Twelve Indiana Sire Stakes champions were crowned on Friday, Oct. 11 at Harrah’s Hoosier Park Racing & Casino, with massive upsets abound throughout the evening.
The Hoosier Champions card featured more than $3.2 million in purses, with eight $337,838 Indiana Sire Stakes Super Finals for two- and three-year-old competitors, to go along with four $94,595 Sire Stakes finals for aged competitors.
Two-Year-Old Filly Trot
The Super Final action got underway with Martz Seven pulling off a 33-1 shocker with driver Mike Peterson. Leaving from post eight, Martz Seven got away eighth in the field of 10 as the trio of Henry Graber Jr. trainees got away 1-2-3 on the engine through a quarter of :27.2. The 4-5 favourite, Miracle Maven (John De Long), worked to the front of her stablemates, leading to the half in :57 in front of Classical Jane (Dave Miller) and Better Takem (Jordan Ross). Martz Seven found herself with excess cover, still in eighth spotting Miracle Maven 9-1/2 lengths at three-quarters with the leader there in 1:26. The field began to swarm the tiring leader turning for home, with Martz Seven uncorking her rally widest of all, closing but still eighth at the midway point of the stretch. Finding her best stride late, Martz Seven charged home in :27.3 to beat out Classical Jane by three-quarters of a length in 1:55.2. Fifty To Win (Ricky Macomber Jr.) recovered from an early break to rally for the show spot.
Walter Haynes Jr. trains the daughter of Swan For All-La Mirada for owners Stephen Stoll and Black And White Stable. A winner in three of 11 races on the year, Martz Seven has banked $285,786 on the season, hitting the board a total of nine times. Martz Seven was bred by Martz Creek Farm and Roman Stoll.
Two-Year-Old Filly Pace
The second stakes final for the evening proved to be much more formful with a talented group of 10 freshman fillies going to post in the Super Final for two-year-old pacing fillies. It was Canttouchthese who delivered a commanding victory in a new lifetime best of 1:51.1. Driven by John DeLong and trained by Roger Welch, the talented daughter of JK Endofanera-Canttouchthis sat patiently along the rail in third for much of the mile before tracking down the pacesetting Brookview Fancy (:26.4, :55.3, 1:23.1) and Joey Putnam late in the lane to win by 2-1/2 lengths. JK Pearl Stone was third for Dexter Dunn.
Sent off as the betting favourite, Canttouchthese returned $3.60 to her backers at the betting windows. The filly has recorded her fourth straight win and her sixth victory from eight starts while pushing her lifetime bankroll to $346,500. Canttouchthese is owned and was bred by William C. De Long, William P. De Long, and Douglas Riccolo, who also enjoyed success with the filly's dam on the Indiana Sires Stakes circuit.
Two-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Trot
Eugene The Genius put an exclamation point on his rookie campaign, romping to victory in the two-year-old colt and gelding trot. Saddled with post eight, driver Mike Oosting hustled Eugene The Genius to the front end, working around Starlitfranknstein (Trace Tetrick) to get to the quarter first in :27.4. The 4-5 favourite slowed the pace down in the middle half, leading fractions of :57.3 and 1:26.3 before turning for home 2-1/2 lengths clear. Sprinting home in :27.3, Eugene The Genius maintained that advantage to the wire in 1:54.1, holding Starlitfranknstein and Tarzan (Dexter Dunn) at bay.
Trained by Missy Essig for owners Russ Beeman and Charles Weaver, Eugene The Genius has won eight of 10 starts, having never missed the board in his rookie campaign. The gelded son of Helpisontheway-Muscle Baby Doll was bred by Black Creek Farm and Hickory Hollow Stable, and has now made $482,707 for his career.
Three-Year-Old Filly Trot
The biggest upset of the evening took place in the Super Final for three-year-old trotting fillies as Black Gold was victorious and provided a stunning upset at odds of 129-1. Trained by James Yoder and driven by Braxten Boyd, Black Gold, a daughter of Dover Dan-HP Guccio Girl, powered past her competitors late in the lane to finish 1-1/4 lengths in front of Skyway Paige and LeWayne Miller. Stopping the timer in 1:54.3, Black Gold returned a whopping $260.20 for a $2 win ticket. Heavily favoured Danger made a break going down the backside and finished off the board. Skyway Paige held second while Hail Broadway and Jordan Ross finished third.
Owned by Stephen and Elizabeth Ray, Black Gold pushed her lifetime bankroll to $312,430 and secured her third win from 16 starts this season with the victory.
Three-Year-Old Filly Pace
The upsets continued in the three-year-old pacing filly division as Jada Caroline and Tim Tetrick teamed up for a 10-1 score over favourite Lets Go Endofaera (John De Long). Jada Caroline got away mid-pack in fifth on the first turn with Joey Putnam and a fired-up Lyin Eyes cutting the quarter in :26.1. De Long’s hand was forced from third on the backstretch with the backfield never getting single-file, sending Lets Go Endofaera first-up on the backstretch to engage Lyin Eyes at the half in :54.3. Jada Caroline was poised from second-over turning for home as the battled raged on the lead with Lyin Eyes holding a narrow advantage over Lets Go Endofaera at three-quarters in 1:22.3. Lets Go Endofaera found more in the lane, putting away Lyin Eyes but under pressure from Jada Caroline, who tipped off her cover. The two slugged it out to the wire, with Jada Caroline getting the better of a valiant Lets Go Endofaera by a neck in 1:50.4. All JK (David Miller) finished third at 16-1.
