Anderson, IN — Entering the night just three wins away from his 4,000th career driving victory, John DeLong parlayed a Wednesday (April 23) hat trick to a milestone victory in the finale with the Alvin Miller trained Northern Rocks at Harrah’s Hoosier Park Racing & Casino.
Leaving from the rail as the 6-5 favorite, DeLong settled Northern Rocks in third early in the field of conditioned trotters as Latin Lover (Kyle Wilfong) cut the quarter in :28. DeLong brushed Northern Rocks to the lead up the backstretch, assuming command to the half in :57 before the lead duo began to separate from the remainder of the field en route to three-quarters in 1:25.3.
Turning for home, Northern Rocks drifted off the rail, allowing Latin Lover a clear path to grab a short lead midway through the lane. Under DeLong’s urging, Northern Rocks found more in the tank late to re-rally in the final strides and nail Latin Lover by a nose on the line to score in 1:54.3.
DeLong’s first two wins on the evening came with Buffy Lou for trainer Trent Stohler and Mystical Lane for Charlie Stewart on his way to the milestone.
A staple atop the Hoosier Park driver standings for over a decade since making the move to Indiana, DeLong has been in the bike of many of Indiana’s brightest stars over that time period, including the likes of Little Rocket Man, Bridge To Jesse’s, Seventimesavirgin and Lets Go Endofaera.
DeLong has finished second in the Hoosier Park driving standings each of the last four seasons which have been banner years for him, with earnings of at least $3.9 million per year. DeLong enjoyed a career year in earnings of $4.8 million in 2023, while he steered home a career best 375 winners in 2016. For his career, DeLong’s drives have earned over $44.1 million.
The Wisconsin native also serves as president of the Indiana Standardbred Association, a position he has held since 2023.
Live racing will resume at Harrah’s Hoosier Park Racing & Casino on Thursday (April 24 )with a 13-race card set to get underway at 6:15 p.m. The card will kick off with a $10,000 guaranteed Early Pick-5 (races 1-5) which features a carryover of $2,914. There will also be $10,000 guarantees on the Late Pick-4 (races 10-13) and Late Hoosier High 5 (race 13). Free online programs for the Thursday card can be found on the Hoosier Park website under the Racing Tab.
For more information on the 2025 live racing season at Harrah’s Hoosier Park, guests are encouraged to visit www.harrahshoosierpark.com.