The 14th edition of the $500,000-est. Hoosier Cup has drawn nominations from 44 three-year-old colts. The event is Indiana’s richest harness race and will be contested Saturday, May 29, taking on a new format beginning in 2010
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Established in 1997, the Hoosier Cup was created to bring sophomore pacing colts into the Midwest for a premier event. The event was set up with guidelines for multiple-race competition, using the format of heat racing early in the card to establish a final field for the majority of the purse money the same evening. The format offered fans the opportunity to watch the three-year-olds race twice in one night, similar to races such as the Little Brown Jug.
Due to the change in the industry and the speeds that have developed for racehorses over the past decade, heat racing has become less popular, which has called for change in a lot of races. The Hoosier Cup has responded, placing a new format in place beginning in 2010. Only one race will now determine the Hoosier Cup winner, with the top 12 money earning entrants getting a chance to compete for the entire purse in one dash for the cash.
Several colts are already in the final stages of preparation for the upcoming Hoosier Cup slated for Memorial Day weekend. Joe Seekman has two colts that have already traveled around Hoosier Park’s seven-eighths mile oval with their eye on the prize. Morgan Shark and Perrito Caliente are both being pointed toward the race.
“If everything goes right, they should be headed to the Hoosier Cup,” said Travis Seekman, Joe’s son who provides the driving for the stable. “We have three colts that raced well last year at two, and all three of them are coming back well. They have all trained equally well this year and all three are also eligible to the Berry’s Creek.”
Morgan Shark, a winner in five of 10 starts at two, earned nearly $100,000 and took a best time of 1:52.3. Perrito Caliente, only a winner in two starts, earned more than $100,000 and posted a best time of 1:55.2 The son of Art Major, 2002 winner of the Hoosier Cup, has already lowered his best time this year with a win at Balmoral Park in a time of 1:54.3. Both horses have posted second place finishes at Hoosier Park in 2010 against open company.
In addition to Morgan Shark and Perrito Caliente, the Seekman Stable is campaigning Four Starz Trace for the stakes circuit. Although Four Starz Trace is eligible to many of the major stakes races across North America, he is not included on the nomination list for the Hoosier Cup.
The biggest name on the list is Sportswriter, who has yet to make his 2010 racing debut. A winner in seven of eight starts last year, the Artsplace product’s only defeat was a second place finish in the Breeders Crown.
The royally bred World Of Rocknroll has been nominated to the Hoosier Cup. World Of Rocknroll, who took a mark of 1:54.1 last year, is the out of the great race mare Worldly Beauty, who earned more than $1.9 million and a time of 1:49.3 during her stellar career.
One of the best prospects for the Hoosier Cup this year is locally-owned Wayne The Lefty from the Trent Stohler Stable. Already a winner in four of eight outings with no start worse than second, the sophomore son of Allamerican Ingot took a mark of 1:52 earlier this year at The Meadowlands. Wayne The Lefty finished second in the $76,000 Junior Trendsetter Series at The Meadowlands earlier this year. He is out of the mare Camiana, who is a half-sister to Extreme Velocity, Breeders Crown winner and standout race mare for Stohler.
Locally-owned Allthatgltrsisgold is also nominated to the Hoosier Cup. Owned by Dr. Jeff and Dr. Maria King’s Victory Hill Farm of LaGrange, Indiana, the son of Cams Card Shark earned four wins in 13 starts last year. He posted his best time of 1:52.3 at The Red Mile for trainer Bobby Brower.
(Hoosier Park)