Anderson, IN – Apex and driver Dexter Dunn proved to be top dogs in the $368,950 Grade 1 Peter Haughton Memorial, for 2-year-old male trotters, at Harrah’s Hoosier Park on Friday (Sept. 12). The “Win and You’re In” event for the Breeders Crown highlighted a 15-race card with nearly $1.5 million in purses and also featured the $464,400 Grade 1 Jim Doherty Memorial, for freshman female trotters, won by Atlantic Summer by the narrowest of margins on the stakes-filled night.
Apex was made the 2-5 favorite by the bettors, leaving from post two in a scratched-down field of nine rookie male trotters. Dunn landed Apex in the third position on the first turn while Magic Punk (Ake Svanstedt) hustled off the wings to grab command with Mr Big Spender (Mike Wilder) in the pocket through a quarter of :27.2. The tempo slowed on the backstretch with Magic Punk left alone to a half of :57.1 when Dunn had seen enough and tipped his Marcus Melander trainee off the cones. Apex moved into second on the final turn, racing at the leader’s wheel as Magic Punk got to three-quarters first in 1:26.1.
The sprint was on, with Magic Punk briefly getting away from Apex at the top of the stretch, allowing Apex to tuck back into the pocket briefly before looking to slingshot by late. Motoring home in :27.1, a refreshed Apex took aim late and surged in front of Magic Punk in the final stages by a half-length to score in 1:53.3. Mr Big Spender held for the show position, with Hawt Yoga (Ricky Macomber Jr.) rounding out the super at 99-1.
“He really couldn’t have done it any easier,” Dunn said in the winner’s circle. “He just keeps getting better and better through experiences like this. He got out of the gate really well, took a helmet, moved out, was able to tuck back in, and then he finishes the miles so impressively.”
A winner now in five of seven lifetime races, Apex has yet to miss the board in his career while banking $456,575 for owners Jeffrey Snyder, S R F Stable, and Steve Stewart. The royally bred colt by Walner out of the world champion mare Mission Brief was bred by Mission Brief Stable and sold for $525,000 at last fall’s Standardbred Horse Sale.
The victory was the second consecutive for Dunn and Melander in the Peter Haughton Memorial, having teamed up with Maryland to take the 2024 edition.
In the filly counterpart, the photo-finish camera was needed to determine Atlantic Summer and driver Ronnie Wrenn Jr. the winner in the Jim Doherty Memorial.
Saddled with the outside post nine in the field of 10, Atlantic Summer wasted little time crossing over to the cones, as the 6-1 shot surged to an early lead through a quarter of :27.3. Once on the backstretch, pocket-sitter and 4-5 favorite Lainey W (Scott Zeron) grabbed control before taking the fillies to the halfway point in a tepid :58. Atlantic Summer found herself pinned in the pocket on the final turn as Westwinds Yahtzee (Kyle Wilfong), who had been parked every step of the mile, raced outside of her in third with Lainey W leading to three-quarters in 1:27.
Lainey W continued to face pressure from a relentless Westwinds Yahtzee to her outside, with Atlantic Summer in desperate need for racing room midway through the lane. The room came to Atlantic Summer as Lainey W drifted just enough off the cones to allow the Ron Burke trainee to fire through the gap, trotting home in :28.2 to nail Lainey W by a nose on the wire in 1:55.4. Westwinds Yahtzee held for third at 23-1, with Creator (Dunn) rounding out the super behind a wall of fillies.
“She’s incredibly handy and good gaited,” said Wrenn Jr. in the winner’s circle. “She’s got great ability off the gate to get position; I steadied her a little around the last turn and luckily got a little room in the stretch to get up.”
Owned by Burke Racing Stable, James Simpson, Lawrence Karr and Weaver Bruscemi LLC., Atlantic Summer notched the second win of her career while amassing a record of 6-2-1-2. Bred by Winning Key Inc., the daughter of Captain Corey-Perfect Summer K was a $50,000 purchase at last year’s Harrisburg sale and has now banked $308,397 following her career-best effort.
Streaks Extended in Stakes Filled Undercard
Beyond the two Grade 1 events, Harrah’s Hoosier Park hosted the penultimate leg of Indiana Sire Stakes for both divisions of 2-year-old pacers and 3-year-old trotters, along with the $84,750 Hoosier Cup, and many of the state’s biggest names delivered powerhouse performances.
In the Hoosier Cup for Indiana-sired sophomore pacers, it was Rock Shines Again who remained perfect through 11 starts on the year, narrowly fending off his Tyler George stablemate, Somemore Soaring to do so.
