Harrah’s Hoosier Park hosted its annual Night of Champions on Friday, Oct. 16.

Worth $2.5 million, the power-packed 15-race card featured four $270,00 Indiana Sire Stakes Super Final contests for sophomore and freshman trotters as well as two $70,000 events for older mares, stallions and geldings of the same gait.

The victors were dual Indiana champions Grand Swan and Katkin American as well as newly crowned titleholders Bridge To Success, Swift Swanda, May Baby and Swan In Motion.

Grand Swan (Lewayne Miller) glided to the finish line in front of Morairtime (Jack Parker Jr.) and even-money favourite Compelling (Verlin Yoder) in the race for older female trotters. Grand Swan was content to sit in second out of the gate and remain in that position behind leader Morairtime through fractions of :28.1, :56.2 and 1:24.4. As the mares headed to the wire, Grand Swan soared past her rival and hit the wire in 1:53.1.

Trained by her pilot and owned by Never 2 Late Stable, Grand Swan Racing, Bruce Soulsby and Allen Weisenberg the four-year-old daughter of Swan For All-Queen Mum is Breeders Crown eligible and now sports a career record of 38-21-5-5 and has earned $685,987 lifetime.

Bridge To Success (John DeLong) captured the first $270,000 Indiana Sires Stakes Super final event for two-year-old trotting colts and geldings in a lifetime best 1:54.4 for conditioner Roger Welch. The full brother to fellow Indiana champion Bride To Jesses defeated Brookview Bolt (Sam Widger) and Swingforthefences (Peter Wrenn).

Bridge To Success settled in sixth position as the wings closed off the gate and stayed in that spot for the first half-mile after favoured Brookview Bolt led the field of 10 with fractions of :28.1 and :57.3. The gelding began to advance at the three-quarter pole and was tracking from second entering the stretch. With a final panel of :27.2, Bridge To Success outfinished Brookview Bolt to collect the second win of his debut campaign.

Owned by William DeLong, William Patrick DeLong and Welch, the gelding, who is sired by Jailhouse Jesse and out of Bridge To Nowhere, is now 7-2-2-1 and has amassed $160,675 in purse money.

Breeders Crown eligible Katkin American (James Yoder) provided his driver, who also serves as his trainer, with one of three triumphs on the evening when he dominated his competition in the division for older male trotters. Bridge To Jesses (John DeLong) was a valiant second with Martini Show (Sam Widger) lighting up the toteboard in third at odds of more than 50-1.

Yoder placed Katkin American in third at the start as Breeders Crown winner Fiftydallarbill (Trace Tetrick) led the field of nine through the first quarter-mile in swift :26.1. The five-year-old son of Guccio-Katkin decided to take command and after clicking off fractions of :56.1 and 1:24.1, the gelding stopped the clock in a sparkling 1:51.4.

Owned by Brett Boyd Racing Inc., Katkin American appears to be rounding into top form and seeks to add a Breeders Crown trophy to his two pieces of Hoosier hardware. The gelding boosted his bankroll to $311,950 and has a career record of 21-12-8-0.

“This horse had the freshest legs going into this race,” Yoder said. “He is a class act and I can’t say enough good things about him.”

Swift Swanda (Trace Tetrick) defeated Country Girl Charm (LeWayne Miller) by a neck in 1:55.2, a new career mark, to capture the title for two-year-old trotting fillies. Trained by Erv Miller, the daughter of Swan For All-Cheetah Hall was sixth for the first half of the contest as Queen Of All (Robert Taylor) led the field of 10 through the first panel in :27.1. Favoured Shirley Goodness (Peter Wrenn) assumed command at the half-mile marker in :57.2. From there on in, Swift Swanda steadily advanced with Country Girl Charm on her hooves to surge past Shirley Goodness, who held for third.

Owned by Anthony Lombardi and The Kales Company, the filly is now 10-6-1-1 and has banked $228,137. Swift Swanda is Breeders Crown eligible.

“She’s a pretty immature, green filly,” Miller said. “She’s really growing this year and, just like Trace said, she will make a great three-year-old. Last week, she relaxed a bit more in the turn and went off a bit. In the Kentuckiana [Stallion Management Stake on September 9], she was too far back to get ahead. She’s mainly been babied along because of immaturity.”

