The sport’s top trotters were showcased in the $230,000 Centaur Trotting Classic at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino during an action-packed 14-race card on Saturday, September 21.
Uncle Peter, with David Miller at the lines, became the sport’s newest millionaire and shattered the track record for older horses on the trot when powered home a winner in 1:52.3.
The previous track record of 1:54 was established earlier this year by Don Giovanni and Benny Christensen. The 1:52.3 victory marks the seventeenth track record that has been re-established over Hoosier Park’s seven-eighths mile oval this season.
Slightly dismissed at the windows at 6-1, Uncle Peter rallied from well off the pace to notch his fourth win of the season.
In a full field of 10, Wishing Stone and Yannick Gingras were the quickest from the gate and reached the opening panel in a snappy :27. Miller sent Uncle Peter off the gate just enough to grab position along the rail in third while the heavily favoured Market Share was next in line in fourth.
Wishing Stone continued to dictate fractions of :56.1 and 1:25.2 before ever being contested. As the field rounded the final turn, Tim Tetrick could wait no longer and sent Market Share to the front with My MVP and Ron Pierce in tow.
Wishing Stone and Market Share matched strides down the homestretch while Uncle Peter loomed large in the background. Using a :26.4 final panel, Uncle Peter saved his best for last and was able to get a nose in front of Market Share at the wire. My MVP held on gamely for the third place finish. Uncle Peter returned $15.40 at the windows.
“He has been a great horse to drive all season,” David Miller noted in the winner’s circle. “I wanted to leave to get some position and the tripped worked out for us tonight. Coming around the last turn I thought we might run out of racetrack, but every time I asked him he kept on coming. He raced really tough tonight.”
Trained by Jimmy Takter, Uncle Peter has now won four of 13 starts while bankrolling $380,112 this season for his connections of Christina Takter, Brixton Medical Ab, John and Jim Fielding, and Goran Falk. Sired by Cantab Hall, the four-year-old horse sent his career bankroll over the $1 million mark with the victory.
Captaintreacherous continued his winning ways in stunning fashion while taking the following $50,000 Jenna’s Beach Boy Invitational for three-year-old male pacers. The 2012 U.S. Pacer of the Year embraced his title as he made every call a winning one in his Hoosier Park debut and coasted across the wire four lengths in front in 1:49.4.
Leaving from post six in the seven-horse field, Captaintreacherous was sent away from the gate alertly by driver Tim Tetrick and reached the front in :26.3. Duel In The Sun and Yannick Gingras protected their rail position and followed along intently from the pocket. Thatll Be The Rei and Mike Micallef were along the rail in third, while Nitro and Ricky Macomber Jr. were next in fourth.
Captaintreacherous continued to call the shots through the second station in :55.4 while the field remained in single file alignment down the backside. Reaching the three-quarter mark in 1:23.3, Captaintreacherous once again put his raw talent on display and began to pace away from the field. Using a :26.1 final panel, Captaintreacherous appeared to be on cruise control as he crossed the wire four lengths in front of Duel In The Sun. Thatll Be The Rei battled gamely to finish third.
Sent off as the 1-9 favourite, Captaintreacherous did not disappoint his backers at the window and returned $2.10 for the victory.
Trained by Tony Alagna, the sophomore pacer has now won eight of nine starts this year and over $1.4 million in purse earnings for his connections at Captaintreacherous Racing.
“This race was a great fit for us,” Alagna noted of his stable stand-out. “It was an easy decision for the horse’s sake. He’s a competitive natured horse that needed some competition rather than just qualifying and when we had the opportunity to come back to the Midwest, we were eager to take it. I was glad to come back and not only showcase the horse, but tighten him up for his races in Lexington.”
While he visited the winner’s circle for the eighth time this season, Captaintreacherous was also racing for a cause. The connections of the harness racing superstar humbly agreed to donate 20 per cent of Captraintreacherous’ earnings from Saturday’s race to assist the Animal Protection League, a local non-profit organization that finds homes for unwanted animals in the community.
“This horse has been absolute pleasure to be a part of,” winning owner Joe Sbrocco noted. “We came here because this is what was best for the horse and being able to donate to a local charity made it all the better.”
Captaintreacherous, a son of 2008 Horse of the Year Somebeachsomewhere, is the first foal out of the lightly raced stakes-winning mare Worldly Treasure, who is a full sister to two-time Dan Patch Award-winner Worldly Beauty. His next appearance will be in Grand Circuit action at The Red Mile in Lexington, Kentucky.
“We decided to name this race the “Jenna’s Beach Boy” Invitational pace because when Jenna’s Beach Boy raced at Hoosier Park he brought national attention to Hoosier Park,” noted Hoosier Park’s vice president and general manager of racing, Rick Moore. “Captaintreacherous is doing that once again. This horse is not only a great athlete; he is a great ambassador for the sport."
Earlier in the night two-year-old pacing fillies Act Now and Southwind Silence won divisions of the Kentuckiana Stallion Management Stakes in matching 1:53.3 miles. Nikolas Drennan trainee Act Now ($11.60) and Ron Pierce won the first $138,300 division over the favoured Takter entry of Uffizi Hanover and Instant Respect. Fresh off her Pennsylvania Sires Stakes Championship win, the Yannick Gingras-driven Southwind Silence ($4.20) and fellow Ron Burke entrymate Allstar Rating finished 1-2 in their $139,550 split over longshot Magnifique.
(With files from Hoosier Park)