The young Pheasants Nest trainer had planned an assault on the Inter Dominion in Western Australia with his tough pacer Jofess and the dream became reality when the son of Jeremy Lobell nosed out local star The Falcons Strike and Sokyola to win Australia’s greatest race.

Fast forward to 2009 and Hancock admits he has become stale with Australian harness racing and wants to try something different. 

After next year’s Watpac Inter Dominion in Sydney, Hancock will pack up his wife and two children and head to the United States of America.

Currently Hancock is describing the trip as a working holiday but if he is successful he plans to stay.

“I have always wanted to travel to America and have a go over there” Hancock said.

“I’ve been over there a few times and I have finally made the decision to pack up and head over there for a while and see how I go.

“I don’t know how long I will be gone for and to be honest it will depend on how the team goes.”

Hancock will team up in North America with fellow New South Wales trainer Leon Jurd.  Jurd plans to head over with the horses early next year and Hancock will arrive eight weeks later.

“I’m going to send some horses over in January next year to acclimatise with Leon because the horses can get a little sick with the long flight,” Hancock said.

“I am going to set up in Indiana at Hoosier Park and I will race at a number of tracks around Pennsylvania.

“We are not going to go to The Meadowlands or anything like that because it’s just too tough.  The money is good and it’s like racing at Harold Park everyday of the week, so it’s a pretty good set-up.”

In recent months Hancock has enjoyed good success at Harold Park with free-for-all pacer The Lightning Ridge while his trotter The Windsurfer was successful on Friday, September 25.

“The Lightning Ridge is definitely going across with me and I am going to take The Windsurfer over too,” he said.

“It isn’t a cheap exercise though.  It costs around twelve to fourteen thousand dollars to get them over so it is quite an expense but they race for good money and keep dropping back in class if they don’t perform.

“That style of set-up would suit my horses perfectly and to give you an example I had a bit of success with Amorts late in his career before we sent him across to the US and he has won $90,000 over there already.”

Hancock is the nephew of Inter Dominion king Brian Hancock while his father Richard was a very successful trainer in his own right.

A recent age milestone had Hancock thinking about his future and was the catalyst behind the decision.

“I’m 40 now and I have done everything here in Australia that I have wanted to do and I have become a little bit stale on the game here so I thought I might as well have a crack at something different,” he said.

“I’m taking the family with me.  My two sons are seven and five and they are looking forward to the trip as is my wife Benita who can’t wait for the change either.”

Plenty of former Australian trainers and drivers are now domiciled in North America with many enjoying great success and Hancock is hoping to follow in their footsteps.

“Look at young Andrew McCarthy, he’s going terrifically well,” he said. “He is going to be one of the leading drivers over there very soon.

“I’m not looking to do anything like that, I just want the experience of taking a few horses over and have a change.”

It’s not the first time that Hancock will have been to the US for harness racing.

He was the winner of a New South Wales junior achievement award many years ago and as the recipient got a trip across to North America to experience the harness game.

“I have driven in a few trials over there in the past,” he recalled. “I won a junior award with Jason Proctor and he and I went over there a number of years ago and had a good look around.”

Hancock will not be selling his property just outside of Sydney and plans to return in the future. 

He has spoken with all of his owners about the move and he is pleased to admit that the majority of them are supportive of the trip.

“Most of my owners have taken the news well,” he said. “There will be no problems.  Whatever horses are still here in March will be sorted out before I leave after the Inter Dominion next year.  I will also be going through all of my young horses to work out if they are any good.”

Hancock finished last season’s Harold Park training premiership in fifth position with 12 winners from just 87 starters.