by Tom Kelley, publicity director, Balmoral Park

Crete, IL — Sophomore trotting fillies snared top billing on Wednesday’s (October 3) Balmoral Park card as a field of nine diagonally gaited state-breds met in a $19,330 Illinois Standardbred Owners & Breeders Association Stake.

Balmoral Park photo

J C Josie and Homer Hochstetler teamed up for a thrilling victory in Wednesday’s $19,330 ISOBA Stake.

Despite appearing to be hopelessly shuffled back at the top of the lane, driver-trainer Homer Hochstetler somehow managed to squeeze Rose Between 2 Thorns’ J C Josie through a small opening in deep stretch and the filly responded beautifully, drawing clear in the final strides to win by 1-1/4 lengths in 1:57.2.

Whisked away from post position five, J C Josie was comfortably in front as she trotted an opening quarter in :29.3.

Unwilling to get lured into an early duel, Hochstetler elected to let a hard charging Star Swagger (Dale Hiteman) grab control as the fillies headed down the backside. Charging from fourth to first, Star Swagger was a length in front as she passed the halfway station in :58.3.

Moving around the far turn Brandon Simpson had Vapor Rises moving like a freight train and she proceeded to blow right by a tiring Star Swagger as the field neared the top of the stretch. Filly Hotspur (Del Chupp) and Lovely Louann (Mike Oosting) were also on the move in a live outer flow pushing the early leader, J C Josie, all the way back to fifth as the field reached the three-quarter-mile mark in 1:28.

The lead changed hands once again in the lane with Lovely Louann collaring Vapor Rises at the eighth pole. By that time, Hochstetler had finally found a way off the pylons with J C Josie and she was moving with a full head of steam. Taking advantage of a small opening with less than a sixteenth of a mile to trot, the daughter of American Native drilled between the dueling leaders in the final strides to post her fifth win of the season. Lovely Louann was a game second while Vapor Rises faded to third.

Sent off as the second choice of the betting public, J C Josie returned $7.80, $4.60 and $3.80 while running her sophomore bankroll up to $78,422.