On To Norway heads Caesars Trotting Classic field

Anderson, IN — The stage is set for one of Harrah’s Hoosier Park’s signature nights on Friday (Sept. 25), with more than $1.35 million in purses on the line. The headlining event is the $200,000 Grade 2 Caesars Trotting Classic, presented by Kountry Lane Standardbreds, where North America’s fastest trotter, On To Norway, will look to hold serve on his home track.

The 15-race card gets underway at 5:30 p.m., with the feature serving as the 12th race on the program with eight of North America’s best free-for-all trotters set to line up. On To Norway has been established as the 2-1 morning line choice with John DeLong slated to drive for trainer Ron Burke.

Entering off a rare defeat in a runner-up effort at Eldorado Scioto Downs in the Charlie Hill Memorial, On To Norway returns to the Hoosier State, where he has not tasted defeat in his last 29 tries. Twenty-eight of those wins came at Hoosier Park, with the additional victory coming last August at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. After winning his final 23 starts in Indiana at age 3, the gelded son of Muscle Massive-One Class Act took the national scene by storm at age 4 with his North American record 1:48.3 victory in the $230,000 Graduate final before coming right back with a win in the $425,000 Grade 1 Hambletonian Maturity at the 1-1/8-mile distance over Super Chapter.

Owned by Burke Racing Stable, Frank Baldachino, Michael Rosenthal and The Black & White Stable, On To Norway enters the Caesars Trotting Classic with $1,147,131 in career earnings and a career record of 44-36-6-0.

On To Norway is one of three starters from the Burke Brigade, joined by Antognoni S (post 4, Yannick Gingras) and defending champion Lexus Kody (post 7, Ronnie Wrenn Jr.), who each enter after racing in the $1 million Yonkers International Trot.

Leaving next to On To Norway from post 2 is last year’s Breeders Crown Open Trot champion, French Wine. Last year’s Driver of the Year, Jason Bartlett, will pilot the 6-year-old stallion by Bar Hopping-Creamy Mimi for trainer Nancy Takter. The career earner of $1.76 million enters off a runner-up effort to the sport’s top ranked horse, Super Chapter, in the Maple Leaf Trot in his last try before shipping to Indiana. French Wine has been tabbed as the 5-1 third choice on the morning line.

The 2026 Caesars Trotting Classic field, in post position order with listed drivers and trainers, below:

1. Ponda Jet (Kyle Wilfong, Jay Hochstetler) 15-1
2. French Wine (Jason Bartlett, Nancy Takter) 5-1           
3. On To Norway (John DeLong, Ron Burke) 2-1    
4. Antognoni S (Yannick Gingras, Ron Burke) 9-2    
5. R Dutchess (Tim Tetrick, John Butenschoen) 6-1
6. Aetos Kronos S (Dexter Dunn, Marcus Melander) 6-1
7. Lexus Kody (Ronnie Wrenn Jr., Ron Burke) 6-1
8. Gimpanzee Dancer (David Miller, Chris Beaver) 15-1

The very next race on the card will be the $175,000 Grade 2 Hoosier Park Pacing Derby, with a field of 10 free-for-all pacers — eight of them millionaires — making up the field. Included in the field is 2026 Dan Patch winner Dandy Ideal (post 1, Jason Bartlett), defending Pacing Derby champ Maximus Miki (post 3, Scott Zeron), Jim Ewart winner Ken Hanover (post 4, Tim Tetrick), and double millionaire Bythemissal (post 10, Chris Page).

The 2026 Hoosier Park Pacing Derby field, in post position order with listed drivers and trainers, below:

1. Dandy Ideal (Jason Bartlett, Hunter Oakes) 4-1   
2. Swingtown (Yannick Gingras, Ron Burke) 10-1           
3. Maximus Miki (Scott Zeron, Thomas Cancelliere) 20-1   
4. Ken Hanover (Tim Tetrick, Roland Mallar) 5-2    
5. Clever Cody (Luke Ebersole, François Lecomte) 10-1
6. Fallout (Ronnie Wrenn Jr., Ron Burke) 8-1
7. Coach Stefanos (Marcus Miller, Erv Miller) 12-1
8. Women Layer (David Miller, Virgil Morgan Jr.) 7-1
9. Huntinthelastdolar (Dexter Dunn, Petter Engblom) 9-1
10. Bythemissal (Chris Page, Ron Burke) 6-1

In total, nine graded stakes races will be contested on the Friday program. With stakes action throughout, the wagering action will also be hot and heavy from the jump, with $90,000 in guaranteed wagers offered in partnership with the USTA’s Strategic Wagering program, including:

• $10,000 Early Pick-5 (races 1-5)
• $10,000 Early Pick-4 (races 2-5)
• $15,000 Mid-Card Pick-4 (races 6-9)
• $10,000 Late Pick-5 (races 8-12)
• $30,000 Late Pick-4 (races 12-15)
• $15,000 Late High-5 (race 15)

Free online programs are available for the Caesars Trotting Classic card on the Hoosier Park website.

For those attending in person, there will be plenty to do on the track apron with promotions and family fun entertainment. From 6-10 p.m., guests can enjoy live music, food trucks, bounce houses, inflatable games and a vendor market located in The Yard, as well as free yard games available in the Hoosier Outdoor Patio.

Additionally, guests 18 years of age and older are encouraged to get involved in the free to enter door prize drawings located near the winner’s circle beginning at 5:30 p.m. Prizes include a Nintendo Switch, MacBook Air, Weber Smoke and Ooni Pizza Oven. Guests will have until the start of the sixth race to enter, with prizes being drawn after each of races 7 through 10.

Guests can also enter the $20,000 Friday Night Fling on the track apron beginning at 5:30 p.m. Guests will receive their duck at the registration table to toss into the ISA vehicle on track after race 6l each duck they get in the vehicle on Fridays will count as an entry into the $20,000 cash drawing on Hoosier Champions night (Friday, Oct. 9).

For more information on the upcoming entertainment or live racing schedule at Harrah’s Hoosier Park, visit www.harrahshoosierpark.com.