Bulldog Hanover
Sire: Shadow Play
Dam: BJ’s Sqaull
Broodmare Sire: Artsplace
At 2: 1:50.2 At 3: 1:48.0 At 4: World Record: 1:45.4 Career Earnings: $2,789,271
“Some horses win races… Some break records… Bulldog Hanover did something rarer… he changed what the sport believed was possible”
Why breed to Bulldog Hanover?
At the end of the day, when it all comes down to it, we are all just trying to breed the very best horse we possibly can.
Every decision we make at breeding time… every cross we consider, every pedigree we pore over… comes back to that same dream.
The dream of producing something truly special, something fast, something that makes people stop and stare.
But beyond the numbers, Bulldog was a horse who loved what he did, who had an extraordinary will to compete, and who captured the hearts of an entire sport in the process.
His trainer Jack Darling and caretaker Johnny Mallia made him available to his fans at every opportunity…and people travelled from near and far just to give him a pat or share a banana… he was that kind of horse… the kind that only comes along once in a generation.
When you breed your mare to a stallion, you are placing a bet… a bet on what he as a stallion will pass on, and a bet on what influence your mare will add.
Bulldog Hanover is passing on speed, he is passing on stamina and he is producing commercially attractive sales progeny that he inherited from his father, Shadow Play.
This is your chance to be part of what comes next!
What kind of foal can I expect?
Bulldog Hanover himself was described by those closest to him as a horse with a charming, kind nature who loved competition and thrived under pressure.
His trainer, Canadian Hall of Famer Jack Darling, made him available for meet-and-greets and fan events throughout his career…and Bulldog took to it naturally.
That temperament, combined with his rock star looks, world-record speed and incredible stamina is the genetic template on offer.
He has been likened to Somebeachsomewhere…not just in ability, but in the way he captured the imagination of an entire sport.
Somebeachsomewhere’s influence on Southern Hemisphere breeding continues to this day through his daughters and sons.
The opportunity here is to get in early on what may well be the next one.
What exactly did he do that was so special?
He paced four of the nine fastest miles in harness racing history.
He won the Breeders Crown, the TVG Open Pace Final, the Canadian Pacing Derby, the Dan Patch Pace, and the Graduate Series Final.
He led all Standardbreds in earnings in 2022 with $1,649,906 in a single season.
He did not peak early and fade… he improved every season, won 14 of 16 races at four, and retired on his own terms.
In July 2022, Bulldog Hanover arrived at The Meadowlands in New Jersey for what became 21 days that the harness racing world will never forget.
He won a Graduate Series leg in 1:47 with a sizzling :24.4 last quarter.
The following week he equalled the world record in 1:46 in the Roll With Joe.
Then the Graduate Series Final in 1:46.1.
Then, in the $500,000 William Haughton Memorial, he bolted home to stop the clock at 1:45.4… becoming the first harness horse in history to complete a mile faster than 1:46.0
“He’s got unbelievable stamina — there is no end to him. With the fast times he was posting, usually after a mile it would be pretty easy to pull a horse up because they’re pretty tired — but not him. He wanted to go around again.”
— Dexter Dunn, NZ Hall of Fame driver
What made it extraordinary was not just the time — it was how he did it. Starting from post eight, racing three-wide, he still paced his last quarter in :25.1. He wasn’t just fast. He was relentless!
How was he recognised?
Dan Patch Horse of the Year
Unanimous — the first in history to receive every vote
Dan Patch Pacer of the Year & Aged Pacer of the Year
Back-to-back divisional titles
O’Brien Horse of the Year & Cam Fella Award
Canada’s highest racing honours
Breeders Crown Champion
$810,000 final, Woodbine Mohawk Park
Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
Inducted 2023
| SHADOW PLAY 4,1:47.4 |
THE PANDEROSA 3,1:49.3 |
WESTERN HANOVER |
| DAISY HARBOR | ||
| MATTS FILLY 2,1:55.3 |
MATTS SCOOTER | |
| BREEZES GIRL | ||
| BJS SQUALL 3,1:53.1s |
ARTSPLACE 4,1:49.2 |
ABERCROMBIE |
| MISS ELVIRA | ||
| LADY ASHLEE ANN 3,1:51.3 |
CAMTASTIC | |
| PREACHER EDITH |
Does his pedigree work over our mares?
This is where Bulldog Hanover becomes genuinely exciting for Southern Hemisphere breeders.
He is bred on the famed Western Hanover/Artsplace cross… North America’s most proven breeding formula for over two decades, consistently producing hard-hitting, early-running horses built for big-purse age-group racing.
That blueprint is now available to cross over your mares.
Leading pedigree analyst Ken Mackay of Premier Pedigrees notes that Bulldog carries each of the four great modern pacing sire lines…Western Hanover, Direct Scooter, Abercrombie, and Cam Fella…each unique to a different quartile of his pedigree.
This well-rounded genetic architecture means complementary traits across the board rather than doubling up on one line at the expense of others.
For Artsplace-line mares…Art Major, Sweet Lou, Sportswriter and similar…Bulldog presents an outstanding reverse-sex opportunity.
