The hat horse

When Harrison Hoyt, more popularly known as “the Hat Man” in reference to his hat company, bought Demon Hanover for $2,600 at the Harrisburg auction in 1946 he couldn’t possibly know what a bargain he had on his hands. Even though Hoyt had promised his wife he wouldn’t spend more than $2,500, the extra 100 bucks was truly worth it. The Hoyts took Demon Hanover back to Bethel, CT where he would double as the family pet as he grew into one of the best trotter in the nation.

According to Dean Hoffman in his book Quest for Excellence, “No one is sure if the colt trained Hoyt of if Hoyt trained the colt.” But as Hoffman pointed out, with the Dillon Axworthy-inbred colt’s results it really did not make much difference. The intelligent and perfectly behaved Demon Hanover took it all in his stride.

In his freshman season Demon Hanover won 12 of 14 races and he started the 3-year-old season in an equally dominant fashion by winning the Historic Dickinson Cup and the Matron Stakes. At Hanover Shoe Farms a certain Lawrence Sheppard realized that Dean Hanover’s successor had finally arrived and set his sights on getting the likely winner of that year’s Hambletonian. Dean Hanover was one of Sheppard’s all-time favorite horses and Sheppard wanted his brilliant son for a multitude of reasons. It would be great PR for Dean Hanover to produce a Hambletonian winner and Sheppard doubted that an amateur like Hoyt could beat professional drivers and trainers at the Grand Circuit. The horse’s full potential surely couldn’t be realized by an amateur trainer? Sheppard most likely also saw a spot for Demon at Hanover when he was retired to stud and did not want to jeopardize this. But most of all, Sheppard enjoyed the taste of victory and loved being in the Hambletonian winners’ circle, having bought the overwhelming favorite on several occasions when he didn’t have a likely contender himself.

A deal he could refuse

Sheppard’s only problem, really, was that Hoyt, a successful hat manufacturer, didn’t really need the money so when Sheppard waved fistfuls of dollars – and more – in front of him, he politely rejected the offer. Not used to being rejected, Sheppard even enlisted the help of top trainer Fred Egan to offer Hoyt money and training services, but what in Sheppard’s eyes was a deal that no sane man could refuse, Hoyt politely rejected on the spot.

Making a third attempt at securing Demon Hanover, Sheppard teamed up with E Roland Harriman and his Arden Homestead Stable. Sheppard finally offered Hoyt $75,000 and even though the Hat Man rejected the proposal he told the Hanover CEO that $100,000 could make him change his mind. But when Harry Whitney, acting on behalf of the duo, approached Hoyt after Demon Hanover, now nicknamed Steamin Demon (not to be confused with the pacer with that name) had won his final prep race for the Hambletonian at Saratoga, the Hat Man again turned it down.

An easy Hambletonian win

In The Hambletonian, none of Lawrence Sheppard’s fears were realized, though, as Harrison Hoyt’s jewel won both heats easily. Hoyt had closed the fact factory for the day, and most of his 85 employees were present at Goshen to support their boss. As an added incentive, Hoyt had promised dem a day’s pay if he won. In the first heat Demon Hanover went to the lead immediately and won easily in 2:03.1 (1.16,6). The same story repeated itself in the second heat, which Demon Hanover won in 2:02 (1.15,8).

Hoyt and Demon Hanover had some extra supporters present: Hoyt had closed up his hat factory in Danbury for the day, and most of the 85 employees took the hour long trip to Goshen to watch their boss and his horse start in the big race.

One story that always will be associated with the Hambo win, however, is when the Hoyt family drove back to Bethel. Stopping at a gas station the attendant noticed the horse and, not recognizing Harrison Hoyt, asked if he had been to the Hambletonian and if he knew who won? The Hat Man said “I did”, walked the attendant to the trunk, opened it and pointed to the trophy.

A fashionable win

Not long after the famous win, Hoyt used Demon Hanover’s reputation to start a fashion trend. The Hoyt Hat Company offered Demon Hanover brand hats and ties who became popular with horsemen, and today the unique hats and ties are valuable and rare collector’s items.

