The seasonally undefeated Rock Shines Again highlighted the final Indiana Sire Stakes prelims of the meet at Harrah’s Hoosier Park on Friday, Oct. 3. 

A pair of divisions of the eighth and final Sire Stakes leg for both the sophomore pacing colts and fillies were featured on the 14-race card, headlined by Rock Shines Again winning his 12th straight in the first split for the glamour boys.

Leaving from the outside post nine in the $69,444 affair, Rock Shines Again and regular reinsman Trace Tetrick floated away into fifth early as the 1-5 favourite while Class Factor (Pete Wrenn) sprinted to an early lead through a first quarter of :26.2. 

Bikini Chaser (LeWayne Miller) brushed from third to take over just after the half in :55.2. Rock Shines Again flushed the cover of JK The Great (Atlee Bender) moving into the final turn, stalking from second-over in fourth as Bikini Chaser brought the field to three-quarters in 1:24.2.

Rock Shines Again ripped off cover turning for home; however, Bikini Chaser battled gamely to his inside as the top two began to sprint away from the rest. Pacing home in :26, Rock Shines Again got the better of a dead-game Bikini Chaser late to win by three-parts of a length in 1:51. The Family Man (Marcus Miller) rallied for third, 3-1/2 lengths back of the winner.

Trained by Tyler George, Rock Shines Again has earned $272,515 in his perfect sophomore season after a winless 11-race rookie campaign for local owners Ricky Redder and T G Stable. Victory Hill Farms bred the gelded son of Rockin Image-Bikini Star. 

The win was one of four on the night for the Tetrick and George combination.

The $70,139 second division for pacing colts went to Deal The Odds as the 6-5 favourite, scoring from off the pace with driver LeWayne Miller. 

Deal The Odds got away in seventh from post five while Avanti (Atlee Bender) protected his rail starting position to cut the opening quarter in :27. Saba Rock (John De Long) popped the pocket and assumed command before the half in :55.2 before Somemore Soaring (Trace Tetrick) moved first-over from fourth and alongside the leader at three-quarters in 1:23.4, with Deal The Odds third-over in fifth at that point. 

Somemore Soaring put away Saba Rock but was soon under attack from Chandler Bing (Jay Cross) and Deal The Odds, who began to roll off his cover. Deal The Odds surged home in :26.1 to get by both late and win by 1-1/2 lengths in 1:50.3 as Somemore Soaring edged Chandler Bing for second.

Trained by Joe Putnam, Deal The Odds has won six of his 13 starts on the year for owners JP Racing of Pendleton, Indiana, Michael Lee of Marshall, Michigan and Crazy Parrot Farm of Frisco, Texas. The Odds On Equuleus-Sono Bello colt was bred by Silver Linden Farms and has banked $234,210 this season while going over $300,000 in career earnings.

In the first of two $68,750 divisions for three-year-old pacing fillies, Canttouchthese held sway on the front end as the 7-5 favourite. 

John De Long wheeled Canttouchthese to the top through an opening quarter of :27.1 before tapping the brakes to the half in :56.1. Miss Fancy Nancy (Trace Tetrick) moved first-over from fourth and moved into third on the outside, bringing Tarshish (Marcus Miller) into play second-over while Canttouchthese raced to three-quarters in 1:24.2. Tarshish tipped off cover and took aim at Canttouchthese as the two raced for home, with Canttouchthese fending off the late charge by a quarter-length in 1:51.2. Miss Fancy Nancy finished two lengths back in third.

Trained by Roger Welch, Canttouchthese has won six of her 13 starts this year and earned $216,792 on the season. The homebred daughter of JK Endofanera-Cant Touch This surpassed $550,000 in career earnings and has won 12 of 21 lifetime for owners William De Long of Clinton, Wisconsin, Patrick De Long of South Beloit, Illinois and Doug Riccolo of Wheaton, Illinois.

In the second division, three-year-old rookie Brooklets Rockette made her Sire Stakes debut a winning one on the front end with driver Kevin Lambright. 

Lambright left from post six with the Robert Taylor trainee, parked and pressing on the first turn to the outside of leader Wunderkindbluechip (Atlee Bender) through a quarter of :26.3. Once clear, Brooklets Rockette led to the half in :55.2 before opening up by two lengths on the far turn at three-quarters in 1:23.4. The 2-1 favourite held sway in the stretch, reaching the wire first in a career best 1:51.2 over a rallying Concert Master T (Trace Tetrick) and pocket-sitter Wunderkindbluechip.

Gary Wilcox’s winning homebred daughter of Rockin Image-Brookletssupersonic has won three of her eight races in her debut campaign and only missed the board once. With the win, Brooklets Rockette nearly doubled her bankroll, which now stands at $73,389.

Two $27,778 Sire Stakes eliminations were held for both the aged mare trotters and aged male pacers on the card. The first elimination for trotting mares went to Jusmakinyalook (Jordan Ross, $67.20) for trainer Anthony Miller as she upended 1-9 favourite M Ms Dream in 1:53.3. Yhe second went to Yo Beth D (Mike Oosting, $2.40) in 1:52.4 for trainer Ken Rucker.

Oosting and Rucker also teamed up with Little Rocket Man ($2.20) as the nine-year-old double millionaire won the first elim for aged pacers in 1:50. The second went to the heavily favoured Buzzsaw Russ (Atlee Bender, $2.60) in 1:49.4 for trainer Missy Essig.

The week of racing at Hoosier Park wraps on Saturday, Oct. 4 with a 14-race card set to get underway at 5:30 p.m.

(With files from Hoosier Park)