01/27/2022
Sometimes when a horse shows extraordinary talent, the inclination is to “go back to the well” -- to try for another just like the other. And yes, that is exactly what we did!! Last year we were so pleased with Bo***ir Hanover (P,2, 1:49.4M, $221,834) that in the fall we went to the 2021 Lexington Selected Yearling and, with our partners, picked up her sister, Bellisima Hanover.
Talking about 2YO Bellisima is for another time since we are still talking about 3YO – so this post will focus more on Bo***ir. Before doing that, though, I will point out that the fillies are full sisters – daughters of the phenomenally successful sire Captaintreacherous and out of the $1 million winning mare Bedroomconfessions, she the winner of multiple stakes and with a speedy 1:48.4S mark.
The highlight of Bo***ir’s freshman year was unquestionably her spectacular victory in the Bluegrass Stake at Kentucky’s The Red Mile. Buck and I were there!! It was so thrilling – watching her leave the gate from the outside post 6, a confident Dexter Dunn taking her right to the lead. The pair never looked back as Bo***ir powered to a lifetime mark of 1:49.4 , last quarter of 26.2, and amazingly won by a hefty three and a-half lengths over favored Lyons Serenity.
Ray Cotolo more aptly detailed the race in an article at the USTA webside, “Bo***ir Hanover shut the door on 2-5 favorite Lyons Serenity when speeding clear to a 1:49.4 score in the first division of the McWicked.
“Driver Dexter Dunn dashed the daughter of Captaintreacherous-Bedroomconfessions to the point from post six moving to a :28 first quarter. Lyons Serenity sat fourth in the stroll up the backside towards a :55.2 half before getting underway uncovered to the final turn. But Lyons Serenity’s first-over crawl faced no match to Bo***ir Hanover around the final turn as the Tony Alagna trainee widened her advantage to three-quarters in 1:23.2 and expanded her lead through the straightaway sprint to finish 3-1/2 lengths in front at the beam. Galleria Hanover rode the pylons to snag third with A Girl That Twirls rallying from second over to take fourth.”
In all honesty, Buck and I had not even expected Bo***ir to race in the Bluegrass. Just the week before she had posted a 4th place finish in the She’s A Great Lady final -- the week before that was 2nd in the Lady elimination. With top level racing and a lengthy ship from Canada to Kentucky, we expected that she would probably take a week off. But lo and behold, Bo***ir was in great form!! Tony had her fine-tuned and ready to go, to take command over that very talented field of Bluegrass fillies!!
That big Bluegrass win, coupled with another in a Kentucky Championship Series and bridesmaid finishes in the Champlain, Kindergarten Stake and the aforementioned She’s A Great Lady elim have us thinking that Bo***ir’s 2022 season might just be another really good one!!
Just to recount, my original interest in Bo***ir was sparked as I flipped through the pages of “The Black Book,” a catalog listing the pedigrees of yearlings slated for the Standardbred Horse Sale in Timonium, Maryland that year. Massive black print simply jumped off Bo***ir’s page – a sign, of course, that she was royally bred!! Immediately she was added to the fillies of special interest. Then step two in the process was to actually see Bo***ir. And once again she impressed!! She had great conformation, seemingly a nice attitude, looked sleek and racy and had a sharp and attentive eye. Buck and I loved her!
Our trainer Tony Alagna loved her! So did Hanover Shoe Farms’ Dr. Bridgette Jablonsky who in an interview for Harness Racing Update was quoted: “Pacing filly-wise, I think we have a real standout in Hip 65 (Bo***ir Hanover), the first foal out of Bedroomconfessions and it’s a Captain filly and what better filly sire is there out there right now than Captaintreacherous? His fillies just dominate things. She’s a big, beautiful filly. A very, very classy filly. She’s a real standout if you’re looking for a high-end pacing filly.”
All of the boxes were checked. Buck and I thought that Bo***ir Hanover was “the one!” As it turned out, we were not the only ones – so a partnership was formed. We all had so much fun getting together and rooting for her that all of the same partners went “back to the well” for Bellisima!!
Thus far Tony’s training reports on both Bo***ir and Bellisima have been very good – so it seems like maybe, just maybe, this racing year with them will be a whole lot of fun!!! Have you ever had a song that just kind of sticks in your head? I’ve had that same thing except in this case it has been a jingle. I keep thinking about “double the pleasure, double the fun!!” Bo***ir and Bellisima may not be identical twins, but as sisters they do resemble each other – and if both can have a great year, it will definitely be “double the fun!!” Maybe that jingle is some kind of premonition!! Let’s hope!!!
(For anyone too young to remember, many years ago the Wrigley’s brand of chewing gum promoted their doublemint flavor with an advertising campaign featuring a set of identical twins and the very catchy slogan of “Double your pleasure. Double your fun.” I believe that the actual jingle went something like, “Double your pleasure, double your fun, with Doublemint, Doublemint, Doublemint Gum!”)
Amanda Stephens photo.
