Two fields of 10 two-year-old trotters have been assembled for the $368,950 USD Peter Haughton Memorial for colts and $464,400 USD Jim Doherty Memorial for fillies. The Grade 1 affairs headline a 15-race, stakes-filled card on Friday, Sept. 12 at Harrah’s Hoosier Park which gets underway at 5:30 p.m.

The Peter Haughton Memorial will go as race 11 on the evening and Apex has been tabbed as the even-money, morning line favorite as driver Dexter Dunn looks to repeat in this event with trainer Marcus Melander after the pair teamed up with Maryland en route to victory a year ago. The royally bred son of two world champion and award-winning parents, Walner and Mission Brief, Apex heads to the Midwest following a career-best score of 1:52.2 in the New Jersey Classic at The Meadowlands in his last. Apex has won four of his six starts and has yet to miss the board while banking $375,184 for owners Jeffrey Snyder, S R F Stable and Steve Stewart.

Magic Punk is the 5-2 second choice on the morning line for trainer/driver Ake Svanstedt. The son of Wishing Stone-I D Entity NO has won three of his five races and heads to Hoosier Park after a runner-up effort in the William Wellwood Memorial at Woodbine Mohawk Park in his last on Aug. 23. Owned by Magic Punk Inc., the colt sports a bankroll of $151,180.

In addition to the out-of-town horses, five local Indiana-sired horses will attempt to protect their home track in Hawt Yoga, Swan Bi Bi, Power N Steam, Mcmikenmike and Dan D Man Can.

The 2025 champion will join T C I (2023) and Maryland (2024) as winners of this race since it was moved to the Anderson, Indiana oval.

The Peter Haughton Memorial field is listed below in post position order below.

$368,950 USD Peter Haughton Memorial (Grade 1)
Post - Horse - Driver - Trainer - Morning Line Odds
1. Hawt Yoga - Ricky Macomber Jr. - Ricky Macomber Jr. - 20-1
2. Apex - Dexter Dunn - Marcus Melander - 1-1
3. Swan Bi Bi  - Scott Zeron - Henry Graber Jr. - 20-1
4. Hamlet Hall - Peter Wrenn - Norm Parker - 20-1
5. Power N Steam - Mike Oosting - Ken Rucker - 20-1
6. Mcmikenmike - Marcus Miller - Erv Miller - 20-1
7. Magic Punk - Ake Svanstedt - Ake Svanstedt - 5-2
8. Mr Big Spender - Mike Wilder - Norm Parker - 7-1
9. Dan D Man Can - Atlee Bender - Erv Miller - 20-1
10.] Whos Eyes Blues - Ronnie Wrenn Jr. - Ron Burke - 12-1
AE1. Bricco - Yannick Gingras - Andrew Harris
AE2. Siggie - Jimmy Takter - Nancy Takter

The Jim Doherty Memorial will go as race nine on the card and the Ron Burke-trained Atlantic Summer is the 2-1 morning line favourite from the outside post nine. Regular reinsman Ronnie Wrenn Jr. will be in to drive the daughter of Captain Corey-Perfect Summer K who has hit the board in four of her five starts and enters off a third-place effort in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championship at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Sept. 5. Owned by Burke Racing Stable, Jim Simpson, Lawrence Karr and Weaver Bruscemi, Atlantic Summer has earned $104,568 and took a mark of 1:56 at The Meadows in her lone victory in her career debut.

Trainer Marcus Melander will send out a fierce duo with Creator, the 7-2 second choice, and Lainey W, 7-1 on the morning line, leaving from posts four and two, respectively. Creator enters off a maiden-breaking score of 1:54 at The Red Mile against Kentucky Commonwealth Series company in her last and the daughter of Walner-Hanna Bourbon FR has yet to finish worse than second through four starts. Lainey W has also been a force in the Bluegrass State, winning three straight against the Commonwealth bunch, taking a mark of 1:53.4 in the last of those wins, before jumping it off in her last.

The two editions of the Jim Doherty Memorial at Hoosier Park have been won by Dan Patch Award winners Soiree Hanover (2023) and Champagne Problems (2024).

The Jim Doherty Memorial field is listed below in post position order below.

$464,400 USD Jim Doherty Memorial (Grade 1)
Post - Horse - Driver - Trainer - Morning Line Odds
1. R Zee - Marcus Miller - John Butenschoen - 12-1
2. Lainey W - Scott Zeron - Marcus Melander - 7-1
3. Miss Ann Reed - Ake Svanstedt - Philip Scott Sonsteby - 20-1
4. Creator - Dexter Dunn - Marcus Melander - 7-2
5. Clear And Cool - Jordan Ross - Henry Graber Jr. - 20-1
6. Westwinds Yahtzee - Kyle Wilfong - LeWayne Miller - 5-1
7. Madam Cheval - Jimmy Takter - Nancy Takter - 12-1
8. Swan Gracelyn - LeWayne Miller - LeWayne Miller - 20-1
9. Atlantic Summer - Ronnie Wrenn Jr. - Ron Burke - 2-1
10.] R Candy - David Miller - Linda Toscano - 9-2

Beyond the rich purses on the line in both Grade 1 events, those already eligible to the Breeders Crown this October at Woodbine Mohawk Park are also competing for a automatic slot into the final as part of the “Win and You’re In” series.

Purses on Friday night at Hoosier Park will total just shy of $1.5 million USD, with the two trotting features joined by the $84,750 USD Hoosier Cup for Indiana-sired three-year-old pacing colts along with seven divisions of Indiana Sire Stakes. Horses competing on the undercard include North America’s second co-fastest two-year-old of the year, Odds On Mr Mamba; On To Norway in search of his 14th consecutive victory; and Rock Shines Again, who looks to remain undefeated through 11 starts this year.

(With files from Hoosier Park; photo of Apex winning on Aug. 2)