Hightstown, NJ – Swan Good Bi will say hello to the Grand Circuit for the first time in his budding career when the undefeated Indiana-bred trotter meets nine rivals in the $475,100 Grade 1 Peter Haughton Memorial, for 2-year-old colts and geldings, on Friday night (Sept. 18) at Harrah’s Hoosier Park.
Trained by Henry Graber Jr., Swan Good Bi is 5-for-5 this season, with all his races at Hoosier Park, and will head to the Haughton as the 8-5 morning-line favorite. Four of his five victories have come against exclusively state-bred competition, including three triumphs in preliminary legs of the Indiana Sire Stakes for freshman male trotters.
Graber also will send out a horse – Rbssouthwindcentra – in the night’s other Grade 1 event, the $483,350 Jim Doherty Memorial, for 2-year-old female trotters. Rbssouthwindcentra, who joined Graber’s stable in late August after making her first three starts for co-owner/trainer Ronald Burks, is 1-for-1 for her new connections and the 3-1 third choice on the morning line.
The official winner of each the Haughton and Doherty, if Breeders Crown eligible as of June 1, will advance directly to their respective Breeders Crown final at Eldorado Scioto Downs in October, with no entry fee, and entitled to draw for post 1 through 5.
Swan Good Bi, a son of Swan For All-Bange Bi, was a $30,000 yearling purchase at last fall’s Midwest Standardbred Horse Sale. He is owned by Indiana Stables, Frank Baldachino, Michael Rosenthal, and James Zito.
In his five starts this season, the gelding has shown the ability to win from both the front or from behind for Graber and driver Jordan Ross. He has won once gate-to-wire and twice when getting the lead on the way to the half. In his second race, Swan Good Bi came from seventh place at three-quarters, eight-lengths back, to win by three-quarters of a length in 1:55.2 thanks to a :26.4 kick home. He posted another :26.4 final quarter in his next start as he rallied from fifth to win in a career-best 1:55. He also has a :26.3 last quarter to his credit, which came in his most recent race on Aug. 22.
“Jordan has done it however he’s wanted to do it so far,” Graber said. “(Swan Good Bi) has raced any way, and he just tries his hardest. There were a couple of starts where he had to go :26.4 to get to the wire first, and that’s what he did.”
Swan Good Bi was scratched from a race on Sept. 2 at Hoosier Park, but Graber said, “We got the issue taken care of, and I think he’s ready to roll.” The trainer added that the earner of $83,250 this season has been a professional on the track from the beginning.
“We never put (ear) plugs in him until he qualified,” Graber said. “That’s the first time he ever wore anything. In the barn, he never runs out of energy, but on the track, he’s the complete opposite. Anybody could drive him. He just does his work, and he loves it.
“I feel we’re as good as anybody else in Indiana. He’s been pretty good to us.”
Swan Good Bi will leave from post 4 in the Haughton Memorial as he faces a number of out-of-state visitors.
Presidente, the 5-2 second choice, has won in 1:52 in the Kentucky Championship Series for trainer Nancy Takter and driver Scott Zeron and will start from post 5. Dream Shaq (driver Dexter Dunn, post 3, 7-2), Big Time Trot S (Yannick Gingras, post 8, 12-1), Yankee Boss (Tim Tetrick, post 9, 15-1), and Red Andray (Mike Wilder, second-tier post 10, 20-1) all have won on the Pennsylvania Stakes circuit while Southern Hanover (John DeLong, post 6, 9-1) has triumphed on the Grand Circuit.
In the Jim Doherty Memorial, Rbssouthwindcentra will leave from post 2 with David Miller in the sulky as she looks for her fourth win in five starts, but her first in stakes company. She posted two wins and a second in conditioned races at Hoosier Park for her previous connections before being purchased by Hillside Stables, Hickory Hollow Stables, Frank Baldachino, and Indiana Stables.
The daughter of Tactical Landing-Cocktails N Dreams heads to the Doherty off a 7-3/4-length 1:55.1 victory in a conditioned race (2-year-old fillies, non-winners of $30,000) on Sept. 7 at Eldorado Scioto Downs with Ronnie Gillespie in the sulky.
“She beat them like a good horse is supposed to beat a group in a class like that,” Graber said. “She was pretty impressive. I was very happy with her.”
Birr Castle is the 2-1 morning-line favorite in the Doherty after winning the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes championship on Sept. 7 at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania. She has four wins and a second in five starts and will leave from post 1 with Zeron driving for trainer Marcus Melander. Peaceful Way (G1) winner Athena’s Girl, another Melander trainee, is 5-2 and will go from post 4 with Dunn in the sulky.
“There are some pretty nice fillies in there, so she’s definitely going to have to take a step forward, but I think she can,” Graber said about Rbssouthwindcentra. “I’ve got confidence in her. She drew good, and she trained really good (Tuesday). We’ll see what happens.”
Rbssouthwindcentra is eligible to the Breeders Crown. Swan Good Bi is not Breeders Crown eligible.
“But we’re going for a lot of money, so if I get a check, I’ll be tickled,” Graber said.
Racing begins at 5:30 p.m. (EDT) at Harrah’s Hoosier Park. The Peter Haughton Memorial is race 11 and will be followed by the Jim Doherty Memorial. For free Hoosier Park past performances, click here.