And coincidently both Haroun Hanover and Tracys Song
whisked their way through the Mighty M’s Name Your Price Claiming Series, he in
the horses and geldings division and she in the mare’s division.
On March 19th, with Jimmy Marohn, Jr. again at
the controls, Haroun Hanover left from the eight hole in the 10th
race, a $10,000 claimer, and the pacer didn’t make the front until the
quarter mile timer flashed :28.4. But from there it was catch me if you can and
nobody could as the 7 year-old Bettors Delight gelding cruised to
an eased-up 2-1/2 length victory over Happyending (Zeke Parker) in a time of
1:58.2 over the muddy racetrack.
However, Haroun Hanover’s story is a bit
different than Tracy’s Song’s. Although both pacers were undefeated in the
claiming series Haroun Hanover was claimed for $4,000 in the horses and gelding
division on February 13 for $4000 only to be taken back the next
week for the same tag by his former, and now current owners, Edward Hall and
James Hall of Connecticut on the urging of their trainer Danny Gill.
“If he (Andrew Adamczyk) put him (Haroun Hanover) back in
claiming series I told the Hall’s that we should claim him back,” Gill related.
“And he did so we grabbed him again for $4000. I guess Andy didn’t like putting
up with Haroun nonsense. He’s a lunatic to jog and train. He’s pulls your arms
off and is not an easy horse to get along with on the backstretch.”
But that wasn’t the first time the Hall’s have lost and then
claimed him back.
“ They (the Hall’s) lost him(Haroun Hanover) last year
at Pocono Downs and then claimed him back even though he wasn’t having a
good year,” Gill added. “He was a real good when he was younger. He made
$83,000 in the New York Sires Stakes as 3 year old and in 2011 he won in
1:52 on a half mile track and 1:51 on a five eighths and earned over
$110,000.
“They asked me if I’d take him when Pocono closed and I said
I would try him in $5000 claimers since he wasn’t doing any good racing
for higher tags at Pocono.
“They sent him me and when he didn’t race well here in the
5’s we dropped him to the 4’s ($4000 claimers) and he won a race. And
then another. They were the only two races the horse won last year.”
Although Haroun Hanover continued to be a handful
jogging and training Gill found a way to get along with the pacer.
“We get him out early in the morning when no one’s around,”
Gill said. “But a funny thing about this horse is even though he’s a lunatic
when jogging Jimmy says he’s easy to drive in a race.”
But when the calendar turned to 2013 Haroun Hanover was a
killer. After losing his first start on January 3 Haroun Hanover has
won eight in-a row—including one for Andrew Adamczyk- until tasting
defeat when he finished second on March 12 in a $12,500 claiming
pace.
Then on March 19th a drop to the $10,000
claiming ranks gave Marohn and Haroun Hanover their ninth seasonal victory
together.
“He’s hard to handle warming up and is probably the
toughest horse I ever handled in the post parades but when the man says go he’s
all business and I can drive him with two fingers. Go figure”
