MANALAPAN,
NJ – July 14, 2013 – It was a bittersweet night at the Meadowlands as sons and
daughters of the late Rocknroll Hanover displayed their skill, including
victories in the $471,800 William R. Haughton Memorial for free for all pacers
and the $184,250 Mistletoe Shalee for three-year-old pacing fillies.
At
the same time these New Jersey-sired youngsters were displaying their stakes
prowess on July 13, 2013 at the Meadowlands, it spotlighted the loss of the
young stallion in March from a gastric impaction.
A
Horse of the Year and Hall of Fame inductee, Rocknroll Hanover was only
11. He spent most of his breeding career at Perretti Farms in Cream
Ridge, NJ.
Pet
Rock paced a stakes record 1:47 flat to win the Haughton by three-quarters of a
length with David Miller at the lines for trainer Virgil Morgan Jr. The
four-year-old has banked $1,485,284 for owner Frank Bellino of Bronxville, NY.
Two
races later, I Luv The Nitelife, driven by Tim Tetrick and trained by Chris
Ryder, paced a mile in 1:50 and added the Mistletoe Shalee for her third
straight stakes title, following on the Fan Hanover at Mohawk and the Lynch at
Pocono. She now has six wins in seven starts this year, 10 of 17
lifetime, with earnings of $1,191,577 for Richard & Joanne Young of Coconut
Creek, FL.
It
has been a difficult setback for Perretti Farms to lose their premier pacing
stallion. Each time one of Rocknroll Hanover’s offspring wins, it reminds
them of what they have lost.
Rocknroll
Hanover’s caretaker posted her thoughts on Facebook on Saturday
night.
“Congrats
to Pet Rock and I Luv The Nitelife, my Rocknroll darlings,” said Sarah
Scott. “Very proud of the legacy my boy left.”
A
member of the two-year-old class of Rocknroll Hanover youngsters, Bolt Of
Thunder, also annexed a stakes on the Meadowlands card, taking the $150,000 New
Jersey Sire Stakes for two-year-old pacing fillies. John Campbell drove
the Larry Remmen trainee for owner-breeder Robert Hamather of Exeter, Ontario.
It was the filly’s first win in three starts and she covered the mile in
1:53.1.
Through
mid-July, 589 starters by Rocknroll Hanover have accounted for more than $51
million in earnings.
The
impact of Rocknroll Hanover did not end with his passing. He was able to
breed some mares in 2013, and his sons and daughters, racing and breeding, will
likely be quite impactful for decades to come.
--By
Carol Hodes for the SBOANJ
