In a final turn battle that resembled the famous Its Fritz and Cam Fella throwdown at The Meadowlands, Lather Up rallied past McWicked to capture Friday’s $330,000 Dan Patch Stake at Hoosier Park in a track record-equalling clocking of 1:47.2.
The early battle saw Filibuster Hanover and Jimmy Freight go toe-to-toe through a wild, opening quarter clocked in :24.4 – the quickest in the history of Hoosier Park. Jimmy Freight backed off to grab the two-hole behind Filibuster Hanover, who then coughed up the lead to Lather Up who rocketed out of third in the backstretch and easily motored to the top.
Lather Up then rolled past the half in :53.3 before being confronted by Mcwicked around the final turn. Mcwicked brushed past a ‘steppy-looking’ Lather Up at the three-quarter pole in 1:21.3, and he grabbed some insurance lengths coming into the stretch. Lather Up, however, survived the final turn and re-rallied past Mcwicked in deep stretch (just like Cam Fella did to Its Fritz in their memorable battle) en route to posting the jaw-dropping clocking of 1:47.2. Mcwicked was second, with Endeavor closing well to finish third.
“This is one for the books,” trainer Clyde Francis said with an ear-to-ear smile in the winner’s circle. “That’s an unbelievable animal is what that is.”
Lather Up, who was sent off as the 1-5 favourite, has now reeled off four consecutive wins for Francis. The four-year-old son of Im Gorgeous-Pocket Comb is a homebred owned by Gary and Barbara Iles of Harrington, DE. They recently sold a 50 percent interest in the record-setting pacer to a group headed by Taylor Made Sales and Stallions.
“I want to thank Taylor Made for all they do,” Ernie Martinez, working in concert with Taylor Made Sales and Stallions, noted. “Lather Up is unbelievable. I’ve never seen a horse like this...to do what he just did, he’s a beast. Putting him in front of the fans like this is exactly what we want to do. What an effort this horse gave tonight in front of all of these fans.”
The victory was the eighth of the season from 11 attempts for Lather Up, who is now a 23-time winner with career earnings of $1,803,185. The Teague-Francis duo added their names to the Dan Patch record books for the second time as they were also victorious in the 2016 edition of the race with World Champion, Wiggle It Jiggleit.
“I love that passing lane,” Teague laughed. “I had to wait on him in the last turn and McWicked looked like he had a lot of power but my horse loves to chase. That’s his game. Once he got through the turn I knew it was game on.”
The 26th edition of the Dan Patch Stakes brought life to the track in in several aspects. Racing fans packed the house to witness Harrah’s Hoosier Park’s signature event and had the opportunity to participate in different promotions throughout the evening. The wagering front also saw much success and offered remarkable value to the horseplayer with full fields and guaranteed wagers throughout the card.
(with files from Hoosier)