May Baby (James Yoder) collected her fourth consecutive victory en route to equaling the track record for her age, sex and gait in an impressive performance against nine sophomore rivals in the $270,000 Super Final for three-year-old trotting fillies. Also conditioned by Yoder, the daughter of Guccio-Free Wheeling bested last year’s Indiana champion Rock Swan (Trace Tetrick) and Pretzel Party (Sam Widger) in 1:52.2.

The filly sat in the garden spot as Rock Swan led the way in :27.2, :56 and 1:24.2. It appeared Rock Swan was going to hold her advantage to the finish line, but Yoder moved his charge to the inside and with an explosive turn of foot, May Baby flew past Rock Swan while easily widening her advantage to the wire.

Owned by Cheyenne Yoder, May Baby was a finalist in last year’s Breeders Crown and will contest that event again this season. She is now 20-13-3-1 and has earned $465,365.

“She’s small but she’s got a big heart,” Yoder said. “I kind of floated her out there to see where she would end up and it was on Rock Swan’s back. She was a little on the right line so I went on the inside and it worked out. She is eligible for the Breeders Crown and if she comes out of this sound she will be there. My dad won the Breeders Crown a couple years ago [Verlin Yoder, Woodside Charm] so I’m hoping to follow in his footsteps.”

Swan In Motion (Ricky Macomber) overcame some traffic trouble to defeat Bluebird Deacon (Tim Tetrick) and Tjs Top Pick (Andy Miller) to become Indiana’s three-year-old colt and gelding trotting champion in 1:53.1. Trained by Macomber’s wife, Jamie, the son of Swan For All-Keystone Sadie appeared to be locked in at the three-quarter pole in fifth place. As the field turned for home, Bluebird Deacon assumed the lead from Emma Town Bud after fractions of :27.3, :55.4 and 1:25.1. Emma Town Bud broke while on top and as the youngsters put in their bids to the wire, Swan In Motion proved best.

Owned by M & M Racing and Norbert Maza, Swan In Motion is Breeders Crown eligible. He has a record of 21-8-7-2 and has collected $396,845 in purse money.

“I always have confidence in this colt,” Jamie said. “He has done nothing but make me happy. When he made that break [in the final of the sire stakes on September 10] that was so uncharacteristic. We went above and beyond to get him to the winner’s circle tonight. Ricky loves this colt more than anything, so he didn’t to push him through his last qualifier. I promised him he would not run tonight and that was the most trot he has ever had. If it was up to me I would put him in the Breeders Crown, but I have to check with the owners on that.”

The race card also featured four $270,00 Indiana Sire Stakes Super Final contests for sophomore and freshman pacers as well as two $70,000 events for older mares, stallions and geldings of the same gait.

The victors were repeat Indiana champions Tellmeaboutit, Rockin Nola, and Priceless as well as newly crowned titleholders Somethingbeautiful, JK Going West and Clever Character.

Two-year-old pacing fillies kicked off the $270,000 Super Finals for the evening and it was Sometingbeautiful who capped off her perfect Indiana Sires Stakes season with a 1:51.4 victory. With driver Tim Tetrick in the bike, Somethingbeautiful was able to hold off a late surge from Hot Mess Express and Andy Miller to get the victory and deliver as the heavy betting favourite.

“I talked to Dylan before the race and watched her race a few times,” Tetrick noted after the victory. “She’s obviously a super talented filly who loves to do her job, I just had to put her in the right spot.”

After an opening panel in :27.1, Somethingbeautiful moved to the lead down the backside and never looked back. She utilized a :26.4 final quarter to hold off a hard-charging Hot Mess Express and Andy Miller.

Trained by Dylan Davis, Somethingbeautiful improved her lifetime record to 9-8-1-0 and equaled her established best with the victory. Owned in partnership by Howard Taylor, E. Gold, A. Basen, and R. Lombardo, the daughter of Always A Virgin—Summer N Sand has now earned $314,750 lifetime.

The three-year-old pacing fillies were up next and it was Priceless (Andy Miller) who notched her second Indiana Sire Stakes championship in a lifetime best effort in 1:49.1.