Rock Shines Again and pilot Trace Tetrick left aggressively from post seven, pacing around his stablemate Somemore Soaring (Dunn) on the first turn through a quarter of :27.1 before Deal The Odds (Joey Putnam) charged from third to snatch the lead away at the half in :54.4. Rock Shines Again squeezed out from behind the leader at three-quarters in 1:23 and the 1-9 favorite grabbed what appeared to be a commanding lead with an eighth of a mile to go. However, Somemore Soaring shook loose late after being marred in traffic troubles, surging late but coming up a quarter-length short of his stablemate in 1:49.4. Special Pete (Dave Miller) was third after a first-over grind at 33-1.
Owned by Ricky Redder and T G Stable, the winning son of Rockin Image-Bikini Star has earned $172,625 on the season after going winless in 11 starts at age 2.
Just a few races earlier, On To Norway extended his win streak to 14 on the season with a 1:53.1 front-end score for driver John DeLong in the $50,000 first ISS split for 3-year-old male trotters. Leaving from the outside post eight as the 1-20 favorite, On To Norway got away fourth through a quarter of :27.1, before moving to the lead through middle-half fractions of :57.1 and 1:26.1 before coasting home a winner by a measured three-parts of a length over Mehelpingyou (Dunn) and Massive Desire (Tetrick).
The gelded son of Muscle Massive-One Class Act is trained by Ron Burke and has only tasted defeat in his first start this season before reeling off his current win streak, banking $239,719 on the season for owners Burke Racing Stable, Frank Baldachino, Black And White Stable and Michael Rosenthal.
The $50,500 second division for sophomore male trotters went to 1-5 favorite Operator and driver Kyle Wilfong with a pocket-rocket score in 1:52.2 over a game Eugene The Genius (Dunn) and hard charging Major Velocity (Brad Ferguson). The Jay Hochstetler-trained gelded son of You Know You Do-Crazyasclassic has won half of his eight starts, with three runner-up finishes while banking $121,500 on the season for owners Connie and Homer Hochstetler, Robert Buddig, and Allen Schwartz.
Two-year-old pacing filly Somemore Blue (Marcus Miller) also stayed perfect through seven career outings, taking the second $66,500 division of Indiana Sire Stakes for rookie fillies. Somemore Blue quarter-moved to the lead after a quarter of :27.1, having things her way through middle-half fractions of :56.2 and 1:25.2 before fending off Milliondollarimage (Jordan Ross) by a half-length in a career best 1:51.3. Erv Miller trains the winning daughter of Rockin Image-Misssomebeach Blue who has earned $184,111 for owners Doug Overhiser, Kenneth Duffy, Lava Java Stable and Never 2 Late Stable.
The first split for pacing fillies was won by Whoomp (DeLong) by 2-1/4 lengths over Cruisen Halle (Wilfong) after a perfect pocket trip as the even-money favorite. The Roger Welch-trained homebred daughter of Rockin Image-Nightcap has won five of 10 on the year, earning $90,351 for owners William, Patrick and Jesse DeLong.
The lone $130,500 division for sire stakes for 2-year-old male pacers was won by 1-20 favorite Odds On Mr Mamba on the heels of his track-record-equaling performance. Dunn hopped in the bike for the first time with the gelded son of Odds On Equuleus-Honky Tonk Woman, grabbing a pocket trip before coasting home a geared down 2-1/2 length winner over pacesetter Dancingdreamer (Dave Miller) in 1:50. Melanie Wrenn trains the Odds On Racing homebred, who has now won four of five career tries while banking $109,530.
Martz Seven (Wilfong) led the way in the first of two $50,500 divisions for 3-year-old trotting fillies, storming home from third-over with a :27.1 final quarter to track down A Million Dances (Mike Oosting) in a 1:53.2 score. Walter Haynes Jr. trains last year’s $250,000 Super Final winner, who has won four of 11 on the year and $118,778 seasonally for owners Stephen Stoll and Black And White Stables. Martz Creek Farm and Roman Stoll bred the daughter of Swan For All-La Mirada.
Fifty To Win (Marcus Miller) rebounded from a pair of defeats in her last two to win at 6-5 in the second division for trotting fillies, methodically working to the lead from the outside post eight before crushing by two lengths over 22-1 shot Bluebird Lola (DeLong) in 1:54.3. Erv Miller trains the daughter of Fiftydallarbill-Be Winnin for owners Doug Overhiser, Macomber Racing and M&M Racing. Fifty To Win has won five of 10 on the year while racking up seasonal earnings of $106,227.
The week of racing concludes with a 14-race card on Saturday (Sept. 13) with a first post of 5:30 p.m.
For more information on the upcoming entertainment or live racing schedule at Harrah’s Hoosier Park, please visit www.harrahshoosierpark.com.