Somebeachsomewhere, Captaintreacherous and Direct Scooter-line mares are equally well suited, and this is starting to show with his current 3yo progeny in N.A and Canada.
His largely outcrossed first four generations mean he presents a genuinely fresh cross over the vast majority of quality Australasian mares.
His sire Shadow Play, was a World Champion with a mark of 1:47.4, whose progeny have now earned over $65 million worldwide including the 2022 Inter Dominion Champion, the $1 million North America Cup Winner, Desperate Man, and 2021 Meadowlands Pace Champion, Lawless Shadow.
His dam and grandam combined to produce 24 winners from 28 foals… including two World Champions, a Meadowlands Pace winner, and a Little Brown Jug Champion.
Has he proved anything at stud yet?
His oldest Northern Hemisphere progeny have just turned three in 2026, and the early results are turning heads.
Filly – Daya who is out of a Somebeachsomewhere mare, smashed the track record for two-year-old pacing fillies at Grand River Raceway, winning the $153,000 Battle of the Belles by more than four lengths in 1:50.4f.
From that small crop of mares he bred while racing as a 4yo, total, there have been 6 stake winning 2yo’s to come from it.
| Name: | Earnings: | Mile Rate: | Damsire: |
| Daya | $394,565 | 1:50.4 | Somebeachsomewhere |
| Shes A Bulldog | $379,326 | 1:51.1 | A Rocknroll Dance |
| Windor | $160,575 | 1:51.2 | Sportswriter |
| Manador | $99,818 | 1:54.4 | Mach Three |
| Odds On Bullfrog | $77,509 | 1:49.3 | Captaintreacherous |
| Scorpion Seelster | $34,020 | 1:51.4 | Big Jim |
Colt Vainqueur… the highest-priced male pacing yearling sold in 2025 at $375,000 — recently just won on debut at The Meadowlands.
His 2026 book in North America and Canada is filled to capacity and closed very early and there are 133 Two-year-olds due to race this season!
Leading Foals: Top 10 All Time debut 2yo crop of 37 Starters:
| Foal Name | YOF | Gender | Life Record |
Total Earnings |
Dam | Last Raced |
| SHE’S A BULLDOG | 2023 | M | P 2, 1:51.1 M | $404,327 | BAND STAND | 2026 |
| DAYA | 2023 | M | P 2, 1:50.4 F | $394,565 | BEACH OF A TIME | 2026 |
| WINDOR | 2023 | H | P 2, 1:51.2 S | $177,663 | WINX | 2026 |
| REDLAND ROCKET MAN | 2023 | H | P 2, 1:52.0 S | $140,418 | GRANNY HANOVER | 2026 |
| MANADOR | 2023 | H | P 2, 1:54.4 F | $102,155 | COUNT TO THREE | 2026 |
| ODDS ON BULLFROG | 2023 | H | P 2, 1:51.4 S | $67,842 | ODDS ON NAPLES | 2026 |
| DAX SEELSTER | 2023 | H | P 3, 1:52.2 S | $57,014 | DEB | 2026 |
| SCORPION SEELSTER | 2023 | H | P 2, 1:51.4 S | $50,445 | SOIREE SEELSTER | 2026 |
| BRINDLE | 2023 | H | P 2, 1:53.2 S | $30,616 | CABRINI HANOVER | 2026 |
| TICKET STATION | 2023 | G | P 3, 1:54.2 F | $27,195 | TEMAGAMI SEELSTER | 2026 |
Leading Foals: Top 10 All Time by Record
| Foal Name | YOF | Gender | Life Record |
Total Earnings |
Dam | Last Raced |
| DAYA | 2023 | M | P 2, 1:50.4 F | $394,565 | BEACH OF A TIME | 2026 |
| SHE’S A BULLDOG | 2023 | M | P 2, 1:51.1 M | $404,327 | BAND STAND | 2026 |
| WINDOR | 2023 | H | P 2, 1:51.2 S | $177,663 | WINX | 2026 |
| ODDS ON BULLFROG | 2023 | H | P 2, 1:51.4 S | $67,842 | ODDS ON NAPLES | 2026 |
| SCORPION SEELSTER | 2023 | H | P 2, 1:51.4 S | $50,445 | SOIREE SEELSTER | 2026 |
| REDLAND ROCKET MAN | 2023 | H | P 2, 1:52.0 S | $140,418 | GRANNY HANOVER | 2026 |
| LYONS FIRSTBULLDOG | 2023 | H | P 2, 1:52.1 S | $23,061 | DOINSOMETHINGRIGHT | 2026 |
| DAX SEELSTER | 2023 | H | P 3, 1:52.2 S | $57,014 | DEB | 2026 |
| BRINDLE | 2023 | H | P 2, 1:53.2 S | $30,616 | CABRINI HANOVER | 2026 |
| BARRACUDA HANOVER | 2023 | G | P 2, 1:53.3 S | $24,075 | BETTOR’S CHANCE | 2026 |
Would you like your mare matched to Bulldog Hanover? Email [email protected]