5 August 2016
By AMANDA RANDO
@Amanda_Rando
FROM the day he came into this world pacer Valoroso Hanover was always going to be a special horse.
And not just on the track as we have seen in recent times, however, more of a sentimental importance being the last horse the late Charlie Furina bred before he lost his battle with cancer in 2011.
It was just months after this, on November 9, 2011, a colt by Kenneth J out of the Fake Left mare Vaucluse Hanover was born.
Broken in, educated and gelded, this horse initially did not show keenness to race like his older sibling Vomo Hanover did.
He almost was not going to be tried as a racehorse but Maria Furina, Charlie’s daughter, had other plans.
“No matter how he went he would have a home with me for life,” Maria said.
“He was the last horse my parents bred together and is the little brother of Vomo Hanover who was Dad’s last winner and my first winner as a trainer/driver.”
With the stable name of Charlie, this horse was given the race name of Valoroso Hanover just last year.
“Valoroso means valiant in Italian and the Valiant was Dad’s favourite car before Mum smashed it on him,” Maria said.
“I also thought my Dad was valiant and that’s why I picked the name.”
Trained by Maria’s partner Richard Glide, Valoroso Hanover as a four-year-old had his first race start on December 11, 2015, finishing second-placed at Tabcorp Park Menangle.
And just eight starts later won his first race at Newcastle in a slick time of 1:54.6.
Wind the clock forward to July 2016 and Valoroso Hanover gave Glide his first Group winner when taking out the Alabar NSW Breeders Challenge Four-Year-Old Colts and Geldings Regional Final at Newcastle.
Yet he almost did not make it to the track!
With a car breakdown on the way from Menangle Park to Newcastle, Glide and ‘Charlie’ just made it in time, even if it was without Glide’s silks that remained in the broken-down vehicle.
Having raced at Menangle just the night before, Valoroso Hanover arrived on course at Newcastle just in time to produce a career best performance, leading throughout and winning the Group Three feature dominantly clocking 1:54.1.
And as this was all unfolding, Maria was at home with her and Richard’s newborn son, Charlie.
“The horse and my beautiful bub are both named after my Dad . . . clearly my Dad was my everything,” Maria said.
“This was a very special win . . . it’s a bit of a family affair with my nieces Lara and Brielle around the stables as well.
“It’s also special for Richard who puts his heart and soul into the horses after working nightshift.
“He does everything he can for the horses and even started using the water walker at Menangle (Menangle Park Training Centre) as a different alternative and ever since the horse has been going there, it has really tightened him up.”
This feature race success by Valoroso Hanover gave Glide his seventh win as a trainer.
Glide has previously worked as a stablehand for other large stables and met Maria during the 2010 Inter Dominion Series in Sydney.
Having previously been located in Victoria, Glide was campaigning the pacer Tanabi Bromac for trainer Keith Cotchin.
Tanabi Bromac finished a close fifth in his respective heat at Newcastle behind the likes of Bondy, Be Good Johnny, Sammy Maguire and Changeover.
The pacer returned to Sydney a couple of months later and finished second to Smoken up in the Len Smith Mile.
*CAPTION: Valoroso Hanover gave Richard Glide his biggest win to date as a trainer and his first Group success.