Ralph Hanover (1980 – October 18, 2008) was a

Standardbred The Standardbred is an American horse breed best known for its ability in harness racing, where members of the breed compete at either a trot or pace. Developed in North America, the Standardbred is recognized worldwide, and the breed can trace i ...

colt who in 1983 became the seventh horse to capture the U.S. Pacing Triple Crown. Bred by

Hanover Shoe Farms Hanover Shoe Farms, Inc. is a North American Standardbred horse breeding facilities. Its history traces back to the early 1900s. In the book ''Quest For Excellence'', Dean Hoffmann, an executive editor of ''Hoof Beats'' magazine, chronicled the f ...

, as a yearling he was purchased for $58,000 by trainer

Stewart Firlotte Stewart may refer to: People *Stewart (name), Scottish surname and given name *Clan Stewart, a Scottish clan *Clan Stewart of Appin, a Scottish clan Places Canada *Stewart, British Columbia *Stewart Township, Nipissing District, Ontario (histor ...

at the 1981 Standardbred Horse Sale Company's

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in Pe ...

auction.

Racing career

Two-year-old championship season

Ralph Hanover made his racing debut at age two on June 11, 1982. He would win seven of his fifteen starts that year including the Bluegrass Stakes in Lexington, Kentucky and two editions of the Canadian Juvenile Circuit Stakes at

Greenwood Raceway Greenwood Raceway (originally Woodbine Race Course) was a horse racing facility in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. History Woodbine Race Course Inaugurated in 1874 as Woodbine Race Course at the foot of Woodbine Avenue and Lake Ontario, it was owned a ...

in Toronto and at

Blue Bonnets Raceway The Blue Bonnets Raceway (later named Hippodrome de Montréal) was a horse racing track and casino in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It closed on October 13, 2009, after 137 years of operation. Demolition of the site began in mid-2018, after sitting ...

in Montreal. He was voted the 1982 Two-year-old Canadian Colt & Gelding Pacer of the Year.

Triple Crown and World records

At age three, Ralph Hanover won the 1983 Triple Crown for pacers by capturing the

Messenger Stakes The Messenger Stakes is an American harness racing event for 3-year-old pacing horses. It was organized in 1956 at Roosevelt Raceway in Westbury, New York (on suburban Long Island) to join with the Cane Pace and the Little Brown Jug to create ...

Roosevelt Raceway Roosevelt Raceway was a race track located just outside the village of Westbury on Long Island, New York. Initially created as a venue for motor racing, it was converted to a ½-mile harness racing facility (the actual circumference was 100 fee ...

on June 18, the

Cane Pace The Cane Pace is a harness horse race for standardbred pacers run annually since 1955. The race was first run as the William H. Cane Futurity in 1955 at Yonkers Raceway in New York. In 1956 the race joined with the Little Brown Jug and the Mess ...

Yonkers Raceway Yonkers Raceway & Empire City Casino, founded in 1899 as the Empire City Race Track, is a one-half-mile standardbred harness racing dirt track and slots racino located at the intersection of Central Park Avenue and Yonkers Avenue in Yonkers, New Y ...

on August 20, and the Little Brown Jug at the

Delaware County, Ohio Delaware County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. It is a frequent placeholder on the List of highest-income counties in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 214,124. Its county seat i ...

Fair Grounds on September 22. For trainer & co-owner Firlotte, Ralph Hanover was driven in all three races by co-owner and principal driver

Ron Waples Ronald W. Waples (born July 21, 1944, in Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian harness racer. He was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 1986, the U.S. Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 1993, and the Little Brown Jug Wall of Fame in 2 ...

who would later be inducted into both the U.S. and Canadian Halls of Fame. In addition to his 1983 Triple Crown wins, Ralph Hanover won seventeen additional pacing events including the very important Adios and

Meadowlands Pace The Meadowlands Pace is a harness race for three-year-old pacers, held at the Meadowlands Racetrack, in East Rutherford, New Jersey, East Rutherford, Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. It is the richest pacing rac ...

in the United States and the

Prix d'Été Prix d'Été (English: Summer Classic) is a horse racing event for four-year-old Standardbred pacers held annually in Canada, at Hippodrome 3R of Trois-Rivières, Quebec. History This event was held for the first time in 1966 under the name o ...

in Canada at

in which Ralph Hanover set a new world record for the fastest mile by a three-year-old on a five-eighths mile track with a time of 1:54 flat. He set a second world record time for three-year-old pacers on a half-mile track when he was clocked in 1:55 3/5. Ralph Hanover set yet another world record for earnings by a Standardbred horse in a single season with his 1983 earnings of $1,711,990. Ralph Hanover was again voted the Champion Canadian Colt & Gelding Pacer of the Year for his age group as well the 1983 Three-year-old United States Colt & Gelding Pacer of the Year Award. In 1986 he would be inducted into the

Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame was established in 1976 to honour those who have made a significant contribution to the sport of harness and Thoroughbred horse racing in Canada. It is located at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. The H ...

At stud and retirement

Retired to stud after his three-year-old season having been syndicated for $7 million by P. J. "Jack" Baugh, owner of the historic Almahurst Farm near

Nicholasville, Kentucky Nicholasville is a home rule city in and the county seat of Jessamine County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 31,490 during the 2020 U.S. Census, making Nicholasville the 10th-largest settlement in the state. Since the late 20th ce ...

. Ralph Hanover was not as successful as a sire to the degree his investors had hoped. He was eventually sent to stand at Grand Royal Farms in Vienna, Ontario where he was pensioned before the 2001 breeding season at the age of 21. When Grand Royal Farms closed he was sent to Mac Lilley Farms in

Dutton, Ontario Dutton is a community in the Township of Dutton/Dunwich, Elgin County, Ontario, Canada. Dutton is located southwest of St. Thomas. Originally part of Dunwich Township, Dutton was originally called Bennettville, then Lisgar. When the Canad ...

where he remained until he had to be euthanized after old age brought on a debilitating illness.''Standardbred Canada'' - October 20, 2008 article titled "Champion Pacer Ralph Hanover Euthanized"
Retrieved August 14, 2016

References

{{reflist 1980 racehorse births 2008 racehorse deaths American Standardbred racehorses Racehorses bred in Pennsylvania Triple Crown of Harness Racing winners Little Brown Jug winners Cane Pace winners Messenger Stakes winners Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductees