by Tammy Knox, publicity director, Hoosier Park

Anderson, IN — Confirmed Winner and driver Jay Cross worked out a perfect trip to earn the victory in the first feature of the season at Hoosier Park, the $20,000 Invitational Pace.

Starting from post six in the ten horse lineup, Confirmed Winner eased into the mix, allowing Foxy Maneuver and Don Eash to set the early fraction at the quarter-mile marker in :26¹. Ricky Macomber moved Swingin Glory to the lead right at the halfway point in :55³, which in turn created the outer flow of traffic for the final half of the race.

“Jeff Miller (the trainer) and I talked before the race and we thought there would be a lot of early speed,” said Cross. “We agreed the best thing to do would be to just sit and try to catch a seat on the train when it started moving.”

Cross placed Confirmed Winner third on the outside, having a lot of room to move forward for the stretch drive. Foxy Maneuver overtook Swingin Glory from the inside halfway through the lane, but Confirmed Winner proved to be the quickest one to the wire, posting the mile in 1:52¹.

“This is a class horse, and he sometimes gets a little snakey in the stretch, but he drove well tonight,” said Cross. “The wind is blowing pretty hard crossways on the track. It is definitely playing a factor on the races this evening.”

Confirmed Winner was one and one half lengths ahead of Foxy Maneuver, who finished second. Swingin Glory held on for third.

The opener for the 11th season of harness racing drew a crowd of 3,760. Larry Richardson of Zionsville, Indiana was the winner of a Viking Epic Fold Down camper, courtesy of Modern Trailer Sales of Anderson. The camper was the featured giveaway for the evening off the track.

Brett Miller wins seven

Brett Miller was the hot driver on opening night, winning seven of the 13 races on the program.

Miller, who finished third in the 2003 driver standings at Hoosier Park, started the season with authority. The 30-year-old reinsman from Columbus, Ohio began his evening with a second place finish in the season opener behind Mealsonwheels.

Miller went on to win the next four drives he had on the program. He guided Blueridge Raider to victory in the second race, Coach John in the fourth, Moonlight Raker in the fifth, and Refined Lady in the sixth race.

Miller’s luck was altered in the seventh race on the program. He moved out in the stretch to overtake Bonn Star N and driver Don Irvine, Jr. However, the horse interfered with another opponent and was disqualified.

Miller was back on track in the evening’s ninth race. Brad’s Gold, who earned a new lifetime mark of 1:52 last season at Hoosier Park, was a gate-to-wire winner, bringing Miller his fifth win of the night.

The sixth win of the evening for Miller was recorded in the evening’s co-feature, the $13,000 Fillies and Mares Open Pace. Midnight Jewel found room in the stretch to cruise home for her fourth win of the year in nine starts.

A win in the evening’s 12th race behind Title Shot completed the night for Miller.

“I’ve had some really nice horses to drive tonight,” said Miller. “It’s incredibly windy this evening, which makes it more challenging, but the horses have all raced well. Hoosier Park is such a nice track, and I always love coming back.”

Miller currently leads all drivers in North America in wins in 2004 with 165. He is also leading the driver standings at Northfield Park, more than 40 wins ahead of his next closest competitor.

Hoosier Park, a majority-owned property of Churchill Downs Incorporated (Nasdaq: CHDN), also operates simulcast-wagering facilities in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne and Merrillville, Indiana. Hoosier Park’s Standardbred season runs through Saturday, June 12. Live racing is conducted Wednesday through Sunday with the first race going to post at 6:45 p.m. Information about Hoosier Park racing and all of its facilities can be found on the Internet at www.hoosierpark.com.