Papi Rob Hanover suffers broken coffin bone; done for at least this year
David McDuffee, the lone owner of world champion Papi Rob Hanover, told HRU Monday night that an MRI has shown that the pacer has suffered a broken coffin bone, will miss the rest of the racing season and is likely headed to stud.
“There’s no question there is a fracture there that will prevent him from racing this year, anyway,” McDuffee said of the career winner of $927,979 trained by Brett Pelling. “It’s, obviously, a very tough thing to even think about for him because I think everybody started to realize what a great horse he is and that his best days were, obviously, ahead of him.”
On Saturday (July 25), Papi Rob Hanover and regular driver David Miller recorded a 1:47.1 world record for a 3-year-old colt on a five-eighths mile track when he won his Adios elimination at The Meadows by 10-and-a-half lengths. On July 18, Papi Rob Hanover started from the 9-hole in the $636,650 Meadowlands Pace and lost an epic stretch duel with Tall Dark Stranger by a neck in a 1:47.2 mile.
McDuffee said while it is possible Papi Rob Hanover could race next year and beyond, his preference is to find a good stallion home for the son of Somebeachsomewher e out of Panera Hanover. The owner said he believes Papi Rob Hanover will be a breed-changing sire.
“I think he will probably go on to be one of the best stallions this sport has ever seen,” said McDuffee, a modest man who is not known to speak of his horses with such high praise. “He’s just an incredible animal and I would actually prefer to go that route than bring him back next year. I think he’s destined to become a great stallion and I say it because physically he’s the most impressive thing you ever looked at, he’s got conformation, he’s a smart horse – some horses are gifted, but they’re not too bright – he’s got everything going, including pedigree. My preference is to find a good home for him and more than likely I will.”
A full story about Papi Rob Hanover, with more thoughts from McDuffee will appear in Wednesday’s edition of Harness Racing Update.
