MILTON, October 18, 2025—Ervin Hanover (Captain treacherous) and Ken Hanover (Captain treacherous) rose to race victories in their respective $34,250 (CAD) Breeders Crown eliminations at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Saturday night.
Ervin Hanover powered through a first-over grind to defeat Nijinsky in the final steps of a 1:48 mile in the first elimination for the Open Pace.
Coaches Corner pushed out the wings from post 9 and took the summit to a :26.3 first quarter before handing control in a shuffle to captain Albano and then Nijinsky. Ervin Hanover, who was in fifth place, tapped off the cones and pushed uncovered through a:54.4 half towards Nijinsky, gaining the leader’s wheel halfway through the final turn. Nijinsky turned three-quarters in 1:21.2 and accelerated down the stretch as Ervin Hanover gained momentum out the back. Ervin Hanover advanced in the final eighth and slid past Nijinsky to seal the victory by a neck. Captain Albano settled for third after a bottle trip, with Coaches Corner finishing fourth and Oakwood Ardan closing IR to take the final spot for the final in fifth.
“It was a tough ask tonight to finish first against horses like that, and a fast second half,” said driver Dexter Dunn, who took on the driving duties while Louis Roy opted to drive Nijinsky. “He really wanted to stick his head out and win that race. We obviously got home pretty quickly, and Louis’ horse had me covered for at least three-quarters of the straight. But to ‘Ervin’ credit, he really stuck his head out; he was digging deep and he wanted to get that one.”
Dave Menary trains Ervin Hanover, a 5-year-old Captaintreacherous-Eloquent Grace stallion bred by Hanover Shoe Farms Inc., for owner Pollack Racing LLC. The stallion won his 25e race from 73 starts and has now earned $1,266,066 in his career. He sent the betting favorite and paid $4.80 to win.
Ken Hanover jumped out of a pocket ride to a 1:47.3 victory in the second Open Pace elimination.
Maximus Miki, the 3-5 favourite, raced into the lead through a first quarter of :26.4, while Ken Hanover followed closely from second, taking the lead without any pressure to a half of :55.2. El Rey made the first move from the cones as he moved from fifth into the final corner and made rapid progress, prompting driver David Miller to pull Ken Hanover from the pocket and attack Maximus Miki. The top two were level after three quarters in 1:22.3 until Ken Hanover took off in the straight and comfortably pulled away to a 1-1/4 length victory. Maximus Miki settled for second, while Huntinthelastdolar finished third after a ground-saving trip. Calicojack Hanover finished fourth after a pylon ride and Coach Stefanos rallied through the middle of the track to take fifth.
“He felt really good and strong,” David Miller said after the race. “He left the gate well and got a good ride. When I moved him he was right on the muscle. I knew I had the horse to beat. I followed and was able to stay on all the way until the last turn and I went ahead and moved him.”
Winning his eighth race from 13 starts this season and his 21st racing from 56 career starts, Ken Hanover has now earned $1,229,966 for owners Roland Mallar, Patrick Leavitt, William Jordan and Dennis Osterholt.
“He has been good all year,” said trainer Roland Mallar after the race. “He had a little setback about six weeks ago; he had a lung infection that lasted a little longer than I wanted. But we had to clear it up before I wanted to come back and tackle these guys.”
“He had a good trip tonight. So basically everything went well,” Mallar also said. “It didn’t seem like he really had to use it much. Hopefully there’s something in the tank next week.”
Ken Hanover, a 5-year-old stallion by Captaintreacherous-KJs Justine, bred by Hanover Shoe Farms Inc., paid $6.40 to win.
#Captaintreacherous #sons #shine #Breeders #Crown #Elims