Suprizemeagain became the fastest two-year-old ever at Hoosier Park Saturday, July 12 during the final night of harness racing for 2008.
Guided by the track's leading driver, Trace Tetrick, Suprizemeagain cruised home to victory in the first race of the evening in a time of 1:52.1, beating the old mark of 1:52.4 set in 2002 by Fast Freddie Mojo.
Starting from post six in the 10-horse field, Suprizemeagain eased to the front for Tetrick to establish the first quarter-mile mark in :27. CL Earl and Roger Cullipher quickly moved forward, leading the way past the half in :55. Lightning McQueen and Walter Haynes Jr. were also in the mix as the field approached the three-quarter mile marker in 1:24.1.
In the stretch, Suprizemeagain moved out and easily passed the opposition to coast home to a six-length lead at the wire, his third win in three tries for 2008. I Scoot For Cash and Don Eash closed from behind for second. Square John and Brad Hanners also closed well for third.
The only two-year-old in the field, Suprizemeagain now has more than $20,000 in earnings. The son of Western Hero is trained by Shawn Nessa and owned by his wife, Angie, along with Bart Seales and PBV Me ASAP Horse Stable made up of Karen Thoele, Bryant Probst, and Dean Vahling, all of Illinois.
"This colt (Suprizemeagain) has been good from day one," said Nessa, who is a former state wrestling champ in Iowa. "He's been good gaited and doesn't wear any boots, and he's great to work around. I almost staked him to the Woodrow Wilson, but I had another one in there and decided not to. I wish I had of now."
Suprizemeagain is staked to several smaller events, including the Evolution, the Hayes, and the American National. He won the $27,600 Hanover Stake at Balmoral in his first career start in a time of 1:54.2, his best before his performance at Hoosier Park.
"He's (Suprizemeagain) a very nice colt with a lot of speed," said Tetrick. "He drives like an old horse. You can drive him with two fingers. He was strong through the wire tonight. Shawn told me about a month and a half ago he had a nice colt, but he hadn't even qualified him yet. He's the real deal. He's the fastest Indiana-bred two-year-old I've ever sat behind."
Suprizemeagain joins a strong cast of horses from the Nessa barn in recent years. Based at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds in southern Illinois, Nessa has also campaigned such greats as Fox Valley Deja, Pujols, Fox Valley Barzgar, who went on to win six of eight starts as a two-year-old including the $400,000 Woodrow Wilson at The Meadowlands after being sold from Nessa's Stable.
Nessa began training horses with his late father, John, following a short stint at Iowa State, where he was granted a full-ride scholarship as a wrestler. Nessa left school to pursue his love of harness racing. The Nessa family later moved to southern Illinois to train full-time. Nessa's mother, Norie, still helps out in the barn.
(Hoosier)