Thank You for your support!

2022 will be remembered as the season that fans were able to come back to the track without restrictions and did so in rock solid numbers.  It was fantastic to have our fans back in full force and not being forced to restrict the fan numbers to 100 or even 500.  We can also tell you that this season's wagering was the highest handle per race card that we've had in 31 years.  We also posted our 3 biggest handles in 31 years since July 31st. (Dream of Glory card, Balanced Image Card and September 10th card)

We are incredibly grateful to our fans both on track and off-track for their fantastic support of our racing product.  As you have seen, we are doing everything possible to make our product look the best it can and you have responded to it.  For that, I say thank you.

This was my third season as the General Manager, but in many ways it felt like it was the first year.  There were things we were able to do this year for the first time in 3 years, like have our Dream of Glory at night with fireworks and some of the other fan friendly events that we had planned for a while, but couldn't do until this year.

They included having Bob McClure Day, in support of Bruce Grey Mentorship, Trevor Henry Day with NA Cup Champion Desperate Man, in support of Canadian Tire Jump Start and having the OLG Ontario Women's Driving Championship return for a second season, but this time with no fan limitations - raising funds for Harness The Hope.  We also had many other smaller fundraising events, that raised money for worthy non-profit organizations, sports teams and service clubs.  We're very proud of the footprint we left this year with your support and help.

On the track, we saw a familiar face capture Glory, as 2021 Balanced Image Champ Sea Can returned and took home the Dream of Glory title, becoming only the second horse to win both of our signature races.  It was a popular winner among our fans, as Trainer and co-owner Mark Etsell is a well known Hanover native and has many friends in the area.

“Fear the Pink" could have been the slogan for the Balanced Image winner Floyd the Freak, as the slight in stature gelding was all decked out in Team Hensley's traditional pink harness and equipment and was the easiest of winners in both his elimination and the final, then added a $21,800 OSS Grassroots event for good measure in a new lifetime mark.  Ashley Hensley told me that Floyd's younger sibling will be aimed towards the 2023 edition and if Floyd keeps his earnings under 100K for the season, he'll be back here for the Dream of Glory in 2023.
 
A huge thank you to our hard-working staff, who rolled with the punches and worked very hard to make your experience at the track as positive and enjoyable as they could.  I'm appreciative to all of them for their contributions to our success.

As we look ahead to 2023, we'll have some new promotional ideas that I know  you'll enjoy and we'll continue to enhance things where we can, to continue to make Hanover Raceway a favourite destination during the summer months for fans.  I wish you health and happiness until we meet again in 2023.