Anderson, IN – Turning on the jets down the stretch, Crooked Smile, driven by Jordan Ross for trainer Timothy Wilson Jr., took flight late to earn a trip to the winner’s circle in the $22,000 Open Pace at Harrah’s Hoosier Park Racing & Casino on Friday (May 8).
Taking back from post 4, Crooked Smile settled into fifth in the field of seven while Little Rocket Man (Kyle Wilfong) was the most eager, leading the field at the first quarter in :28.1 in the sloppy going. With action beginning to heat up on the backstretch, M-M-S Bud (LeWayne Miller) climbed up the ranks from the middle of the seven-horse field to challenge the leader first-over. Following closely behind, Crooked Smile took the opportunity to move into fourth following the live cover. A change in leader was in order, as M-M-S Bud grabbed a narrow lead on the outside to the half in :58.
Nearing the three-quarter pole, the field grew scattered as the gap increased between the rest of the pacers and the top four positioned horses, M-M-S Bud, Little Rocket Man, Coach Stefanos (Marcus Miller), and Crooked Smile. Hitting three-quarters in 1:24.4, Little Rocket Man continued to exchange the lead with M-M-s Bud as the duo battled up front. Trailing tightly behind, Coach Stefanos traveled along the rail with Crooked Smile continuing to linger to his outside in fourth.
Down the stretch, post time favorite Coach Stefanos took his opportunity to challenge the leaders, squeezing between M-M-S Bud and Little Rocket Man. The excitement did not falter as Crooked Smile joined the party on the outside, making it a four-wide battle between the pacers setting up a wild finish. Crooked Smile continued to press down on the accelerator, pacing home in :27 to soar to the lead late and win by a length in 1:52.2. M-M-S Bud held in for second with Coach Stefanos getting up for third.
Smiling all the way to a packed winner’s circle, the 9-year-old is owned by Wilson Racing Stable Inc. and Turn For Home Racing LLC. Increasing his lifetime earnings to $648,338 and a third win in 2026, Crooked Smile paid $23.60 to win.
Earlier in the card in race 7, Tellmeaboutit, driven by LeWayne Miller for trainer Alvin Miller, broke the million-dollar barrier for lifetime earnings in winning style, taking down the $18,000 Open 2-3 Pace at Hoosier on Friday by a 1-1/4 lengths margin.
Quick out the gate in post 4, Tellmeaboutit took the early lead, meeting the first turn with a :27 tempo. Making an early move in the backstretch, Sanday A (Trace Tetrick) swapped positions with Tellmeaboutit to take the lead at the halfway point, timed in :56.1. Sanday A held the lead at the three-quarter turn in 1:24.4, followed closely by the new runner-up Naturally Gifted A (Atlee Bender) followed by Tellmeaboutit. Down the stretch, Tellmeaboutit regained the positions he lost earlier in the race, exploding to the wire in 1:52.2.
Tellmeaboutit is owned by Twila Harts and Alvin Miller. The 10-year-old boosted his lifetime earnings to $1,008,294, joining the millionaire club with his 40th career victory. He paid $15.20 to win.
Live racing continues at Hoosier tomorrow night (May 9) with a 14-race card featuring the $7,500 Guaranteed Late Pick 4 and the $7,500 guaranteed Late Hoosier High 5. First post is set for 5:30 p.m.