Proving a good two-miler

On Jul 1, 1949, the four-year-old Demon Hanover narrowly escaped a serious injury at the Gold Cup Trot at Buffalo Raceway. From the Buffalo Courier Express, “The mishap occured on the clubhouse turn the first time around. Royal Windsor went on a break but Don Miller kept him on the rail. As an outside horse got by, Royal Windsor shied and Demon Hanover, ranging alongside, pitched Hoyt several feet into the air. Hoyt remained on the track, dazed as Demon Hanover galopped away, stepping into the left sheel of Chris Spencer’s suly and ruining it. Hoyt was tossed so emphatically the rubber heels came off his shoes.” The race was won by the front-runner Proximity, was on top at the the of the accident, in the new world record time 2:11 over a distance of 1 1/16th mile (1.16,6 over 1710 meters)

Demon Hanover bounced back nicely and got the better of Proximity in the $50,0000 Roosevelt Two Mile Trot on Aug 26. It was Proximity’s first defeat in 1949 after 16 straight wins. “Demon Hanover won cleverly, Hoyt sent him into the lead just before the field hit the mile mark and held it tenaciously despite two desperate challenges by Proximity, one a quarter of a mile from home and the other well inside the stretch, but at the finish Hoyt, who had his whip ready to slash Demon, didn’t have to use it.” The winning time of 4:18.4 (1.20,4) well back of Promixity’s world record of 4:17 (1.19,9) set in the same stake one year prior.

Beating Proximity, dubbed the “queen of the standardbreds” at the time, was no easy feat, though. Demon Hanover set himself up for another rematch with the stellar mare when he won his elimination of the David H McConnell Memorial Trot at Roosevelt on Oct 21, 1949, trotting 1 1/2 mile in 3:14 (2011 meters in 1.20,3). In the following elimination, however, Proximity shattered Allen Spencer’s two-year-old 3:11 world record when she came home in 3:07.3 (1.17,7), four lengths ahead of Chris Spencer. In the final Hoyt went to the front early, but Demon Hanover faded to fourth in the stretch. Chris Spencer flew past the 1948 Hambletonian-winner to win ahead of Proximity, the latter suffering a break with a quarter to go, and Dutch Harbor.

A short-lived world record

Overall his four-year-season was a mixed back; Demon Hanover was one of the best aged trotters, but mostly came up short against Proximity, and also galopped his way out of a few possible wins. At 5, it was more of the same, though one could sense Hoyt’s trotter was closing the gap to the best. In the 1950 Roosevelt Two Mile Trot, Demon Hanover lost by a nose to Pronto Don. He was on the board in many races but the winning win of the season came in the $4,700 Trotting Derby at Goshen’s Good Time Park, where he defeated Chris Spencer in straight heats.

At 6, Proximity was retired and Demon Hanover stepped up to fill the void, though briefly. In his elimination in the 1951 McConnell Memorial, Demon Hanover lowered the world record over 1 1/2 mile on a half mile track to 3:06.2 (1.17,2 over 2011 meters). His world record didn’t last long, however, as Star’s Pride lowered it by one-fifths just a week later. On Aug 23, Demon Hanover was the heavy favorite in the $25,000 American Trotting Championship at Roosevelt and didn’t disappoint when he came home in 2:03.1 (1.16,6), a half-length ahead of Darn Flashy and Pronto Don.

Retired after injury

On Oct 14, 1951, the horse was sidelined with “severe inflammation of the suspensory ligament of the right hind leg.” That proved to be career-ending, because the following month Hoyt sold his star trotter for to Robert Critchfield’s Gay Acres farm in Northern Ohio. The price quoted in various newspapers and magazines ranges for $75,000 to $100,000, and the most accurate seems to be $82,500.

Upon retiring, Demon Hanover’s career stats showed 48-17-14 in 117 starts, a career mark of 1:59.4 (1.14,4), set in a time trial as a 5-year-old, and career earnings of $187,346. His first foal was a bay colt, Merrie Demon, born Jan 17, 1953 at the Merrie Meadows farm. Demon Hanover’s two first crops showed remarkable promise and even though they contained no superstars it was evident that he sired horses very similar to himself: pure gaited with early speed, stamina, intelligence and an aggressive winning spirit. The second crop contained standout trotter Demon Rum who was a national season’s record holder in 1958. The strong promise from these two crops made John Gaines form a syndicate to purchase the stallion for a record $500,000, the highest ever paid for a trotter.

After completing the season at Gay Acres farm, Demon Hanover was moved to Walnut Hall farms in August 1958, where he moved into the stall previously occupied by the legendary Volomite. After just one season at stud tragedy struck. After surgery for removal of kidney stones he suffered a coronary embolism and passed away on August 16, 1959. From 149 foals who reached racing age, he sired of 8 in 2:00 and 43 in 2:05. At the time, these were very strong numbers for a stallion, especially one based in Ohio without access to some of the best broodmares such as what Hanover and other top farms could offer. His premature death was a big loss. It was, after all, quite likely that Demon Hanover would produce a son as good as himself given the opportunity with some of Kentucky’s finest broodmares. Demon Hanover later became the damsire of elite trotters Killbuck Mary and Flower Child.

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