Indiana Sire Stakes dominated the Friday, Sept. 11 program at Harrah’s Hoosier Park, with the penultimate leg of stakes action contested for two-year-old pacers and three-year-old trotters, while the aged stars faced off in their second and final leg.

Opening the seventh leg of the Indiana Sire Stakes for three-year-old filly trotters, Bluebird Kazoom bounced back taking down the favoured For Dayze in a $66,667 division for driver Jordan Ross and trainer Henry Graber Jr. 

Leaving from post two, Bluebird Kazoom accelerated to the early advantage to hit the first quarter in :28.4 with the post time favourite For Dayze (John De Long) tucked in behind her. The field remained unchanged at the half-mile mark in :57.4 as Expressive Gal (Kevin Lambright) tracked the top pair in third. Bluebird Kazoom aimed to stretch her lead to the three-quarter pole in 1:26.1 as the trotters held their positions. Bluebird Kazoom hit the open fairway drifting out into the middle of the stretch. For Dayze advanced outside with Expressive Gal (Kevin Lambright) along the rail. It was too little too late as For Dayze ran out of racetrack with Bluebird Kazoom hitting the wire in 1:53.3. For Dayze settled for second, a neck back, while Expressive Gal rounded out the top three.

Bluebird Kazoom is owned by Hillside Stables, Indiana Stables, Hickory Hollow Stables and Michael Rosenthal. The Swan For All-Stella Kemp filly is now 10-for-13 in her debut campaign. Bluebird Kazoom paid $4.20 to win.

In the $68,056 second division for sophomore trotting fillies, heavy favourite Fresh Face Yankee did what she does best, as she cruised to the winner's circle for trainer/driver Jay Cross.

Fresh Face Yankee landed in the pocket early on as Help Cum Laude (Atlee Bender) grabbed the lead and put up first-half fractions of :27.2 and :56. Fresh Face Yankee then took over command and opened up two lengths to three-quarters in 1:24.2. Hitting the homestretch, Cross sat back and relaxed as Fresh Face Yankee did the rest, cruising to the wire in 1:52.1 to win by 1-1/4 lengths over Help Cum Laude. Magics Delight (Kevin Lambright) finished back in third.

Owned by Timothy Smith, Fresh Face Yankee has finished no worse than second in her eight sophomore starts, winning seven times. The Crescent Fashion-Swan Yankee filly paid $2.10 to win.

Tell Me Its You got the better of the previously undefeated Mr Bear as the two faced off in the $90,972 first stakes division for rookie pacing colts on the evening.

Driver John De Long landed Tell Me Its You in the pocket behind Capt Peach (Trace Tetrick) through an opening quarter of :27.2 while Mr Bear (Marcus Miller) got away in the third spot. Tell Me Its You opted to move to the lead on the backstretch, taking the pacers to the half in :56.2 before rolling to three-quarters in 1:25 while Mr Bear looked to advance first-over from third. Off the well-rated middle fractions, Tell Me Its You took off in the lane, sprinting home in :25.3 to remove any opportunity to be caught as he scampered to the wire three lengths clear in 1:50.3. Mr Bear was able to outsprint Capt Peach to snag second late in the lane.

Trained by co-owner Alvin Miller, Tell Me Its You has won four of his eight races with each of those victories coming consecutively. The Tellitlikeitis-Kitty Hoyne gelding is owned by Miller, Twila Harts and Marvin Schwartz. Tell Me Its You paid $5.40 to win.

Also securing his fourth win in a row in a $90,972 two-year-old pacing colt division, Tells Chip uncorked his usual late rally to score in his first try against stakes company with driver Atlee Bender.

Away from post six as the 3-5 favourite, Tells Chip settled in the sixth spot early while Soggy Man (John De Long) took control through a :26.4 first split. Soggy Man remained on top to the half in :55 before taking the pacers to three-quarters in 1:23.1 while Tells Chip spotted the leader nine lengths gapping cover third-over from seventh and last. Soggy Man opened up midway through the lane before Tells Chip got straightened away and began to pick up steam on the far outside. Rocketing home in :26.1, Tells Chip went from sixth to first in the last eighth of a mile to rally past Soggy Man by a quarter-length in a career best 1:51.1. Another Mile Again (Trace Tetrick) rallied along the cones to get up for third.

Tells Chip has won four of his six starts this season for trainer Erv Miller. The Tellitlikeitis-Jaded Dream gelding is owned by Ervin Miller Stables and Jerry Graham. He paid $3.20 to win.

