Anderson, IN – Operator, driven by Marcus Miller for trainer Jay Hochstetler, spoiled a seven-race win streak on his stablemate, Ponda Jet, to claim the $22,000 Open Trot at Harrah’s Hoosier Park on Wednesday (April 22) as the 3-2 second choice.
Flashing speed from post six, Operator landed in the pocket spot as Ponda Jet (driven by Kyle Wilfong) went to his usual position on the point. Trotting to the quarter in :27.1, Ponda Jet grabbed control of the field of seven while Flagman (Rick Plano) stalked the Hochstetler trainees from third.
Trotting down the backstretch, the field raced single file behind Ponda Jet, marking the halfway point in :56.2. The field remained unchanged as Ponda Jet reached three-quarters in 1:25.4, still closely tailed by Operator.
Itching to turn the tables from a week ago, Operator ripped out of the pocket to take aim at the leader. Working the outside, Operator this time would move alongside Ponda Jet, accelerating past his stablemate. Meanwhile, the close trailers, Flagman, Finite (Trace Tetrick), and Flirtnwiththepilot (Peter Wrenn) transitioned to three-wide in a battle for third.
Operator continued to step on the gas, flying through the wire in 1:53.3, 2-1/4 lengths clear for his first win of the season in three tries. Finite found another gear to finish second between rivals, while Ponda Jet and Flagman split third after a dead-heat finish.
A 4-year-old You Know You Do gelding, Operator is owned by Connie Hochstetler, Homer Hochstetler, Robert Buddig, and Allen Schwartz. Operator boosted his lifetime earnings to $358,080 and paid $5 to win.
Live racing returns Thursday (April 23) at Harrah’s Hoosier Park. The 14-race card is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. (EDT) post time.