Hoosier Park Racing & Casino will highlight the first half of the 2016 harness racing season as the stakes action heats up on Tuesday, August 2 with Indiana’s finest trotters and pacers convening on Hoosier Park’s seven-eighths mile oval for Hoosier Champions Night.
The evening will feature five $75,000 Indiana Sires Stakes finals with the other three divisions happening later in the week at Hoosier Park.
With the fields now established, the 14-race card on Tuesday will be a star-studded program with the top contenders from each division set to battle it out. The first race will line up behind the starting gate at 5:45 p.m. This will mark the third round of the $75,000 finals for the three-year-old competitors and the second round of $75,000 finals for the freshman competitors.
The freshman filly pacers will kick off the stakes action for the evening with a talented group of ten in the $75,000 Indiana Sires Stakes final. Rockin Serena and Trace Tetrick will look to make a clean sweep of the second round of the stakes action as they won their elimination handily in 1:54.1 last week. Starting from post three, Rockin Serena has been installed as the 2-1 morning line choice for trainer Melanie Wrenn. The daughter of Rockin Image-Day Lily Hanover has won two of three lifetime starts, including the first $75,000 final for her division.
In the three-year-old pacing filly ranks, sophomore standout Seventimesavirgin will look to keep her winning streak alive in the $75,000 Indiana Sires Stakes final from post four. The homebred daughter of Always A Virgin-Mrs Grant Seven has dominated the pacing filly ranks in the state this season as she has won six of seven starts in 2016 for driver-trainer John DeLong. Rockalina, who re-established the Hoosier Park track record for three-year-old pacing fillies with a 1:50.1 score in her elimination last week, will start from post five for trainer Tyler George.
Fly Jesse Fly will also put a winning streak on the line in the $75,000 Indiana Sires Stakes final for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings with driver Trace Tetrick in the bike from post five. Trained by Ron Otto, Fly Jesse Fly has won three consecutive races at Hoosier Park while also re-establishing the track record for three-year-old trotting geldings two weeks ago with a 1:53.2 romp. Starting from post five, Fly Jesse Fly has been tabbed as the morning line choice in the field at odds of 8-5.
The two-year-old pacing colt $75,000 Indiana Sires Stake final appears to be one of the most wide open events on the program. Slated as the 13th race on the evening, On The Virg and driver Eric Goodell will look to rebound after a second place finish, his first loss of the season, in the elimination last week at Hoosier Park. Trained by Jim Dailey, On The Virg will start from post four, enlisted at 4-1 on the morning line. Meadowbrook Tiger, a 1:52.3 winner in his elimination last week, will look to score his second consecutive victory and fourth of the season from post three with driver LeWayne Miller.
Rounding out the stakes action for the evening will be the three-year-old pacing colt division featuring a talented field of ten set to go postward for $75,000. Bourbon Chase will play the role of morning line choice and rightfully so; the three-year-old colt has won six of eight outings this season and most recently established a new lifetime best with a 1:50.4 score in his elimination last week at Hoosier Park. Trained, driven and co-owned by Dan Shetler, the three-year-old gelded son of Palone Ranger will start from post seven.
Revamped in 2014, the Indiana Sires Stakes program features five legs throughout the season, and from each leg, the top 20 horses return to compete in a $75,000 final and a $25,000 consolation. The 2016 stakes season will culminate with the top ten horses from each of the previous $75,000 finals returning to compete in a $200,000 Super Final on October 15 at Hoosier Park. With purses leaning toward the $2 million mark, the 14-race card slated for October 15 will be one of the richest nights offered in the Indiana Sires Stakes program.
Live harness racing at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino will follow a Tuesday through Saturday schedule. With a daily racing post time of 5:45 p.m., the 160-day harness racing season will be conducted through November 12.
(with files from Hoosier)