Making the lead before the first turn, Priceless, in her second start for new trainer Julie Miller, went the distance in this event for three-year-old pacing fillies. The daughter of Rockin Image-Btwnyurheartnmine defeated Mystical Carrie (Trace Tetrick) by 1-1/2 lengths in 1:49.1. Genie Rockwell (James Yoder) was a first-up third, never threatening the winner while beaten 4-1/4 lengths.

"I wanted to control the race," Miller said.

Priceless, from post position eight, did exactly that through spritely intervals of :25.3, :54.1 and 1:22.1.

Owned by Kevin Miller and Bert Hochsprung, Priceless now sports a record of 23-9-2-2 and has banked $546,944. The filly was victorious in the Indiana Sires Stakes two-year-old pacing filly Super Final and eighth in last year’s Breeders Crown final for two-year-old pacing fillies after winning her $25,000 elimination.

Jk Going West and driver/trainer LeWayne Miller staged an impressive rally and found late racing room to get up in the final strides of the mile to capture the $270,000 Super Final for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings. Stopping the timer in 1:51.4, JK Going West was able to overcome post position nine and survived a judges’ inquiry to get the victory.

“I really wasn’t sure why there was an inquiry, I was nervous but I didn’t think I did anything wrong,” Miller noted after the victory. “My colt had all kinds of pace so I knew I had to find some room and as soon as I did—he really paced strong to the wire.”

Owned in partnership by Bill Beechy and David Ferch, JK Going West recorded his third win from 11 seasonal outs. The son of JK Endofanera—Southwest pushed his lifetime bankroll to $224,558 with the victory.

In the three-year-old pacing colts and geldings division, it was Clever Character and Sam Widger who were also able to overcome post position nine to best their rivals and pull the 9-1 upset in the $270,000 Indiana Sires Stakes Super Final. With a final time of 1:49.4, Clever Character dug in gamely late in the lane to get the victory and establish a new lifetime best in the process.

“I’ve been watching this colt race for the last two seasons,” Widger noted after the victory. “He’s a very gritty colt. He doesn’t need a perfect trip because he loves to hunt them down. The only problem when he clears them as quick as he did tonight is that he will wait on them. I am thankful to the connections for having confidence in me and letting me drive him.”

Trained by Ron Burke, Clever Character was recently acquired by the ownership partnership of Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi, Larry Karr and Frank Baldachino. The son of Tellitlikeitis—Ruby Delight recorded his third win of the season from 13 starts. Clever Character has now earned $375,965 lifetime.

Tellmeaboutit (Peter Wrenn) added another Super Final score to his resume when he defeated a fast-closing Shamwow (LeWayne Miller) in 1:49 to capture the $76,000 Aged Pace. Ideal Ace (Stephen White) was third in the field of seven.

After even-money favourite Little Rocket Man (Tim Tetrick) broke on the lead at the quarter pole through a first split of :26, Tellmeaboutit, who is conditioned by Alvin Miller, assumed that position and never looked back. The four-year-old son of Tellitlikeitis-Portia Blue Chip established fractions of :54.2 and 1:22.1 prior to holding Shamwow at bay.

Owned by Twila Harts and his trainer, the gelding now has a record of 41-15-10-9 and has earned $442,500.

Rockin Nola (Joey Putnam) also added another Indiana Sires Stakes trophy to her collection after she was a convincing winner in the $50,000 Aged Mare Pace with driver Joey Putnam in the bike.

Rockin Nola sped by leader Rockin Serena after the first quarter-mile in :26.2 to assume control and never looked back. She defeated Its Time For Fun (Kyle Wilfong) and Dojea Rita (Trace Tetrick) in 1:50.1 after setting fractions of :54.3 and 1:23.1.

Owned by J P Racing and Suttons Bay Racing, the four-year-old daughter of Rockin Image-Gottogetoutmore, who is trained by Joe Putnam, now has a record of 41-20-9-4 and has amassed $547,907 during her career. This is her third Indiana championship victory as she won the both the two and three-year-old contest for her sex and gait.

This year’s Breeders Crown will be hosted for the second time in four years by Hoosier Park. The sport’s championship events will commence on October 23 and continue on October 24 with eliminations. The finals for two-year-olds will be held on October 30 and the remaining finals will be on October 31.

(With files from Harrah's Hoosier Park)