Rawtn Tale and Angelatyourfeet each scored mild upset victories in a pair of $34,722 pacing series finals at Harrah’s Hoosier Park on Saturday, May 17.
The Hal Dale was for Indiana-sired male pacers that were non-winners of two (three-year-olds three) or $25,000 USD as of March 15.
Rawtn Tale and driver Mike Oosting left from the rail as the 9-2 second choice in the Hal Dale and secured the pocket trip early in the mile as 1-5 favourite Book The Fight (Marvin Luna) grabbed early command of the field of eight and led to the quarter in :26.4.
Oosting popped the pocket with Rawtn Tale on the backstretch, taking over command from the favourite before reaching the half in :55.2. Class Factor (John De Long) wheeled first-over from third to start the outer flow on the turn, as Rawtn Tale raced with a 1-1/2-length lead to three-quarters in 1:24.4.
Turning for home, Rawtn Tale and Book The Fight began to separate from the remainder of the field, with Book The Fight vacating the pocket and setting the stage for a stretch duel. The two slugged it out in the stretch, with Rawtn Tale digging in with a :27.1 last quarter to hold Book The Fight at bay by a neck in 1:52. Dereks Rocket (LeWayne Miller) closed to be third, five lengths behind the top duo.
Trained by Michael Johnson, Rawtn Tale has won four of six starts and has yet to miss the board in 2025 after a winless two-year-old campaign. A homebred gelded son of Tellitlikeitis-Raw Diamond for Hugh and Susan Lacey, he has banked $77,189 for his career.
In the filly counterpart, Angelatyourfeet and Jordan Ross utilized a different path to victory as the duo overcame the outside post eight and closed from the clouds to score in the Go On BB final at 9-2.
Angelatyourfeet left the gate in eighth on the first turn as Blessed Beginning (Marcus Miller) raced out to an early lead to the quarter in :27.1. The pace slowed on the backstretch, with 2-5 favourite Odds On Alexandria (Pete Wrenn) moved to the top from the pocket before reaching the half in :57.2. Be True To Me (Kyle Wilfong) powered alongside the leader at 34-1 first-over on the final turn as Angelatyourfeet moved third-over with 4-1/2 lengths to make up at three-quarters in 1:26.
At the top of the lane, a three-across battle broke out with Be True To Me and Odds On Alexandria continuing to battle and Blessed Beginning finding room on the cones to join the slugfest. Still with 4-1/2 lengths to make up on the lead trio at the eighth pole, Angelatyourfeet uncorked a wicked :26.3 rally to rush to the top in the final strides and reach the wire a quarter-length in front in 1:53.2. With only three parts of a length separating the superfecta, Be True To Me finished second, Odds On Alexandria was third and Blessed Beginning crossed the wire in fourth.
Angelatyourfeet is trained by Henry Graber Jr. for owners Eleven Star Stables, Frank Baldachino, Michael Rosenthal and Backroad Stable. Unraced as a two-year-old, the three-year-old rookie daughter of Freaky Feet Pete-Jump Jive And Jam has won three of five races and has yet to miss the board while banking $39,084.
Baldachino was also co-owner of the race’s namesake, Go On BB, who was Indiana’s first million-dollar earner. This marked the first time he had co-owned the winner of this series.
In the $30,556 Open Handicap Trot, Drink Up Drink Up staged a late rally to pull off an 8-1 upset and end Ponda Jet’s win streak at four.
Driver Marvin Luna got away fourth with Drink Up Drink Up as Ponda Jet (Kyle Wilfong) sprinted around Flagman (Rick Plano) to take the quintet to the quarter in a blistering :26. Wilfong kept his foot on the throttle to the half in :54.2 before leading to three-quarters in 1:23.3 when Luna fed Drink Up Drink Up racetrack. Ponda Jet raced three lengths clear midway through the lane before Drink Up Drink Up began to pick up steam and take aim at the leader. Rallying home in :27.3, Drink Up Drink Up nailed Ponda Jet on the wire by a head in 1:52.2 with Flagman finishing third.
The Walter Haynes Jr.-trained son of Trixton-Homefortheholidays is a 14-time career winner, with $352,497 in earnings. He is owned by Adam Friedland and Brian Carsey.
With a string of upsets in the second half of the card, the Wednesday, May 21 card will have a host of carryovers when racing resumes at Hoosier. The Early Pick 5 (Races 1-5) will have a carryover of $3,603. The Pick 6 (Races 4-9) will have a carryover of $4,557. The Early Pick 4 (Races 6-9) will offer a carryover of $5,702. First post for Wednesday is 6:15 p.m.
(With files from Hoosier Park; photo of Rawtn Tale winning on May 17)