A day removed from being named the home of The Hambletonian beginning in 2027, Harrah's Hoosier Park played host to the $416,667 Dan Patch Stakes (Grade 1), where Dandy Ideal and driver Tyler Buter survived torrid opening fractions en route to a dominant 1:47.2 score for trainer Hunter Oakes.
Leaving from post four in the overflow field of 11, Dandy Ideal found himself third-over in sixth on the first turn while Harrisburg Heist (Yannick Gingras) swept to the lead from the outside post nine, racing inside of a pressing Bythemissal (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) to the quarter in :25.4. Bythemissal cleared before releasing the 2-1 favourite, Captain Optimistic (Dexter Dunn), to the lead, leaving Dandy Ideal first-over as the field blitzed to the halfway point in a blistering :52.3.
Dandy Ideal rode the conveyor belt to the lead, moving into the final turn with Prince Hal Hanover (Todd McCarthy) left first-over and applying pressure while Dandy Ideal reached three-quarters in 1:20.1, 2-1/2 lengths clear.
Dandy Ideal extended his lead in the stretch, marching three lengths clear midway through the lane as Captain Optimistic, Prince Hal Hanover and Coach Stefanos (Marcus Miller) battled for minor spoils. Strong to the wire in :27.1, Dandy Ideal crossed the wire 3-1/4 lengths clear in 1:47.2 with Buter giving a raise of the whip on the line. Prince Hal Hanover nosed out Captain Optimistic for second after never seeing the cones, while Coach Stefanos rounded out the super at 19-1.
(coverage of the Dan Patch starts around the 38:00 minute mark)
A winner in five of his seven races this year, Dandy Ideal has banked $313,124 this season for owners Susan Oakes of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and Alan Johnston of Syracuse, New York. The world champion four-year-old gelded son of American Ideal-OK Heavenly has won 21 of 36 lifetime, earning more than $1.8 million for his career.
The 1:47.2 clocking matched the stakes record, established by Sweet Lou in 2014 and matched by Lather Up in 2019. Dandy Ideal also matched the track record for older pacing geldings at Hoosier Park, joining Castle Flight and Little Rocket Man.
The Dan Patch was presented by Indiana Standardbred Breed Development Program.
A race prior to the Dan Patch, Open mare pacers waged war in the inaugural $138,889 Rockin Nola Stakes (Grade 3), where Three Times Bettor cruised as the 1-2 favourite with Dexter Dunn in the sulky for Brett Pelling.
Leaving from the outside post seven, Three Times Bettor left alertly, racing to the outside of the pacesetting Rodeo Drive Deo (Yannick Gingras) to the opening quarter in :26.4. Three Times Bettor cleared on the backstretch, tapping the brakes once assuming control to the half in :55.
Applying some pressure to the throttle on the far turn, Three Times Bettor began to string things out on the front-end at three-quarters in 1:22.3 as the field raced singe-file.
Three Times Bettor opened up by two lengths at the head of the lane, with Rodeo Drive Deo chasing in second while The Last Martini (Doug McNair) took a bad step and lost momentum, trying to gear up from third. Sprinting through the wire in :26.3, Three Times Bettor crossed the wire a measured three-parts of a length clear over Rodeo Drive Deo in 1:49.1. Canttouchthese (John De Long) got up for third.
Three Times Bettor has won eight of her 10 starts in 2026, pushing her seasonal earnings to $414,915 with the score. The four-year-old daughter of Bettors Delight-Three Times A Lady has won 17 of 27 lifetime and has banked $656,695 in her career for owner Thaddeus Wier of East Aurora, New York.
Dunn also took the $69,444 Gregg Haston Memorial Invitational Pace with Captain Arturovico rallying late to nail Lou Hill (Yannick Gingras) in 1:49 for trainer Ron Burke.
Leaving from post nine, Captain Arturovico settled into the sixth position early while Odds On Outlier (Pete Wrenn) rocketed to the point with a :25.2 sizzling opening panel. The 2-5 favourite, Lou Hill (Yannick Gingras), brushed to the lead from third, taking the field of nine to the halfway point in :53.4.
Captain Arturovico flushed the cover of Funtime Bayama (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) on the final turn, racing second-over while Lou Hill brought the field to three-quarters in 1:22.
Lou Hill got separation turning for home, before Captain Arturovico moved off cover and took aim at the leader. Sprinting home in :26.1, Captain Arturovico nailed Lou Hill on the wire, winning by a head in 1:49. Leave It To Leo (John De Long) rallied for third at 61-1, with Funtime Bayama closing out the superfecta.
The victorious Captaintreacherous-Tilikum four-year-old gelding has won six of his 15 races on the year, racking up $319,729 in seasonal earnings. Owned by Burke Racing Stable of Frederickton, Pennsylvania, Weaver Bruscemi of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, Larry Karr of Boca Raton, Florida and Phil Collura of Mountain Top, Pennsylvania, Captain Arturovico has banked $792,089 lifetime following his 18th career victory.
Live harness racing will continue at Hoosier Park on Saturday, Aug. 15 with a 14-race program set to get underway at 5:30 p.m. Standout sophomore pacing fillies Somemore Blue and Whoomp will renew their rivalry in the Saturday feature, the sixth leg of Indiana Sire Stakes for three-year-old pacing fillies in race 11.
(With files from Hoosier Park)