Indiana’s two-year-old trotting filly defending champions were back in a familiar place on Thursday as they each won their respective divisions of the $30,000 Indiana Gold Sire Stakes for three-year-old filly trotters at Hoosier Park
. Sweetasmusic and Cincinnati Star each have a $200,000 Indiana Sire Stakes final for two-year-old trotting fillies to their credit.
Sweetasmusic turned in the evening’s fastest sire stakes effort finding the finish line in 1:58, with a closing panel of :28. Driven by Walter Haynes, Jr., The 4-5 choice was carefully placed fourth along the rail as Glide led through early fractions of :28 and :59. Lakeview Angel took advantage of a pocket trip as BJs Elegant Image followed closely in third. BJs Elegant Image took aim at the leader around the final turn. Sweetasmusic was perfectly placed second over through a three-quarter clocking in 1:29.3. The daughter of Gut Instinct-Music in Motion saved the best for last as she reached the leader’s wheel and won going away by 6-¾ lengths, equaling her lifetime mark. Blueridge Abigail found racing room late in the stretch to finish second after racing from off the pace for much of the mile. Antie M also closed well to round out the top three.
“She’s a little hard to get out of the gate sometimes,” Walter Haynes, Jr. said of his filly. “Sometimes she can over trot herself but tonight she was really good. That’s her game, she is much better from behind a horse because she stays focused and tonight she was on her game.”
Walter Haynes Jr. trains and also co-owns the brown filly with the Y Not Racing Stable. Sweetasmusic won three of her 12 seasonal starts last year while bankrolling over $217,000 in career earnings. The sophomore filly is now two for three in 2012.
Cincinnati Star made her three-year-old debut a winning one as she reached the winner’s circle in 1:58.4 to hold off a hard charging Honeyinthepine, who finished a game second.
Leaving from post two, driver Trace Tetrick urged Cincinnati Star to command past the opening panel in :28 overtaking ER Kayla. The daughter of Cincinnati Kid-Eastern Star Two continued to lead the field of ten through the half in :58.2 before the bettors’ second choice, Shes Country, pulled first up. The two fillies were neck and neck around the three-quarter mark in 1:28.2 but Cincinnati Star found the determination to put away Shes Country and win by a head. As the heavy favourite, Cincinnati Star paid $4.00 to win.
“The mare raced really tough tonight,” Tetrick said of his mount. “She came back good this year, she was a little weak late at the wire but that’s to be expected in her first start back. She raced good and hung in tough, I was really happy with her.”
The three-year-old has now won 12 of 17 races in her young career. The lion’s share of the purse pushes her career earnings over the $300,000 mark.
Indiana Sire Stakes action continues at Hoosier Park on Tuesday, May 22 with four $10,000 silver divisions for three-year-old trotting colts.
(Hoosier Park)