by Emily Gaskin, for Hoosier Park

Anderson, IN — Hoosier Park Racing & Casino highlighted the Wednesday (Aug. 23) card with a pair of $75,000 Indiana Sires Stakes finals and it was a night ruled by favorites as the post time favorite delivered in both divisions.

It was the third round of the stakes action for the 2-year-old fillies and fourth round for the 3-year-olds in a series of five $75,000 preliminary finals.

Satin Dancer extended her win streak to five in the $75,000 Indiana Sires Stakes final for 3-year-old trotting fillies.

Satin Dancer, with Ronnie Wrenn Jr. in the bike, scored in near gate-to-wire fashion to capture the $75,000 Indiana Sires Stakes final for 3-year-old trotting fillies and continued her divisional dominance. Stopping the timer in 1:57.3, Satin Dancer recorded her fifth consecutive victory and eighth seasonal win from 11 outings.

Conditioned by Byron Hooley for the Summit Pacing Acres, Satin Dancer left from post three to find a spot along the rail in second. Ajessia and Doug Rideout were pointed to the front from post eight but their lead would be short lived.

Satin Dancer grabbed the lead just before the half in a leisurely :59.3 and never looked back. Reaching the three-quarter clocking in 1:29.3, Satin Dancer used a :28.3 final panel and coasted on to the wire under a hand drive to finish nearly a length in front of a hard charging Ajessia. Wheels A Turning and Joe Putnam also rallied well late but were forced to settle for third place honors. As the 1-9 heavy betting favorite, Satin Dancer returned $2.20 to her backers.

“As long as she’s near the front, she’s usually pretty happy,” Hooley noted after the win. “She doesn’t relax much, even at home, but I guess that’s a good thing because I can tell when she’s not feeling well. We try to keep her happy and relaxed and she does the rest.”

The victory gave the daughter of Big Stick Lindy-Shaken Not Stirred her 17th lifetime victory from 27 career outings. Satin Dancer has now amassed $431,818 in lifetime purse earnings.

Linscott Photography

Dee Rocks delivered as the heavy favorite in the $75,000 Indiana Sires Stakes final for 2-year-old pacing fillies.

In much the same fashion, Dee Rocks and driver Sam Widger used a sharp, front-running effort to capture the $75,000 Indiana Sires Stakes final for 2-year-old pacing fillies. Scoring in a new lifetime best of 1:53, Dee Rocks recorded her eighth seasonal victory from nine career starts.

Leaving from post five, Dee Rocks wasted no time and grabbed the early lead through the opening panel in :27. Clicking off fractions of :55.3 and 1:25.1, Dee Rocks began to put her talent on display while the rest of the field struggled to stay within striking distance turning for home. Using a :27.4 closing quarter, Dee Rocks finished three lengths in front of her next closest competitor. As the 1-9 favorite, Dee Rocks returned $2.20 at the betting windows.

“I am blessed to have the opportunity to drive a filly like this,” Widger noted after the victory. “She’s so easy to get along with and will do just about anything you ask of her. She did that pretty easy tonight; I never had to ask her for much.”

The daughter of Rockin Image-Incredible Katie is a homebred, owned and bred by Ronald Phillips and John Carver. Dee Rocks has now won eight of nine lifetime outings while amassing $116,500 in lifetime purse earnings.

Live racing at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino will continue on Thursday (Aug. 24) with a 14-race card featuring the $75,000 Indiana Sires Stakes finals for 2-year-old pacing colts and 3-year-old trotting colts. With a daily post time of 6:30 p.m., live racing at Hoosier Park will follow a Tuesday through Saturday schedule and be conducted through Nov. 17. The 24th season of live harness racing is highlighted by the 34th edition of the Breeders Crown, harness racing’s championship event valued at $6 million, on Friday (Oct. 27) and Saturday (Oct. 28). For more information on the upcoming entertainment and live racing schedule, please visit www.hoosierpark.com.