Anderson, IN — Indiana’s top 3-year-old trotters and 2-year-old male pacers wrapped up their preliminary Indiana Sires Stakes competition at Harrah’s Hoosier Park on Thursday (Oct. 7), and all of the evening’s winners stamped tickets to compete in Oct. 15’s season-culminating $2 million Hoosier Champions Night.

Shirley Goodness gave trainer Melanie Wrenn and driver Peter Wrenn half of their Indiana Sires Stakes double on Thursday at Harrah’s Hoosier Park. Dean Gillette Photography.

Trainer Melanie Wrenn, who sent two horses to post, scored a stakes double. Shirley Goodness and driver Peter Wrenn converted a pocket trip into a 1:53 lifetime best win over the heavily favored Swift Swanda (Trace Tetrick) in the first division for 3-year-old trotting fillies. The Swan For All-Stirling Debutant filly has now won nine of 20 lifetime starts for owners Bill Beechy, Bradley Maxwell, and Kenneth Frieder.

Team Wrenn found the winner’s circle again later in the program with 3-year-old trotting colt Swingforthefences. David McDuffee and L&L DeVisser LLC’s Swan For All-Sunday Yankee gelding lived up to favored billing and equaled his 1:53.2 lifetime mark by way of a gate-to-wire effort.

Divisional leader Brookview Bolt turned in an impressive effort of his own to capture the first split for 3-year-old trotting colts and geldings. With regular pilot Sam Widger in the bike, Brookview Bolt tracked down his rivals with :27.4 stretch speed and scored in 1:54.3 by four lengths, earning his eighth win in 13 seasonal starts. Trained by Ron Burke trains the Swan For All-Witty’s winner gelding for Burke Racing, Knox Services, J&T Silva-Purnel & Libby, and Weaver Bruscemi.

Queen of All sprang a 7-1 upset in the other $47,500 division for sophomore trotting fillies. John DeLong gave the daughter of Swan For All and Ecstatic a pocket trip, which she used to score a new lifetime best of 1:54 for trainer Doug Rideout and the partnership of Julie Rideout, Peter Schmucker and Glider Stables.

DeLong, who had four winners on the evening’s program, also won with Thunder Country in the second division for 2-year-old male pacers. Finding late racing room up the inside and using a :26.2 closing quarter, the Rockin Image—Happy Feet Too gelding found the finish line first and stopped the timer in 1:51.2, recording his third lifetime victory from 14 starts for trainer Michelle Finn and owner Ervin Wickey.

Gentle Giant turned in a decisive effort to go gate to wire in the first division for rookie pacers, stopping the timer in a lifetime best 1:50.4. Trace Tetrick drove the son of JK Endofanera and Miss Liz to his second win in nine starts for trainer Brian Brown and the partnership of Country Club Acres, Acadia Farms, Joe Sbrocco, and In The Gym & Lombardo Racing.

All the evening’s winners will return to compete for divisional honors next Friday (Oct. 15) at Harrah’s Hoosier Park. The top 10 point earners from each division will be showcased in the $250,000 Indiana Sires Stakes Super Finals; fields and post positions for the Super Finals will be drawn on Tuesday, October 12. For more information on the upcoming entertainment and live racing schedule, visit www.harrahshoosierpark.com.