With U.S. Hall of Famer David Miller in to drive, double millionaire Little Rocket Man put his grit on full display and the duo teamed up to take down the $30,137 Open Pace on Friday, March 6 at Harrah’s Hoosier Park.

Saddled with the outside post seven as the 2-5 favourite, Little Rocket Man blitzed to the front, working around Ardens Ace N (LeWayne Miller) before releasing a revved-up Noblesville (Marcus Miller) to the point just beyond a hotly contested :26.1 opening split. Noblesville remained in control of the field on the backstretch, riding the tailwind to the halfway point in :54.2 with Little Rocket Man stalking intently from the pocket. Little Rocket Man was forced to pull from second entering the final turn as Ardens Ace N tipped from third, with the race favourite quickly moving within a half-length of Noblesville on the outside at three-quarters in 1:23.3.

Spinning into the stretch, Little Rocket Man put away Noblesville before bracing for the challenge of Ardens Ace N, who took dead aim off the favourite’s cover. The two slugged it out to the wire from there, with Little Rocket Man proving to be dead-game with a :26.3 final quarter to fend off Ardens Ace by a quarter-length on the line, stopping the timer in 1:50.1. Im Skinnydipin N (Trace Tetrick) navigated traffic to rally for third, with Yourwishisgranted (Atlee Bender) rallying from last to round out the superfecta.

Trained by Ken Rucker, Little Rocket Man has won three straight races and four of seven thus far in 2026 for local owners Russ Beeman and Boomer Freeman. The 10-year-old gelded son of Rockin Image-GT Miss Royal has won 83 of 149 career starts, while hitting the board a total 113 times, and amassing $2,320,689 in purses.

Hoosier Park celebrated Little Rocket Man for a U.S. earnings milestone, surpassing the $2 million USD mark with the win. Bred by Victory Hill Farm, Little Rocket Man is just the third Indiana-sired pacer to cross the $2 million USD threshold along with former U.S. Horses of the Year, Wiggle It Jiggleit and Always B Miki.

Earlier in the program, driver Brandon Bates steered three Walter Haynes Jr. trainees to the winner’s circle, headlined by Drink Up Drink Up in the $30,137 Open Handicap Trot.

Bates took back with Drink Up Drink Up in the early stages, landing in the fifth position from post three while Flagman (Rick Plano) grabbed early command from the far outside through an opening quarter in :27. With last week’s winner and stablemate Famous Father (Luke Plano) drafting along from the pocket, Flagman reached the midway point in :56 before taking the field to the far turn. Flagman began to open up on the field rounding the final bend, assuming a three-length lead at three-quarters in 1:24.3 while Drink Up Drunk Up moved into fourth from first-over, 7-1/2 lengths back of the leader.

The lead for Flagman began to dwindle at the head of the lane, with Famous Father and Drink Up Drink Up beginning to swarm the tiring tempo-setter. Sprinting home in :27.4, Drink Up Drink Up rallied by the Plano trainees, facing one final challenge from a hard-charging Dover In Motion (Ricky Macomber Jr.), who towered up from the backfield. Drink Up Drink Up held Dover In Motion at bay by a half-length in 1:53.4, with Famous Father holding sway for the show spot.

Owned by Adam Friedland of Brooklyn, New York and Brian Carsey of Cambridge City, Indiana, Drink Up Drink Up notched his first victory in his second try this season. The six-year-old gelded son of Trixton-Homefortheholidays has won 20 of 82 lifetime starts and sports career earnings approaching $500,000.

Bates also teamed up with Haynes to take the opening race on the program with Rogers Image ($6) in 1:55.1 as well as the eighth race on the evening with Low Rider ($7.20) in 1:53.2.

‘Big Ticket’ Bates tacked on one more at the conclusion of the evening, taking the finale with 36-1 shot Fox Valley Langley ($75.40) in 1:52.4 for trainer Jamaica Patton and triggering a Hoosier High 5 carryover into the Thursday, March 12 program. The Early High 5 (race seven) on Thursday will feature a carryover of $13,943, with that pool being guaranteed at $40,000. There will also be an Early Pick 5 (races one through five) carryover of $1,991 on Thursday, with that pool guaranteed at $10,000.

The Thursday night program will get underway at 5:30 p.m., and in addition to the carryovers, will have a $15,000 guaranteed Late Pick 4 on the final four races of the card and $10,000 guaranteed Late Hoosier High 5 on the night’s final race, with those offers done in partnership with the United States Trotting Association's Strategic Wagering program.

(With files from Hoosier Park; photo of Little Rocket Man winning on March 6)