The daughter of Tellitlikeitis-Ideal Plan is trained by Erv Miller for owners Ervin Miller Stable, Andy Willinger and Never 2 Late Stable. Bred by Joseph Nissley, Jada Caroline has won three times in her 13-start sophomore campaign, pushing her career earnings to $362,258.
Two-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Pace
Chandler Bing scored his fourth straight victory, this time in the Super Final for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings. Trained by Alvin Miller and driven to victory by Jay Cross, Chandler Bing went first-over at the half before he unleashed a powerful :26.4 closing kick to overtake the popular pacesetter, Avanti (Yannick Gingras), late in the lane to stop the timer in 1:51.2. The Family Man (Mike Oosting) closed for second while Avanti held for third.
Bred by Glen Yoder, the gelded son of Tellitlikeitis-Northern Beauty is owned by his trainer and Twila Harts and has now recorded five wins from nine lifetime starts while earning $293,903.
Three-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Trot
Gruesome Twosome remained perfect in the Hoosier State for his three-year-old campaign, fending off all challengers in the lane as the 2-5 favourite for trainer/driver Daryl Bontrager. Gruesome Twosome had to work to get around CS Flying Co Pilot (Trace Tetrick) going into the first turn, leading the field to the quarter pole in :27.4. Once Gruesome Twosome cleared, Bontrager tapped the brakes on the way to the half in :57.3 before Helpem Dance (Dexter Dunn) moved first-over to challenge the leader at three-quarters in 1:26.4. In the stretch, Gruesome Twosome faced a number of challengers, repelling them all with a :27.4 final quarter to cross the wire first by three parts of a length in 1:54.3. Ira Who (Jared Finn) closed from the clouds late to finish a flying second at 123-1 and Flirtnwiththepilot (Andrew McCarthy) finished third at 29-1.
Bontrager co-owns the colt sired by You Know You Do out of the Donato Hanover mare All Set Lets Go with Ira Steinberg (who also owns the runner-up). Bred by Merle Yoder, Gruesome Twosome has won seven of 11 starts on the year, going over a half-million dollars in lifetime earnings.
Three-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Pace
The sophomore pacing colts and geldings provided a thrilling finish to the stakes action on the evening as Noblesville and Dale Yeah battled to the wire and finished noses apart on the line. Noblesville and driver Yannick Gingras prevailed in a tight photo and officially ended the 14-race win streak put together by Sabonis and Joey Putnam. Sitting behind Sabonis, who laid down the fractions of :27.1, :54.4 and 1:22.2, Noblesville converted a pocket trip into a 1:50 score to establish a new lifetime mark. Dale Yeah and Marvin Luna were forced to settle for second while Tellmeitmatters and John De Long rounded out the trifecta with Sabonis finishing fourth.
Trained by Ron Burke, Noblesville recorded his second win from 14 outings this season while pushing his lifetime bankroll past the half-million dollar mark. Owned in partnership by Burke Racing Stable and Weaver Bruscemi, also breeders of the JK Endofanera-Happiness gelding, Noblesville has now won six of 29 lifetime starts.
Aged Finals
Some of Indiana’s biggest names deliver dazzling performances on their way to victory in the four aged finals.
Flagman and trainer/driver Rick Plano swept the field en route to a 3-1/4-length victory over Ponda Jet (Kyle Wilfong) in 1:52.1 to take the aged male trot. The seven-year-old Guccio-Magic Lindy gelding is owned by Maryann Plano.
Walkin On Sunshine fended off Rollin Rosie (Trace Tetrick) by a half-length in front-end fashion to take the aged mare pace in 1:50.2 as the 4-5 favourite with trainer Jay Cross in the bike. The four-year-old Always A Virgin-Hatsoff Hanover mare is campaigned by the ownership group of Maynard Miller, Daniel Lehman and Michael Yoder.
M Ms Dream dominated the field of aged trotting mares by 7-1/2 lengths after moving to the lead at the quarter, romping in 1:54.2 with David Miller driving for trainer Henry Graber Jr. The five-year-old millionaire mare by Swan For All out of Trading Places earned her third Indiana Sire Stakes title. She is owned by Eleven Star Stables, Frank Baldachino and Hillside Stables.
Owner Russ Beeman went one-two in the aged male pace, with millionaire Little Rocket Man taking his second straight title as the classy eight-year-old Rockin Image-GT Miss Royal gelding fended off Buzzsaw Russ in the fastest mile of night in 1:49.1 for trainer Ken Rucker and co-owner Boomer Freeman. David Miller was the winning driver.
Racing concludes for the week at Hoosier Park on Saturday, Oct. 12 with a 12-race card set to get underway at 7 p.m. The Saturday card will feature five $50,000 USD Indiana Sire Stakes consolations, with a free program available on the track's website.
(With files from Hoosier Park; Photo of Black Gold winning on Oct. 11)