Donato Hanover wins Hambo

Donato Hanover won the 82nd Hambletonian Saturday at the Meadowlands with a dominating 1:53.2 performance. Driven to victory by Ron Pierce, the Andover Hall colt put away filly Pampered Princess at the top of the stretch while elimination winner Adrian Chip finished second. Laddie, driven by Paul Macdonell, was third.

“Speed hasn’t been holding out here all day and everybody knew it,” Pierce said during a television interview. “Everybody wanted to take a chance from the back. I even wanted to come from the back, but I had no choice but to tip him and go to the front.”

Adrian Chip left from post three in the $1.5-million event, pacing the field past a :28.2 opening quarter. Donato Hanover, racing third for trainer Steve Elliott, was soon underway for Pierce, who took command and clicked off a pedestrian :58.2 half.

“I backed into everyone and was surprised nobody came at me sooner,” Pierce explained.

Pampered Princess and Tim Tetrick, who were able to get a spot in fourth early, moved first up to take a shot at the favorite. The two trotters hooked up racing into the turn, but at the top of the stretch, Donato Hanover distanced himself from the filly. Adrian Chip and trainer Robert Bergh tried to reel in Pierce and his colt in the lane but were unsuccessful, falling a length and a quarter short.

“He’s a super colt,” Pierce added. “Steve and I were kids rubbing horses together in the seventies. It means a lot to give Steve his first win.”

Saturday’s victory was 18 years in the waiting for Elliott, who trained would-be Hambo starter Valley Victory. His charge never made it to the Hambletonian, but the trainer finally made it back to the pinnacle this season with a colt that has now won 13 of 14 career starts and possesses career earnings exceeding $1.7 million.

“It’s hard to compare,” Elliott said of the two horses. “Donato is a bigger version of Valley Victory and he’s smarter than Valley Victory. He’s done nothing wrong. This horse is just professional about everything.”

Donato Hanover is leased by David Scharf, Golden Touch Stable and Steven Arnold. He was bred by Hanover Shoe Farms. The winning time was one-fifth of a second off his lifetime mark.

Pampered Princess, trying to become only the 14th filly to win the Hambletonian, broke stride late in the lane and finished seventh. The Jimmy Takter-trained sophomore was placed sixth after Too Salty was disqualified from fifth and placed seventh. Great Success was placed fifth after crossing the wire sixth.

Click here for the video of the race.

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