Despite soggy weather conditions and a tough outside post 9, Grand Swan turned in another dominant performance to capture the featured event of the evening, the $75,000 Indiana Sires Stakes Final for two-year-old trotting fillies, at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino on Tuesday (Aug. 21).
With LeWayne Miller — who also trains the freshman filly — in the bike, Grand Swan used a sharp, front-end effort to score in 1:57.1 over a sloppy track and extend her win streak to six in the process.
Miller wasted no time and sent Grand Swan to the front from post 9, but she would have to work for position as a host of others also left for position. Verlin Yoder and Kissesforall were the first to get a call through the opening panel in :28.3. Measuredperfection and Ricky Macomber Jr. were content to grab a pocket seat, while Pink Tulip and Doug Rideout were next in line third.
Grand Swan grabbed command just before the second station in :59.1 and continued to call the shots uncontested through the three-quarters in 1:29.1. As the field turned for home, Sam Widger had Kotas Swan applying pressure first-over, and she was quickly matching strides with the leader. Miller asked his mount for more and Grand Swan dug in gamely, putting together a :28 final quarter to get the win by a length. Kotas Swan had to settle for second-place honours while Kissesforall held on to round out the trifecta. As the 4-5 favourite, Grand Swan returned $3.60 to her backers at the betting windows.
“She always fools me a little bit,” Miller noted after the victory. “She’s so laid back, so it’s hard to tell how she feels but she loves to fight them off. I had to ask her a little bit when we turned for home, but I knew she would fight them off if she could. She’s getting better and stronger with every start.”
With the win, the daughter of Swan For All and Queen Mum recorded her sixth seasonal win from eight lifetime outings. It was the sixth consecutive victory for Grand Swan, as she pushed her career earnings to $145,125 for owners Grand Swan Racing, Go Fast Stable and Never 2 Late Stable.
Indiana Sires Stakes action will continue at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino on Wednesday (Aug. 22), as they play host to the $75,000 Indiana Sires Stakes finals for the three-year-old trotting fillies and two-year-old pacing fillies. The evening’s 13-race card will also offer several signature wagering opportunities.
The Pick-4, Pick-5 and Hoosier High-5 all went unsolved on Tuesday’s program and will feature carryovers for Wednesday’s program. Along with the regularly scheduled $20,000 guaranteed trifecta in Race 10, Hoosier Park will also offer a $20,000 guaranteed Pick-5, with a carryover in excess of $6,000. The Pick-4, which is featured in races 3-6, will be kickstarted by a $3,881.36 carryover while the Hoosier High-5 will be highlighted in the last race of the evening with $4,006.91 in carryover money up for grabs. For more information on the upcoming entertainment and live racing schedule, please visit www.hoosierpark.com.
(Hoosier Park)