Nothing could separate Fitterjake, driven by Anthony Miller for trainer Aaron Stutzman, and Era Dominance, driven by Joey Putnam for trainer Michael Hitchcock, as the duo battled to a dead heat in the $179,167 fifth-leg event for two-year-old pacing fillies.

Fitterjake lined up in post one as Era Dominance started in post six, with the latter filly challenging for the lead early against Owleos Pride (Trace Tetrick) to the first quarter in :26.2. Mystical Jk (Kyle Wilfong) wasted no time gearing up for an early bid for the lead and showed the group to the halfway mark in :54.2. Fitterjake followed suit blazing along the outside to take the helm. Callie Rocks (Kevin Detweiler) joined in on the action before stalling. Fitterjake raced by the three-quarter pole in 1:23 as Mystical Jk held onto second. Down the stretch, Era Dominance angled down to the rail before sliding in between Owleos Pride and Mystical Jk to take aim at the leader. Fitterjake looked to have tied a bow on the race as Era Dominance sprinted a final quarter of :27.1 to match Fitterjake for a dead heat at the wire in 1:50.1. Owleos Pride held on for third over Mystical Jk more than two lengths behind.

Fitterjake, a homebred Jk Endofanera-For Sharks Sake filly owned by James Miller, stayed perfect for her fifth career win. She paid $2.80 to win.

Era Dominance, a Jk Endofanera-Always Soggy filly owned by William Hartt, improved to three-for-five. She returned $5.20 to her backers at the betting windows.

In the $68,056 first division for sophomore trotting colts, the complexion changed early when 1-9 favourite Dan D Man Can went off stride leaving the gate prior to a front-end score for Bravo Alpha.

Leaving from the rail, Bravo Alpha grabbed control from the outset for driver Trace Tetrick, trotting to the opening quarter in a tepid :28 with Woodside Julius (Marcus Miller) tracking in second. Bravo Alpha went unchallenged in the middle stages, leading through fractions of :57 and 1:25.1. Bravo Alpha opened up in the lane, with Woodside Julius beginning to gap while Pilots Lucky Day (Brad Ferguson) was between that rival and August Salazar (John De Long) on the outside. Pilots Lucky Day shook loose late, taking a late shot at Bravo Alpha along the cones, but came up a half-length short of the pacesetter, who crossed the wire in 1:53.3. August Salazar rallied for the show position.

Trained by Doug Rideout, Bravo Alpha has won back-to-back races and sports a four-for-16 record on the year. The gelded son of Fiftydallarbill-Life Dream Hanover competes for the ownership group of Julie Rideout, Alan White, Dave Gamble and D&S Stable. Bravo Alpha paid $12.20 to win.

In the $67,361 second split for three-year-old male trotters, Inverness Ave remained hot picking up his third straight victory and second Indiana stakes score with Kevin Lambright aboard.

Inverness Ave got away in second from his insider starting spot, tracking Swan Affect (Marcus Miller) to the quarter pole in :27.3. Lambright right-lined the even-money favourite on the backstretch and he trotted to the point en route to the half in :56.3 before moving onto three-quarters in 1:25.1. Under Lambright urging in the stretch, Inverness Ave sprinted home in :27.2 to hold Swan Affect and Tuggin Thomas (Trace Tetrick) at bay by 1-1/4 lengths in 1:52.3.

Trained by Ernie Gaskin, Inverness Ave has won six of his 18 starts on the year for owners Theodore Engel, Douglas Shore and the Ernie Gaskin Stables. The Helpisontheway-Arvika gelding paid $4 to win.

A single $27,778 division for each of the four aged groups was contested on the evening as well, with Revin For Dallars ($5.60) rallying in a career best 1:51.1 to take the male trot with Jordan Ross aboard for Luis Quevedo. Canttouchthese ($2.10) wired the field in 1:50.1 to take the mare pace with John De Long driving for Roger Welch. De Long also won the male pace with M M S Bud ($3.80) rallying to score in 1:50 for trainer Alvin Miller. Contested in a non-betting race prior to the main card, Yo Beth D took the mare trot in 1:52 with Kyle Wilfong driving for trainer Ken Rucker.

Live harness racing for the week concludes on Saturday, Sept. 12 at Hoosier Park with a 14-race program set to get underway at 5:30 p.m. Then the Anderson oval gears up for the Grade 1 Peter Haughton and Jim Doherty Memorials for the sport’s best two-year-olds next week, with those events taking place on Friday, Sept. 18 along with the Hoosier Cup.

(With files from Hoosier Park; photo of Tell Me Its You winning on Sept. 11)