Anderson, IN — Harrah’s Hoosier Park played host to a pair of Grade 1 events on Friday (Sept. 18), with local hero Swan Good Bi staying perfect on the season in the $475,100 Peter Haughton Memorial, for 2-year-old trotting colts, and Birr Castle heading a Marcus Melander-trained trifecta in the $483,350 Jim Doherty Memorial, for rookie trotting fillies.
In the Haughton, Swan Good Bi and driver Jordan Ross left from post 4 as the 9-2 second choice, next to Presidente (Scott Zeron), who was enlisted as the 2-5 favorite. The two left as a team off the wings, with Presidente crossing over in front of Swan Good Bi to take the field of 10 to the opening quarter in :27.1. Zeron grabbed into Presidente on the backstretch, slowing the pace down to a :57.1 half while Dream Shaq (Dexter Dunn) led the outer flow from fourth. Presidente began to get separation around the final turn, opening up by 3 lengths at three-quarters in 1:25.1 while Swan Good Bi continued to give chase in second.
Turning for home, Swan Good Bi began to eat into the deficit, tipping out for the drive to take aim at Presidente. Gathering steam with a :27.3 final quarter, Swan Good Bi grabbed racetrack despite drifting out in the lane and surging past Presidente to score the victory by 1-1/2 lengths in 1:53.2. Yankee Boss (Tim Tetrick) rallied from the backfield to be third, with Ponda Cheetah (Marcus Miller) rounding out the superfecta at 70-1.
Henry Graber Jr. trains the Grade 1-winning Swan Good Bi, who is six-for-six to begin his career. Ernie Lambright bred the gelded son of Swan For All-Bange Bi, who was a $30,000 yearling buy at the 2025 Midwest Standardbred Yearling Sale for owners Indiana Stables LLC, Frank Baldachino, Michael Rosenthal and James Zito. Swan Good Bi boasts a career bankroll of $320,800 following the career-best effort, with the 1:53.2 clocking matching the track record for 2-year-old trotting geldings established in 2021 by Dover In Motion. Swan Good Bi paid $11.40 to win.
In the very next race, Birr Castle got the best of a three-way Marcus Melander-trained battle to the wire with Scott Zeron in the sulky in the Jim Doherty Memorial.
Leaving from the rail as the 3-2 second choice, Birr Castle got away in third while Two Day Hangover (Mattias Melander) quickly crossed over to the cones from the outside and was under fire from Athena’s Girl (Dexter Dunn) who pressed on to her outside through a :27.3 first split. Athena’s Girl took command moving onto the backstretch, with the Melander trainees in firm control first through third en route to the half in :57.1. Birr Castle tipped off the pylons moving into the final turn, charging into second on the outside while Athena’s Girl brought the fillies to three-quarters in 1:26.
Birr Castle raced at the Dunn wheel at the head of the lane while Athena’s Girl drifted off the cones, allowing Two Day Hangover to advance up the inside. The fillies slugged it out from there, with Birr Castle taking flight in the final stages with a :27.1 last quarter and win by a neck in 1:53.2. Two Day Hangover was up for second along the inside, with Athena’s Girl third just a half length back of the winner.
Birr Castle has won five of six races to begin her career, with her lone defeat a runner-up effort in a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes event at Pocono Downs. The Pheasant Hill Farm homebred daughter of Captain Corey-Melania pushed her career earnings to $476,356 following the career-best effort.
With the win, Birr Castle earned an automatic bid to the Breeders Crown final at Eldorado Scioto Downs on Friday, Oct. 23, as part of the “Win & You’re In” incentive. Birr Castle paid $5.20 to win.
Earlier in the program, Dancingdreamer, driven by Dexter Dunn for trainer Tyler George, wired the field in an impressive outing to win the $78,750 Hoosier Cup Final for Indiana-sired 3-year-old pacing colts.
Scoring from post 4, Dancingdreamer made quick work of the five-horse field to the first turn in 26:4 with the post-time favorite Swiss Lights (Trace Tetrick) just behind the leader. Dancingdreamer kept the rest of the field on the same number to the halfway mark in :55.2. Aces And Cinches (Kyle Wilfong) was the first to flinch along the outside, going first-over on the leader from fourth. Dancingdreamer stayed in rhythm at the helm through the three-quarters in 1:23.2. Down the stretch, Aces And Cinches took aim at the leader up the middle with Swiss Lights to his left and What Nooo Waaay (John De Long) on the far outside. Dancingdreamer never gave them another chance as he powered home to the wire with a :25.3 kicker home to trip the beam in 1:49.0 by 2-3/4 lengths. Swiss Lights claimed second, while What Nooo Waaay charged into third.
The Rockin Image colt is owned by Desyllas Racing LLC, William Beck and Jeffery Eckburg. Dancingdreamer was bred by Luckiana Farm. The 3-year-old boosted his lifetime earnings to $344,130 for his fourth win of the year.
Live racing at Harrah’s Hoosier Park concludes for the week on Saturday (Sept. 19) with a 13-race program set to kick off at 5:30 p.m. Harrah’s Hoosier Park will be dark on Tuesday, Sept. 22; however, the race office will be busy with the draw of the Grade 2 Caesars Trotting Classic, presented by Kountry Lane Standardbreds, which headlines a stakes laden-card on Friday, Sept. 25.
For more information on the live racing season at Harrah’s Hoosier Park, visit www.harrahshoosierpark.com.