Anderson, IN — The sophomore sensation On To Norway continued his Indiana onslaught, reeling off his 18th consecutive victory as the headliner in Pegasus action during the 14-race Friday (Oct. 17) program at Harrah’s Hoosier Park.
In the $45,000 lone split for sophomore trotting colts, On To Norway and pilot John DeLong left from post 6 as the 1-9 favorite. On To Norway floated away in fourth early while Operator (driven by Kyle Wilfong) trotted to the top through a :27.4 opening quarter. Operator tapped the brakes to the half in :56.4 when On To Norway launched his first-over bid, moving to the leader’s wheel at three-quarters in 1:25.2. The rivals dropped the gloves in the stretch with On To Norway grabbing a short advantage in the lane while Operator refused to go away. On To Norway trotted home in :27.1 to get to the wire a half length clear of a dead-game Operator in 1:52.4. It was 6-1/2 lengths back to third-place finisher Sure Did (LeWayne Miller).
Trained by Ron Burke, On To Norway has won 18 of 19 races on the year, banking $449,344 for owners Burke Racing Stable, Frank Baldachino, Black & White Stable and Michael Rosenthal.
Driver Atlee Bender swept both $20,000 Pegasus splits for 3-year-old filly pacers, taking the first with Wunderkindbluechip ($17.40) in 1:51.3 for trainer Erv Miller before taking the second with Baret ($8.80) for Brett Pelling.
The two $22,000 3-year-old colt pace divisions featured a pair of pocket-rocket upset winners, the first going to Deal The Odds ($22.00) with Joey Putnam doing the driving for his father, trainer Joe Putnam. Meanwhile, Chandler Bing ($17.60) delivered a 1:49.4 victory in the second for trainer Alvin Miller.
Better Tak’em ($7.00) crushed on the front end in the $20,000 first division for 3-year-old trotting fillies in 1:54.2 with Jordan Ross driving for Henry Graber Jr. The $22,000 second split went to Fifty To Win ($5.80), also in 1:54.2, after a pocket trip for the father and son combination of trainer Erv and driver Marcus Miller.
The week of racing concludes at Harrah’s Hoosier Park with a nine-race program on Saturday (Oct. 19) with a first post of 5:30 p.m.
For more information on the 2025 live racing season at Harrah’s Hoosier Park, visit www.harrahshoosierpark.com.