Rustler Hanover son a couple of weeks off and then qualified him at The Meadowlands on May 25. Off a third-place finish in the 1:51.1 qualifier, Alastor Hanover made his first appearance of the season at Windsor Raceway and could only manage a third in Grassroots company.

Ford and his staff tried to nurse the colt back to health in time for the major stakes at Woodbine Racetrack in June, but he was scratched sick out of a June 6 overnight and did not surface again until a June 26 qualifier at Mohawk Racetrack.

“We raced him a couple of times, but he was never himself and it was very tough on him,” reflects Ford, who trains the colt for Martin Scharf of Lawrence, NY and Vicki Fair of Bedford, PA. “It was not a good time of year to get sick, there were a lot of big races, but when you try and push the envelope, it usually comes back to bite you.

“I take most of the credit for screwing him up,” adds the Slate Hill, NY resident.

After his June 26 qualifier Alastor Hanover took a crack at the Gold Series. The winner of $463,746 finished fourth in his July 6 elimination at Rideau Carleton Raceway, but did not advance to the Final. On June 22 he finished sixth in his Canadian Breeders Elimination at Mohawk, but he bounced back a week later to win the consolation in 1:51.4, a race that saw his luck change for the better in more ways than one.

While Alastor Hanover toiled on the front end, a horse behind him took a bad step and caused a serious accident that saw three horses and drivers fall and left Randy Waples in critical shape with broken elbows and wrists, Keith Oliver with a broken shoulder blade and Jack Moiseyev with a laceration on his arm that required 15 staples.

“He was very fortunate to be on the front there,” says Ford.

Alastor Hanover will start from Post 5 in Sunday’s Gold Final and Ford expects the colt to have his hands full with the other elimination winner, Mr Feelgood, starting from Post 1.

“He drew the five and there are probably better horses inside him,” observes Ford. “It depends which Alastor Hanover shows up.”

The three-year-old pacing colts will wage their third Gold Final battle in Race 8 at Windsor Raceway on Sunday. The border oval’s first race goes postward at 7 pm.

For complete entries please go to:

http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/entries/data/ewrfsu.html#N8