Anderson, IN — Door Dash, driven by Kevin Lambright for trainer Trent Stohler, left the field stunned Friday evening (June 12), pulling off a monster upset to win the $95,000 second leg of Indiana Sire Stakes for 3-year-old colt and gelding pacers at Harrah’s Hoosier Park.
Slotted in post 1, Door Dash elected to put in a bid for an earlier lead before What Nooo Waaay (John De Long) crossed over to command the field of eight through a :26.3 opening quarter. Door Dash and King Tellit (Jay Cross) tightly followed in second and third, respectively.
Along the backstretch, the pacers remained unchanged with What Nooo Waaay leading the charge. Growing restless, Mystical Rock It (LeWayne Miller) pulled from fourth and challenged the leading trio along the outside, while the back of the field raced to the half in :55.1.
The post time 1-9 favorite Swiss Lights (Trace Tetrick) had to navigate a breaking Dancingdreamer (Marcus Miller) on the backstretch, moving around the interference to give chase in fifth on the far turn. What Nooo Waaay held strong to the three-quarters in 1:22.4 while Door Dash stalked from the pocket in second.
Door Dash took aim at the leader turning for home, tipping from the two hole and moving alongside What Nooo Waaay. Battling a tough trip earlier in the race, Swiss Lights moved into second but Door Dash was gone on the lead midway through the lane. Rocketing home in :26, the 41-1 longshot completed his delivery with time to spare, three lengths clear at the wire in 1:49.1. Swiss Lights rallied for second while Aces And Cinches (Kyle Wilfong) got up for third.
Door Dash is a Rockin Image gelding bred and owned by Trent Stohler Stable Inc., Benjamin Graber and Tim Graber. Door Dash rocketed his lifetime earnings to $60,650 for his third win of the season, paying $85.00 to win.
Directly following the stake race, M-M-s Bud, driven by John De Long for trainer Alvin Miller, reclaimed the $22,000 Open Pace, reaching the winner’s circle with a career-best effort.
Out of the gate quickly from post 5, M-M-s Bud battled the post time favorite Golden Bay N (Trace Tetrick), who eventually claimed the early advantage. Golden Bay N met the first quarter in :26.1 to show the way. Single file, the unchanged field sat behind the leader through a :54.3 half. M-M-s Bud sat patiently in the pocket seat through a 1:22.2 third panel.
Not long down the stretch, Golden Bay N could not keep the pace as M-M-s Bud seized the opportunity, gliding past the leader. Coach Stefanos (Marcus Miller) took aim with his usual late rally from the backfield but could not reel in M-M-s Bud, who stopped the timer in a lifetime best 1:48.4. Coach Stefanos was three parts of a length back in second, while Crooked Smile (Jordan Ross) snagged third.
The 5-year-old M-M-s Bud is owned by Ted Comerford, Alvin Miller and Marvin Schwartz. The Tellitlikeitis gelding boosted his earnings to $366,821 with his fourth seasonal win. M-M-s Bud paid $5.80 to win.
The second round of Indiana Sire Stakes action wraps up Saturday night (June 13) with a $94,500 division for 3-year-olds pacing fillies, slated as race 10. Saturday’s card will feature a $7,500 guaranteed Late Pick 4 and a $7,500 guaranteed Hoosier High 5, offered in partnership with the USTA’s Strategic Wagering Program. First post is set for 5:30 p.m.
Hoosier Park’s Saturday card will share the national spotlight with Mohawk’s Pepsi North America Cup as part of the Fox Sports live broadcast. The program will air on Fox Sports 2 from 8-10 p.m. before switching to Fox Sports 1 from 10-11 p.m. Locals will cheer on the Indiana sensation Odds On Mr Mamba in the million dollar feature north of the border.