Dramatic Camluck Classic As Ervin Hanover Declared The Winner
5 Brue Hanover, 4 Ervin Hanover and 6 Chase H Hanover were 1-2-3 across the line, but the official outcome would be 4-6-5 in the end
The $150,000 Camluck Classic Invitational, presented by Seelster Farms, delivered a thrilling and dramatic finish on Friday, May 30 at The Raceway at Western Fair District. In a dramatic turn of events, Ervin Hanover was declared the winner after his stablemate Brue Hanover, who crossed the wire first, was disqualified and placed third for a pylon violation in the final strides.
Brue Hanover (James MacDonald), the favourite riding a seven-race win streak, left alertly from post five and seized the early lead before yielding to Chase H Hanover (Tyler Borth) at the :27 opening quarter. Not content to sit, Brue Hanover quickly retook the front, only to face an immediate challenge from stablemate Ervin Hanover (Doug McNair), who surged to the lead before the half in a blistering :54.3.
Ervin Hanover maintained command through three-quarters in 1:22.3, with Chase H Hanover looming off cover and Brue Hanover searching for racing room. The trio thundered down the stretch in a heart-pounding three-across finish, with Brue Hanover narrowly getting his nose to the wire first — only to be placed third for a pylon infraction.
1) Dramatic Camluck Classic finish… 4 Ervin Hanover (Doug McNair) and 5 Brue Hanover (James MacDonald) - Photo by James Woods
2) Dramatic Camluck Classic finish… 4 Ervin Hanover (Doug McNair) and 5 Brue Hanover (James MacDonald) - Photo by James Woods
3) Dramatic Camluck Classic finish… 4 Ervin Hanover (Doug McNair) and 5 Brue Hanover (James MacDonald) - Photo by James Woods
The revised order of finish handed the victory to Ervin Hanover, trained by Dave Menary and owned by Pollack Racing of Venetia, Pennsylvania. It marked the 17th career win for the five-year-old son of Captaintreacherous-Eloquent Grace, pushing his lifetime earnings just shy of the $600,000 mark.
Ervin Hanover paid $7.40 to win as the 5-2 second choice. Chase H Hanover was elevated to second, with Brue Hanover officially third.
"Both horses deserved to win. 'Brue' was loaded, 'Ervin' went a tough trip," said Menary after the race. "The other way around we were first and second and we ended up first and third here. But I'm really proud of the effort by both horses."
"I was just trying to hold my ground," said Ervin Hanover's driver, Doug McNair, of the tight finish with Brue Hanover, who lacked racing room and jumped a pylon to his inside as they hit the wire. "I mean, they're both Dave's horses and the last thing I want to do is crash [Brue Hanover's] legs and screw both of us, so I thought I held my ground and I didn't think there was enough room. I was surprised he actually did get through there, but as we watched the replay, he had to go over the last pylon to do it. But my horse raced great."
The victory was a special one for McNair, who said he had been wanting to win this race since he started driving horses 17 years ago.
"I've won a lot of great races in my career and this is honestly one of the biggest ones -- it might even be my biggest one," said McNair. "I know purse-wise it's not the biggest race in North America, but I'll tell you what, this hits home for me. I've been trying to win this race since I was 18 and I've been coming here since I was kid, so this is honestly a huge thrill for me. I didn't want to do it that way, but I'll take it."
The Menary trainees will both be pointed to the Mohawk Gold Cup with Ervin Hanover scheduled to take on more stakes engagements later this year.
Caviar N Crackers, driven by Ed Hensley, winning the $50,000 Forest City Pace in 1:53.2
The undercard featured another standout performance in the $50,000 Forest City Pace for mares. Caviar N Crackers, Canada’s hottest female pacer, dazzled in her half-mile track debut, stopping the clock in a sparkling 1:53.2. The six-race win streak continues for the five-year-old Captive Audience-Crackers Hot Shot mare, who is owned by the husband and wife, driving and training team of Ed and Ashleigh Hensley. Grit N Grace (Jody Jamieson) finished 2-1/4 lengths behind in second and the race's two-time defending champion So Much More (James MacDonald) was third.
"She handled [racing on the half-mile track] wonderful and she paced strong the whole way, never put in a step or nothing. She was perfect," said Ed Hensley.
The program also featured a quartet of $40,000 London Classic Sale Series finals along with three $25,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots divisions for three-year-old pacing colts.
The London Classic Sale Series replaced the long-running City of London Series and was open to both Ontario-sired trotters and pacers, four year olds and younger, who were non-winners of $10,000 lifetime as of March 1, 2025.
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(Western Fair District & Standardbred Canada)