Ron Burke trainees swept the top three spots in the $205,000 Indiana Pacing Derby on Saturday night at Indiana Downs with Foiled Again leading the way in a 1:49.2 track record performance
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The winning effort provided Burke, who had six entries in the nine-horse affair, with back-to-back victories in the event after having won the 2010 edition with Won The West.
St Elmo Hero (Jody Jamieson) was the early leader in this year's edition, but Foiled Again and driver Yannick Gingras cleared to command at the :26.4 opening quarter mark. The seven-year-old son of Dragon Again-In A Safe Place was confronted by the Ray Schnittker-trained One More Laugh (Sam Widger) during the second panel and the pair battled on top past middle splits of :54.1 and 1:22. As they entered the stretch, Foiled Again began to pull away and drew clear to score the 1:49.2 triumph by one and a half lengths. The winner's stablemates, Atochia (Ricky Macomber Jr.) and Annieswesterncard (Josh Sutton), came in second and third. One More Laugh finished fourth and St Elmo Hero finished fifth.
Foiled Again paid $2.10 to win as part of the favoured four-horse entry. The gelding has won 13 times in 27 starts this year including the Graduate, Molson Pace, Battle of Lake Erie, and Bobby Quillen Memorial. He has also earned close top three finishes in the Levy, U.S. Pacing Derby, William Haughton Memorial, Canadian Pacing Derby, Allerage, and Breeders Crown. His 2011 bankroll climbed to over $1.3 million. The career winner of 57 races, who has amassed over $3.3 million in lifetime earnings, is owned by Burke Racing Stable and Weaver Bruscemi of Pennsylvania, and Florida's JJK Stables.
Burke’s multiple stakes winning three-year-old pacer Hugadragon went the distance to earn his biggest paycheque to date after capturing the $275,500 Monument Circle two races earlier.
Also driven by Yannick Gingras, Post 7 starter Hugadragon emerged as the leader early on in the 10-horse field and carved out fractions of :27, :55.2 and 1:23.1 en route to the two length victory in 1:50.4. Townslight Hanover (Andrew McCarthy) finished second with High Noon (Mark MacDonald) third. The winner’s stablemate, Im Feelin Good (Ricky Macomber Jr.), finished fourth off a pocket trip.
Hugadragon paid $3.20 to win as part of the 3-5 popular entry. The gelded son of Dragon Again-Hip Huggers, who scored back-to-back victories in the Bluegrass Series and Tattersalls Pace at The Red Mile in October, has put together a record reading 5-4-3 in 18 seasonal starts with earnings totalling $539,325. The win was his eighth lifetime and boosted his career bankroll to $658,330 for the Burke Racing Stable.
Perry Smith trainee Onhishonor Hanover and driver Sam Widger, part of the 2-5 favoured three-horse Sawgrass Farms entry in the $50,000 consolation, sat fourth at the rail for most of the mile behind his entrymates and moved between horses down the stretch to get up for the narrow victory in 1:50.3 over pacesetter Rhombus (Trace Tetrick). Full Of Sand (Ray Paver) finished third after advancing first over and then flushing out cover before the three-quarters mark. The son of Cams Card Shark-Onherhonor Hanover, who shaved over two seconds off his lifetime mark, paid $2.80 to win.
Mr Web Page stepped into the spotlight with his first stakes win in the $231,500 Oliver Trotting Classic for three-year-olds.
Leader Of The Gang (Jimmy Takter) established the early lead from Post 6 but the parked out 8-5 favourite, The Evictor (Marcus Miller), cleared to command just past the :28.4 opening mark with outside starter Live Jazz (John Campbell) hot on his heels.
Live Jazz pressed on and reached the top during the second panel with Mr Web Page and trainer-driver Dan Shelter positioned in fifth. After a :57.1 half, Mr Web Page moved first up with trailing tier starter Dream Kid (Ricky Macomber Jr.) following his cover.
Live Jazz reached three-quarters in 1:25.4 and turned for home with Mr Web Page closing on the outside and The Evictor slipping up the rail. Mr Web Page and The Evictor overtook Live Jazz down the stretch and battled to the wire with Mr Web Page gaining the upper hand to score in 1:55.2. The Evictor finished just a half-length back in second with Dream Kid coming on for third.
Mr Web Page paid $9 to win. The son of Muscles Yankee-India Hall, who entered the Oliver Trotting Classic off a fifth place finish in the Breeders Crown, is owned by the Helping Hands Stables of Indiana. After going winless ins eight starts as a freshman, Mr Web Page has won eight of his 18 starts this year and boosted his lifetime earnings to $224,677.
Rules Clear and driver Peter Wrenn stormed home off second over cover to win the $40,000 consolation in 1:54.1, shaving more than two seconds off his lifetime mark. Fox Valley Iliad (Homer Hochstetler) finished second and Haulin Laser (Rick Farrington) was third. C. Kevin Thomas trains the son of Like A Prayer-Flo New Dream for Michigan owners Stephen Oldford, Oldford Farms and the Allen Sisco Stable. Rules Clear paid $5 to win.
Three-year-old fillies faced off in a quartet of Circle City divisions earlier on the card -- two for the trotters and two for the pacers -- and the final results of those stakes events all came down right to the wire.
After leaving from post position six in the eight-horse field, Sashay and trainer-driver Dan Shelter cleared the lead at the opening quarter and held off the pocket-pulling Adagio (Josh Sutton) at the wire to win their $35,000 trotting event by a neck in 1:55.4. Tayas Photo (Marcus Miller) finished two and a half lengths back in third. The Yankee Glide-Invincible Dream filly, who made breaks in all of her big money starts this year, is owned by breeder Steve Stewart of Kentucky and Randall Day of Indiana. The 9-5 favourite paid $5.60 to win.
With Peter Wrenn at the controls, the Jim Arledge-trained Pay Me Sister found herself parked out in the second over spot after an outside start from post position eight in the other $35,000 trotting division, but after her cover made the front she cleared to command during the second panel. The Revenue S-Sisters Winner K held off the late-closing Big Cookie (John Campbell) and the popular Abc Easter (Dan Shelter), who was left uncovered when Pay Me Sister cleared, to win in 1:56.3. Pennsylvania’s Robert Key owns the filly, who paid $10 to win as the 4-1 second choice.
Ohio Sires Stakes champion Crossthreaded and driver Trace Tetrick advanced first up from fourth en route to the half and built up a four lead down the stretch to keep the quick-closing Ronettica (Peter Wrenn) from stealing her glory in the $34,850 trotting division. Ole Miss (Yannick Gingras) was third in the 1:52.4 mile. The popular daughter of Towners Bigs Guy-Tms Miss Hot Shot is conditioned by Diana Riegle for Ohio owners Roy Kohl and Anna Coe. She returned $3.40 to win.
Just By Design and Canada’s leading money earning driver of the year, Jody Jamieson, followed Some Girls Do (Yannick Gingras) three-wide around the stalled first over challenger Fox Valley Touche (Dale Hiteman) near three-quarters and took over command into the stretch before holding off the rallying Gran Gabriel (Jason Dillander) to win the final $35,150 pacing split by a quarter length. Nina Coleada (Sam Widger) came on for third. The roan daughter of Sportsmaster-Rock N Roan is owned by trainer Mike Brink along with Robert Poppleton, and Joshua Carter of Illinois. She paid $17.20 for the mild 7-1 upset.