from Indiana Downs
Shelbyville, IN — Radar Contact extended her winning streak to 12 races and improved to a perfect eight-for-eight in 2011 with a 1:53.1 triumph on Tuesday (August 9) at Indiana Downs. Bet down as the heavy favorite, the sophomore pacing filly won her $40,000 Indiana Sires Stakes division by 5-1/4 lengths. Pacific Sun Rae, sent off at 15-1, scored a 1:54 upset in the second split.
Starting from the rail in the field of 10, Radar Contact and driver Dan Shetler found a spot along the rail early behind Don’t Sugar Me and Six Mile Annie. After a :27 first quarter, Shetler moved the Dontgetinmyway-Topville Cyberwave filly to the top, clicking off fractions of :56.3 and 1:24.3 before drawing away in the lane with a :28.3 last quarter. Don’t Sugar Me and trainer Terry Cullipher finished second followed by Kayay Digidigy and Dale Hiteman.
Bred by Merle Yoder and owned by Charles Stillings and Dean Ehrgott, Radar Contact pushed her seasonal earnings to $225,000. The filly is trained by Stillings and has now earned $427,515 in her career.
Pacific Sun Rae, driven by Trace Tetrick, picked up her third seasonal win in record time Tuesday, hitting the wire a length in front of second-choice Dollys Joy and Sam Widger.
Starting from the second tier the Panspacificflight-Artha Rae filly sat fifth as Dollys Joy flashed past the quarter in :27. Favorite Ashleysnflight took control after the quarter, racing to the half in :54.3. Tetrick moved first up with the Alvin Miller-trained sophomore, advancing to a head back of the leader at the three-quarters (1:24.1). In the stretch, Pacific Sun Rae dispatched the favorite and held off a charge by Dollys Joy as Ron’s Blue Angel and Trent Stohler closed for third.
Pacific Sun Rae returned $31.60 with the win. The filly is owned by Miller, his son, Zachary, and Ted Comerford. The time lowered her lifetime best by two-fifths of a second. Bred by Duane Miller, Pacific Sun Rae improved her seasonal earnings to $68,127.
One week after falling a head short at the wire, Surclasser and Ricky Macomber, Jr. claimed victory in the $22,000 Invitational Trot at Indiana Downs on the strength of a 1:54.4 performance. Rompaway Beau and Peter Wrenn finished three parts of a length behind the favorite in second with Powerful Speed and Josh Sutton rounding out the trifecta. Trained by Ron Burke for Burke Racing Stable and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, the 4-year-old Jailhouse Jesse gelding picked up his eighth seasonal win.