TORONTO — Another prestigious honour for Bulldog Hanover.
The world-record harness racer captured the 2022 Cam Fella Award, Standardbred Canada announced Thursday. The honour is presented in recognition of extreme effort and dedication to Canadian harness racing by an individual or group.
The connections of Bulldog Hanover will received the honour Feb. 4 at the O’Brien Awards in Mississauga, Ont.
Bulldog Hanover won the $810,000 Open Pace to conclude the US$6.7-million Breeders Crown at Woodbine Mohawk Park in October, which was also the horse’s final race on Canadian soil. Bulldog Hanover, driven by New Zealand’s Dexter Dunn, posted a stakes-record time of 1:46.4 that also tied the Canadian and track marks.
The victory came after Bulldog Hanover was upset by Allywag Hanover in the Allerage Farms Open Pace at The Red Mile on Oct. 29, snapping an 11-race win streak.
On July 16, Bulldog Hanover captured the US$500,000 William R. Haughton Memorial in a world-record time of 1:45.4 at the Meadowlands. The four-year-old added the C$650,000 Canadian Pacing Derby at Mohawk Park on Sept. 3.
Not bad, considering co-owner/trainer Jack Darling of Cambridge, Ont., purchased Bulldog Hanover for $28,000 at the 2019 Harrisburg yearling sale. In the spring of 2021, Brad Grant of Milton, Ont., also became a co-owner of Bulldog Hanover.
This past season, Bulldog Hanover won 14 races in 16 starts with more than $1.8 million in earnings.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 19, 2022.