Bluebird Jesse and LeWayne Miller pulled a stunning 47-1 upset in the featured event of the evening, the $75,000 Indiana Sires Stakes final for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings, at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino on Wednesday, May 31.
Stopping the timer in 1:54.4, Bluebird Jesse used a well-timed rally late in the lane to hold off his rivals and, in the process, lowered his lifetime mark by nearly two seconds.
Leaving from post two in a talented field of 10, Bluebird Jesse was unhurried from the gate and settled along the rail in sixth while the rest of the field sorted out early positions. Woodside Austin and Brandon Bates fired off the gate from post eight to get the first call through a snappy opening panel in :26.4. Swan Chase and Ronnie Wrenn Jr. opted out of a pocket trip and pressed on to reach the lead at the second station in :57.
Swan Chase continued to call the shots down the backside but his lead was short-lived as My Uncle Cuz and Don Harmon also wanted a turn on the front. My Uncle Cuz led the field through the three-quarter clocking in 1:26.3, but was quickly joined on the outside by Mystical Motor and Dale Hiteman.
Mystical Motor was able to wear down the leader but his biggest threat was still behind him as Bluebird Jesse was perfectly poised to strike from second-over. As the rest of the field began to tire, Miller asked Bluebird Jesse for more and he found another gear.
Utilizing a :27.3 final quarter, Bluebird Jesse cruised on to the wire nearly two-lengths in front of his next closest competitor. Swan Forever and Trace Tetrick rallied powerfully late in the lane, but had too much ground to make up at the end of the mile and had to settle for second-place honours. After the disqualification of My Uncle Cuz due to interference on the backside, Double A Goldrush and Ross Leonard rounded out the trifecta.
As one of the longest shots on the board, Bluebird Jesse returned $97.40 at the betting windows.
“He’s a great horse to be around,” noted trainer, owner Keith Roth in the winner’s circle. “He doesn’t ship very well, but that’s about the hardest thing about him, other than that, he does everything right. LeWayne [Miller] gave him a perfect drive, that’s the way he likes to race and he really raced great tonight.”
Bluebird Jesse recorded his fourth victory from nine seasonal starts. The gelded son of Jailhouse Jesse-Bluebird Swandrful has now won five of 16 lifetime outings while pushing his lifetime bankroll to $73,400.
Live racing at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino continues on Thursday, June 1 with a 14-race card featuring a $10,000 guaranteed Pick-4 in races three through six. First race post time is 6:30 p.m.
(With files from Hoosier Park)