Hoosier Park Racing & Casino continued to play host to Indiana Sires Stakes action on Friday, July 24 as they featured two $75,000 finals on the 14-race card. It was a night ruled by favourites, as both divisions were won by the public's choice.
Nora Rockwell and Jason Dillander set the tone for the evening as they delivered as they heavy favourites in the $75,000 Indiana Sires Stakes final for three-year-old pacing fillies in 1:51. Nora Rockwell notched her fifth consecutive victory at Hoosier Park and established a new lifetime mark in the process.
In a talented field of 10, Nora Rockwell left just enough to protect her rail position. Cant Touch Her and Ross Leonard were the first to get a call through the opening panel in :27.3, but their lead would be short-lived as Rock The Look and Trent Stohler were out and firing.
Just as Rock The Look took command, Dillander had Nora Rockwell aimed to the front and she dictated fractions of :55.2 and 1:22.4. Rockin Good and Jared Finn were the next to make a move to the front and were matching strides with the leader turning for home.
Nora Rockwell continued to fend off challenges from the field and used a :28.1 final quarter to find the wire a head in front of a hard-charging Cant Touch Her. Rock The Look rounded out the trifecta. As the bettors’ choice, Nora Rockwell returned $5.00 at the betting windows.
“She is awesome,” trainer Marlin Fry said with a smile after the win. “She has been a lot of fun. I’ve always known she was a nice filly, but this has absolutely been a surprise, much, much more than I ever expected. Jason has a done great job with her, too.”
Trained and owned by Marlin Fry, Nora Rockwell scored her 12th lifetime victory and now sports a career bankroll of $188,572. The daughter of Palone Ranger-Norma Rockwell recorded her eighth victory from 15 seasonal outings with the win.
In the two-year-old pacing filly ranks, Ginger Shark turned in her own impressive performance to score in 1:52.2 in the $75,000 Indiana Sires Stakes final with driver Trace Tetrick in the bike. The 1:52.2 clocking not only established a new lifetime mark for the Brian Brown trainee, but also equalled the track record at Hoosier Park for two-year-old pacing fillies. Ginger Shark remains undefeated in four starts in 2015.
Ginger Shark rattled off splits of :27.2, :55.4 and 1:24.3 before sprinting away from the rest of the field. Using a :27.3 final quarter, Ginger Shark paced on to the wire to finish three lengths in front of Shady Caroline and Ricky Macomber Jr. As the 1-5 favourite, Ginger Shark returned $2.40 at the betting windows.
Ginger Shark has now earned $95,000 from four career outings. The daughter of Shadyshark Hanover-Miss AJ Ponda is owned by Emerald Highlands Farm.
Live racing at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino continues on Saturday, July 25 with a 14-race card featuring the $75,000 Indiana Sires Stakes final for three-year-old pacing colts. Hoosier Park will also play host to the opening round of the 2015 Champion Driver Series on Saturday. Post time of 5:15 p.m.
(With files from Hoosier Park)