Tyler Smith and C R Hope snuck through traffic to take home the top prize in the $24,000 Fillies & Mares Invitational Pace on Friday at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino

. The duo lit up the tote board, paying $47.20 to win.

Starting from Post 1 in the eight-horse lineup, Smith got away evenly in the center of the pack with C R Hope and watched several lead changes before the halfway marker in :56. When the opportunity arose, C R Hope was in the outer flow of traffic and followed cover until the top of the stretch. As the battle began to unfold, Smith tipped C R Hope to the center of the track and began to slowly ease into contention for the lead.

In the final strides of the race, C R Hope took control of the race, but was being tracked by a quickly closing Francies Dream and leading driver Peter Wrenn on the outside. However, C R Hope held off the late closer, taking the race by only a neck in a time of 1:55.3. Sugar Nips and Mark Evers maintained ground inside for third.

“She [C R Hope] is a nice mare,” said Smith. “She has done better each time I've driven her. I was hoping for this, not necessarily expecting it, but hopeful.”

The win marked the second in a row for Smith and C R Hope, who was stepping up in class for trainer Harley Jolliff. The six-year-old mare now has two wins this season and 29 overall, pushing her career earnings over the $200,000 mark for owners Jolliff and Willie Hale of Ohio. The win also marked the biggest purse win for Smith.

“She is nice to drive,” said Smith. “You can do anything with her when driving her. She is really easy to drive.”

Smith, who has only been driving at the pari-mutuel ranks since his 18th birthday in late January, has moved into the top 10 on the leading driver board this season at Hoosier Park. The 18-year-old first got notice as an announcer on the Ohio fair circuit before climbing into the race bike to pursue a career as a harness driver. Smith is currently overseeing a stable of seven horses at Hoosier Park for his father, Jeff, and his mother, Kathy.

(Hoosier Park)