Harrah’s Hoosier Park Racing & Casino played host to a stakes filled card on Monday, May 29 for a special Memorial Day card of live racing.

The evening’s 13-race card featured the opening round of Indiana Sires Stakes for the three-year-old competitors. The 2023 Indiana Sires Stakes program will feature eight legs throughout the season and culminate with the $250,000 Super Finals on Oct. 13.

Driver John DeLong scored four stakes victories on the evening’s card and swept the pacing filly division after steering Queens Reign and Polks Image to victory.

In the opening division, Queens Reign started her three-year-old campaign impressively as she moved first-over around the final turn before tracking down the pacesetting Tell Me Please to get the victory by a head over Sweet Tell and Ricky Macomber Jr. in 1:52.1.

Trained by Ernie Gaskin, the three-year-old daughter of JK Endofanera-Queens Gold scored her first win of the season and fourth lifetime victory from 13 starts. Owned and bred by Watermark Farm LLC, Queens Reign has now amassed $182,500.

In the second and final division for the pacing fillies, Polks Image pushed her undefeated streak to eight after going gate to wire in 1:52.1. Trained by Jeff Cullipher, the daughter of Rockin Image-Polk Dot Hanover left alertly from post two and repelled Sleazy Mama and Trace Tetrick late in the lane to get the victory.

Owned by Pollack Racing LLC and Jeff Cullipher, Polks Image is a perfect eight-for-eight this season. Bred by Dave Mast, Polks Image has now earned $119,798 in lifetime purse earnings.

DeLong teamed up with trainer Missy Essig for the other two stakes wins on the evening’s program.

Texsong Soprano and DeLong utilized gate-to-wire tactics to capture the opening division of the stakes action for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings in 1:53.2. Using a :27.3 closing quarter, Texsong Soprano trotted away from his competition finishing three lengths to the good.

Owned by Lillian Farms and Joe Yoder, the son of Text Me-Muscling In is now two-for-two to start his three-year-old season and has won seven of 12 lifetime starts. Bred by Abraham Miller, Texsong Soprano has now earned $205,222 in lifetime purse earnings.

In the final division of stakes action, DeLong steered three-year-old trotting filly Swanya to an upset victory in 1:54.3. Utilizing a :27.2 final quarter, Swanya tracked down the heavily favoured Stella Rose and Michael Oosting late in the lane to get the victory.

Trained by Missy Essig, the three-year-old daughter of Swan For All-Tanyas Legacy scored her fourth win from six starts this season. Bred by Leonard J. Miller, Swanya is owned by Jacalyn Beeman.

Harrah’s Hoosier Park’s leading driver Trace Tetrick swept the three-year-old pacing colt divisions as he steered Coach Stefanos to victory for trainer Erv Miller and Why Not Now to victory for trainer Dylan Davis.

Coach Stefanos delivered as the heavy betting favourite, going gate to wire and winning by three lengths in a new lifetime best of 1:49.1.

The gelded son of Tellitlikeitis-Watch N Be Watched is owned in partnership by K W Duffy, D&M Trading IL LLC and Mr. J Chris Stefanos.  Bred by Victory Hill Farm, Coach Stefanos has now seven of 12 lifetime starts.

Employing a similar strategy in the second division, Tetrick sent Why Not Now to the front and never looked back. Why Not Now utilized a :26 closing quarter to finish four lengths in front of Buzzsaw Russ and John DeLong and stop the timer in a new lifetime best of 1:49.1.

Trained by Dylan Davis, Why Not Now is now four-for-four this season. The son of Always A Virgin-Star Of The Show is owned in partnership by Howard Taylor, Dylan Davis and Jeffrey Billings and was bred by Dustin Miller.

Ponda Jet extended a win streak of his own in the second division of stakes action for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings as he went gate to wire in 1:51.4 and recorded his fourth straight victory of the season.

The 1:51.4 clocking was a national season’s record for three-year-old trotting geldings and a new lifetime best for the Jay Hochstetler trainee. Driven by Kyle Wilfong, Ponda Jet held off Helpfirstedition and driver John DeLong late in the lane to get the victory by three parts of a length.

Owned in partnership by Connie Hochstetler, Robert Buddig and Allen Schwartz, the son of Dover Dan-Pondas Lucky Lady has now earned $113,200 in lifetime purse earnings.

Naturdays and Matt Krueger scored their first win of the season in the opening division of the stakes action for three-year-old trotting fillies.

Stopping the timer in 1:53, Naturdays sat the pocket behind the heavily favoured Yo Beth D and driver Trace Tetrick before tracking them down to get the victory in a new lifetime best.

Trained by Matt Rheinheimer, the daughter of Helpisontheway-Windsongmusclelady is owned by Alton Miller, Debra Miller and Brackton Miller. Naturdays has now won nine of 16 lifetime starts.

Indiana Sires Stakes action returns to Harrah’s Hoosier Park on June 14. 

Hoosier Park's 30th season of live harness racing will feature the richest open stakes schedule to date. Worth over a combined $12 million, the 160-day season will be the most lucrative stakes program in the track’s history culminated by hosting the 40th edition of the Breeders Crown events in October. Hoosier Park’s premier pacing event, the $300,000 Dan Patch Stakes, is slated for Friday, Aug. 11 and the coveted Breeders Crown events will take place on Friday, Oct. 27 and Saturday, Oct. 28.

(Hoosier Park)