Anderson, IN — Atlee Bender ended the week of racing at Harrah’s Hoosier Park in style, racking up five wins on the night including sweeping both $67,500 divisions of Indiana Sire Stakes for two-year-old trotting fillies on Saturday (July 25).
Bender’s first victory on the evening came as a stunner, driving the Jeff Cullipher trained Gladden who stormed late in the stretch to score at 27-1 from the second-tier.
Gladden was away in sixth early from post 10, meanwhile Janae (Jordan Ross) shot out of the gate the quickest to take control of the lead to the turn in :28.2 with Rebuffpinklady (Kevin Lambright) keeping up in second. On the backstretch the field grew scattered with Janae, Rebufffpicklady, and Unburdened grabbing the halfway pole in :58.3 as Gladden joined the outer-flow from seventh. Janae’s lead continued to hold strong to the three-quarters in 1:28.2. Unburdened moved sharply first-up on the leader cruising past Janae, looking to lock up the stake race. From seventh, Gladden blitzed along the far outside in :26.4, nailing Unburdened by a head on the wire. Janae held sway for the show spot as the early pace setter.
Gladden cashed in her first win of the season in her second try for a lifetime total of $33,750. The Temporal Hanover-Pleaspleaspleas filly is owned by Duane Miller and Jeff Cullipher. Gladden was bred by Duane Miller. The two-year-old paid $57.60 to win.
In the second division, Bender scored with the pocket-sitter Redice as the 5-2 second choice for trainer Erv Miller.
Leaving from the rail, Ridice secured the pocket-trip behind a revved-up Satin Serenade (John De Long) who took control of the field of nine to the quarter in :27.3. The lead duo remained the same to the half in :57, before 6-5 favorite Dance Remix (Jordan Ross) tipped to the outside from fourth. Anticipating that move, Redice moved to the outside on the far turn, snatching the lead from Satin Serenade before three-quarters in 1:26.4. Redice was gone from there, powering clear by five lengths in a dominant in the stretch to win in 1:55. Dance Remix got up for second, with Finish Big (Robert Taylor) third.
It was the second win in four outings this season for Redice. The daughter of Rebuff-Fuzzy Dice was bred by Kjell Andersen, Lucas Wallin, and Pieter Delis and has banked $68,750 for owners Ervin Miller Stable, Anthony Lombardi and Stepbystep racing.
That victory kicked off a natural grand slam in the bike for Bender to get to five wins, winning with Kaks The Boss ($5.20, 1:51.2), Docini ($6.20, 1:58) and Lady Panera ($3.40, 1:52.3). The last two were trained by Erv Miller, giving the conditioner a hat-trick on the night.
In addition to Indiana Sire Stakes, a pair of $22,000 Open events for Trotters and Filly & Mare Pacers were contested, holding true to form with heavy favorites securing the victories.
Ponda Jet driven by Kyle Wilfong for trainer Jay Hochstetler tallied his third straight win, taking down the $22,000 Open Trot.
Blasting out of post five, Ponda Jet picked up where he left off gliding along the outside of the five-horse field to hit the first turn in :27.3. Ponda Jet stayed in command with Finite (Trace Tetrick) and Cs Flying Co-Pilot (Jordan Ross) closing in by to the halfway mark in :56.3. Ponda Jet and Finite separated themselves from the rest of the field to the three-quarters in 1:25.1. Down the stretch, Ponda Jet finished strong fending off Finite without looking like giving up the lead to the wire in 1:52.3 by a half-length.
Ponda Jet is owned by Connie Hochstetler, Robert Buddig and Allen Schwartz. The six-year-old Dover Dan gelding increased his career earnings to $859,472. Ponda Jet claimed his fifth win of the season paying $2.60 to win.
Can’ttouchthese then held up her end of the bargain as the 1-5 favorite in the Filly & Mare Open pace, winning from the pocket with John De Long aboard for trainer Roger Welch.
Leaving aggressively from post five, Can’ttouchthese was in the middle of a three-across battle to the first turn with Fox Valley Lava (Atlee Bender) to her inside and Goo Goo Won (Kyle Wilfong) to her outside through a sharp opening quarter of :26.1. Can’ttouchthese cleared Fox Valley Lava before releasing Goo Goo Won to the lead before the half in :54.4. Goo Goo Won remained in command on the far turn, leading to three-quarters in 1:23.3 with Can’ttouchthese tipping from the pocket.
The two mares battled the length of the lane, with Angel Hill (Trace Tetrick) rallying from last to make it three-across. Can’ttouchthese won the war by a half-length in 1:50.3 over Goo Goo Won and Angel Hill respectively.
Can’ttouchthese has won back-to-back and four of eight on the season. The 21st career victory pushed the four-year-old daughter of JK Endofanera-Can’t Touch This’s bankroll beyond $600,000, banking $608,256 for owners and breeders William De Long, Patrick De Long and Douglas Riccolo.
In addition to the action on track, Harrah’s Hoosier Park conducted Empire of Hope, raising $50,843 for the Standardbred Transition Alliance over the course of the last year.
Racing returns to Harrah’s Hoosier Park on Tuesday (July 28) with a 14-race program featuring Indiana Sire Stakes for two-year-old pacing fillies. The program gets underway at 5:30pm and also includes $10,000 guarantees on the Late Pick 4 (races 11-14) and Late High 5 (race 14) done in partnership with the USTA’s Strategic Wagering Program.