Titan Hanover - 1945
Short in stature but long on power and speed, Arden Homestead Stables’ Titan Hanover stood out as champion two- and three-year-old trotter. His mile in 2:00 at Lexington as a two-year-old slashed two full seconds off the juvenile standard, marking a milestone in harness horse history. Trainer Harry Pownall deserved full credit for the career of the "Fightin’ Titan" as he was a handful to break and train. Titan Hanover worked a mile at Roosevelt Raceway in 2:07¼ before going to the races. At Old Orchard, he split heats in his debut, tying for first with the fastest mile in 2:08½. Next he took the National Stake, the Tompkins Memorial at Goshen, the Harriman Challenge Trophy and the Horseman Stake and the Reading Futurity in the mud at Trenton. In his Lexington race he set a two-heat standard of 2:02¾, 2:02¾, timed better than 2:02 one trip. Then came an assault on the clock, the quarter in :29¼, the half cyclonic in :58¾, three-quarters in 1:29½, the mile achieved in 2:00. Again at three he was unbeaten, winning the Stallion Stake and the Matron Stake with ease. The $51,046.96 Hambletonian was next and Titan Hanover delivered easily according to expectations, though Axomite made it interesting for a few strides nearing home the first trip. Titan Hanover was an outstanding performer again at four and five, and retired to stud at Hanover Shoe Farm.
Hometown favorite Titan Hanover was the only horse ever barred in the Hambletonian wagering pools, in spite of the fact that he started as number 12, the fifth horse in the second tier, in the first heat. A total of 19 horses started the first heat, in three tiers scoring seven across. Despite the fact that Titan Hanover prevailed by only half a length in the initial heat, he was still barred in the final. The respect was well deserved as "Mighty Titan", by the end of the year, held both the two-year-old and the three-year-old mile as well as half-mile track world records. There were no five-eighths mile tracks in the North America at the time. Titan Hanover was one of nine winners that sired one or more Hambletonian winners: Hoot Mon (1947); Speedy Scot (1963); Ayres (1964); Nevele Pride (1968); Speedy Crown (1971); Super Bowl (1972); Green Speed (1977); and Speedy Somolli (1978).
