The Newton County Fairgrounds in Kentland, Indiana will host the ninth round of action in the Indiana fair circuit’s "Quest for the Governor's Cup" on Tuesday, July 18. A 14-race card is slated, with first post set for 4 p.m. CDT. With a month remaining until the Governor’s Cup Championships, several divisional races are up for grabs as pacers and trotters compete to become eligible.
Last week at Frankfort, freshman pacing colts Heat Check and Extortion claimed victories. In doing so, Mister Hercules was shuffled out of the top eight in points, two markers shy of the last slot now occupied by Extortion. On Tuesday, the son of Lets Drink On It-Flip Flop Summer looks to score a third seasonal win for trainer Jeremy Jones and improve his position. The colt has finished first or second in each of his previous fair attempts. Mister Hercules starts from post four in the second of two divisions for two-year-old pacers, with owner Chad Bell set to drive.
The freshman filly pacing division is extremely tight, with 44 points separating the top five in the group. Classic Amy moved from third in the standings to first overall with a victory at Frankfort. The daughter of Riggins has reeled off four straight for owner and trainer Scott Linville. She has drawn the inside post in Tuesday’s second race and will square off against stablemate Chocolate Espresso, now second in points. Shipps Revenge, fourth in the standings and also owned and trained by Linville, will start from post three in the day’s first contest. To her inside is the current fifth-place filly, Rockinwithdavve, driven by Carson Conrad.
In the three-year-old filly pacing division, a trio of horses look to improve their rankings on Tuesday at Kentland. With two wins to her credit, Incredible Luck is ranked ninth in points with 131, just outside the championship cutoff. She has drawn the inside in race nine for trainer Larry Poindexter. Here We Go BB, seventh in the standings with 148 markers, is also in the field. Trainer Doug Rideout will steer the Tellitlikeitis lass from post three. Vel What A Dream, eighth in points at the moment, will start from the inside in the first division, race eight on the program. The Night Pro sophomore has a victory and 136 points for trainer Larry King.
Sophomore trotting filly Unforgettable is also outside the top eight in points and looks to move back into championship eligibility with a victory on Tuesday. A winner earlier this season at Portland, the Helpisontheway three-year-old is 28 points behind Night Speed, currently slotted in eighth. Rideout will guide the trotter from post three in the $3,800 second split for fillies, listed as race 13.
Rideout continues to build on his leads in both the driver and trainer standings. He piloted five winners at Frankfort to bring his fair season total to 30. Don Cincebox ranks second with 21 victories while Brad Ferguson and James Yoder are third with 16 winners apiece. Rideout has sent out 28 winners, eight more than fellow conditioner Linville. After collecting five victories at Frankfort, King moves into third among trainers with 17 trips to the winner’s circle.
Listed below are the top eight point-earners in each division, including ties, to date. Points are tabulated by the Indiana Horse Racing Commission. Horses earn a point for each start made on the fair circuit, with race winners awarded 50 points. A second-place finish merits 25 points, a third-place effort yields 12 points, eight points are awarded for fourth place and five points for fifth place. The top eight point-earners in each division that have also made the pre-requisite seven fair starts will compete in the $25,000 Governor's Cup Championships to be held Aug. 16 at the Indiana State Fair. All horses that have made seven or more starts are designated below with an asterisk.
Two-Year-Old Filly Pace
Classic Amy* 248; Chocolate Espresso* 237; Eqs Lady Desire 218; Shipps Revenge* 212; Rockinwithdave 204; Vel Quick Daisy* 193; Bargain Bid* 152; Petredame 135
Two-Year-Old Colt Pace
Chocluck Chip, Notorious Luck 230; Hereisthedesire* 210; Two Twenty* 207; Hes Lost In Time 205; Take Back America 189; Heat Check 176; Extortion 156
Two-Year-Old Filly Trot
Fly Delta* 262; Swan So Fine 218; Black Gold 153; Starlit Chloe* 141; Misty Mills 128; Lady By A Nose* 127; Full Coverage 115; Betsy Crickets 106
Two-Year-Old Colt Trot
Dashing Danny 306; Woodside Hank 210; Pilot Heir 205; Uncle Archie 154; Lynnlys Lucky Al 143; Swanouttaseven* 130; Speedy Knickers 129; Dover In Action 116
Three-Year-Old Filly Pace
Vel Straight Out* 174; Shake Me Loose 167; Pink Ruby 163; Mystic Melissa 162; Lets Flip Onit* 157; Kruisin Kristen 151; Here We Go BB* 148; Vel What A Dream 136
Three-Year-Old Colt Pace
Coaches Corner* 315; Attaboy Lloyd* 307; Brooklyns Carmine* 181; Always A Way 180; Checkerswthgrandpa* 152; Lil Joe IV* 148; Nimble Ned 127; Starlit Rockstar 87
Three-Year-Old Filly Trot
Sure Do 306; Sea Surfer 188; Jailhouse Garland* 170; Swartz Bros Donna 168; Wanda’s Wonder 163; Tucky Girl* 156; Virgnes Aprillady* 134; Night Speed* 130
Three-Year-Old Colt Trot
Mr Knowitall* 199; Jailhouse Yankee 198; Prince Henry* 187; Cantab Superstar* 185, Woodside Genius 176; Help Dust* 169; Asliveroffashion 151; Closed Deal* 115
The 2023 "Quest for the Governor’s Cup" locations and dates are listed below.
- Complete - Round 1: Converse, Indiana - June 1 & 2
- Complete - Round 2: Converse, Indiana - June 7 & 8
- Complete - Round 3: Corydon, Indiana - June 15 & 16
- Complete - Round 4: Harrah’s Hoosier Park, Anderson, Indiana - June 21, 22 & 23
- Complete - Round 5: Shelbyville, Indiana - June 27 & 28
- Complete - Round 6: Portland, Indiana - July 3
- Complete - Round 7: Kendallville, Indiana - July 8
- Complete - Round 8: Frankfort, Indiana - July 13 & 14
- Round 9: Kentland, Indiana - July 18
- Round 10: Goshen, Indiana - July 22 & 25
- Round 11: Connersville, Indiana - July 31 & Aug. 1
- Round 12: Portland, Indiana - Aug. 5
- Round 13: Frankfort, Indiana - Aug. 10 & 11
- Governor’s Cup Championships: Indianapolis, Indiana - Aug. 16
Indiana fair races will be available via livestream this season through a partnership between the Indiana Standardbred Association and Indiana Standardbred Breed Development. Fans can watch fair racing and download fair programs by visiting the ISA website, indianaharness.com, on race days. Races will be archived on the website.
(USHWA Indiana)