by Tammy Knox, Publicity Director, Hoosier Park

D W fought off rivals and swept to the front in deep stretch to take the 2006 season opener Saturday, April 1 at Hoosier Park. Driven to victory by 19-year-old Trace Tetrick, the duo completed the mile in 1:56.3 to start off the 60-day Standardbred meet.

“I thought we had the win at the eighth pole,” said Tetrick. “He (D W) is a very nice horse. I didn’t find out until right before the race started that I would have the opportunity to drive him. He was a good fit in this class of horses. He qualified really well last week in preparation for tonight.”

The win by D W did not come easy. From the second tier, the four-year-old got away in seventh place around the first turn. Taking the lead past the grandstand was Sheldonian N and driver Elliott Deaton. They were able to clear and get to the first-quarter in :27.3.

Along the backside, Parklanewonderful, with driver Michael Peterson, went first over to capture the lead. Following strong on his back was Casino Charlie and driver Brian Carpenter. Parklanewonderful and Casino Charlie grouped up and pulled away from the field, hitting the half-mile marker in :57.1.

Not showing any sign of slowing down, Parklanewonderful held the front position heading around the far turn. D W swung three-wide at the top of the stretch while sitting in the fifth spot. However, it was still Parklanewonderful getting the best of the group, flying to the third quarter in 1:27.3.

In the stretch drive, Sheldonian N moved right back from his first-quarter heroics to overtake the lead by a nose over up and coming challenger D W. Townations Home and driver Walter Haynes Jr. also made a bid for the front.

At the sixteenth pole, Tetrick asked D W for more and the Dream Work gelding did not let him down, getting to the wire first for the win. Finishing a close second was Townations Home. Springhouse’ndixie and driver Josh Sutton rallied to get up for third.

D W returned $9.00, $5.20, and $4.00 for the victory. The win was the first of the season in four starts for D W. The hard earned victory was also the first for Tetrick in his debut at the Anderson, Ind. track. D W is owned and trained by defending Hoosier Park co-leading trainer Dan Perdue of Greenville, Ohio.

“I am just trying to follow in my family’s footsteps,” said the young and talented Tetrick. “I started riding ponies in the second grade. I raced at the fairs in Illinois last season. My brother, Tim, started out driving here, so I thought this would be a good place for me to start also.”

Tetrick and his brother, Tom “T”, currently oversee 15 horses for the family operation based out of Geff, Ill.

Macomber Scores Triple Opening Night

Ricky Macomber Jr. got off to a super start Saturday, April 1, winning three on the 13-race season opener. Macomber finished fourth in the standings in 2005 and is ranked seventh on the list of all-time leading drivers at Hoosier Park.

Macomber kicked off his night with a win in the evening’s second race. Kris-A-Character, trained by Mickey Burke, covered the mile in 1:57.0 to win his first race of 2006.

Macomber returned to the winner’s circle in the seventh race, guiding Skyway Falcon to victory. The ten-year-old Falcon Almahurst gelding used a smart closing move to win the event by a head. The victory gave Burke his second of the evening.

The final win for Macomber was recorded in the ninth race. Looby Bluegrass emerged between horses for the victory in the final steps of the claiming event. Brian Hauck trains the eight-year-old Kipling Hanover gelding.

Macomber, a native of South Florida, competed at Pompano Park earlier this winter before relocating to Canada. He returned to Hoosier Park this spring. Macomber began driving in 1997 and has been a mainstay among the top ten drivers each year.

Nowthat’saplanman captures Mini Series
By Ryan Hubbard

photo by Jim Linscott

Nowthat’saplanman captured the first leg of the $10,000 Mini Series Saturday, April 1 at Hoosier Park.

Nowthat’saplanman and trainer-driver Joe Putnam returned to their normal form to capture the first leg of the $10,000 Mini Series Saturday, April 1 at Hoosier Park. The win came in gate-to-wire fashion as the three-year-old won in a lifetime best, pacing the mile in 1:54.4 in front of a crowd of 2,859 patrons.

“He (Nowthat’saplanman) has returned to his regular self,” said Putnam. “He had really good gate speed tonight. He is still learning how to race on the front-end and is working on his closing ability also.”

Nowthat’saplanman created the single-file formation that formed at the beginning of the race. Taking the field of 11 into the opening quarter, Nowthat’saplanman received a straight shot that set up in his favor. The first-quarter was clocked in :28.0.

Under no pressure going down the backstretch, Nowthat’saplanman sat comfortably in the lead. Following in second was Topville Dynamite and driver Michael Peterson. The group was still strung out, passing the half-mile pole in :57.4.

Making the first bid for the front around the far turn was Intendto’s Majesty and driver Johnny Shoffner. However Nowthat’saplanman showed no sign of exhaustion. He was able to keep the competition behind him, clocking three-quarters in 1:26.4.

In the stretch, Putnam used his patient drive to his advantage, as he didn’t have to push Nowthat’saplanman to use any more energy than what he had to. The Wrath Of Pan product coasted to victory. Genuine Mattjic and driver Ricky Macomber Jr. finished second. Model Rellim and driver Neil Coleman rallied in deep stretch, finishing third.

Nowthat’saplanman paid $13.60, $5.20, and $2.60 for the win. This was the first start of the season for the Indiana-sired colt. Last season, he won nine straight races in 13 starts. Nowthat’saplanman is owned by Brenda Conkright and Merle Yoder.

“If everything goes well after tonight, I plan on taking him (Nowthat’saplanman) into the Indiana Sires Stakes next week,” said Putnam. “I kind of used tonight as a prep race. This was a really good first start for him tonight.”