After sweeping Indiana Sire Stakes action the night before with the freshman pacing fillies, trainer Erv Miller would once again prove unstoppable with the rookie pacing colts. Two $68,000 divisions Indiana Sire Stakes for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings highlighted the 14-race card on Thursday (July 28) at Harrah’s Hoosier Park as the Tetrick-Miller combo completed a clean sweep of the stakes action for two-year-old pacers.
J B Gram kicked things off with an eye-catching performance in the first division in the evening’s 10th race. Leaving from the outside post seven, driver Trace Tetrick hustled J B Gram off the wings of the gate, striking the lead through a fast opening panel of :26.3 outside of Art It Is and Brandon Bates. J B Gram and Tetrick cleared to the front up the backstretch and to the halfway point in :54.3 before reaching three-quarters in 1:23.3. Utilizing a :26.3 final quarter, J B Gram would fend off the two-pronged attack of Art It Is and Buzzsaw Russ and John De Long, crossing the line nearly two lengths in front in 1:50.3. Art It Is finished third and was placed second following a bobble made by Buzzsaw Russ at the line who would be placed third.
Trained by Erv Miller, J B Gram earned his second win in as many starts. Bred by Frontier Farms, the gelded son of Tellitlikeitis out of the Incredible Finale mare Faith Leigh has now banked $39,000 for owners Jerry, Thomas and J D Graham. The 1:50.1 mark was just one-fifth of a second off the national season’s record for two-year-olds held by Voukefalas.
The second division would prove to be a similar story with Miller and Tetrick teaming up once more, this time with the heavily favoured Coach Stefanos, who looked to rebound off a miscue in leg one. Starting from the four-hole, Tetrick steered Coach Stefanos to mid-pack in fifth as Why Not Now and Peter Wrenn cut out the opening quarter in :28. Tetrick put Coach Stefanos into play up the backstretch, steadily working his way into fourth at the half in :57.4 before taking command at the three-quarter station in 1:27. In the lane, Coach Stefanos fought off his stablemate, Frankie Frankie and Atlee Bender, with a :25.3 final fraction to score the victory by a length and a half in 1:52.3. Flirtin JK and Ricky Macomber Jr. rounded out the triactor.
The win was the third in four career starts for Coach Stefanos, who has now earned $49,250 for owners Kenneth Duffy, D & M Trading II LLC, and John Chris Stefanos. A gelded son of Tellitlikeitis out of the Rocknroll Hanover mare Watch N Be Watched, she was bred by Indiana’s leading breeder, Victory Hill Farms.
Racing continues on Friday, July 29 with a 14-race card at Harrah’s Hoosier Park, followed by the third annual Empire of Hope fundraiser event benefitting the Standardbred Transition Alliance on Saturday, July 30. Guests can enjoy family fun entertainment as well as host of donation opportunities with all proceeds going directly to the Standardbred Transition Alliance.
(With files from Harrah's Hoosier Park)