Anderson, IN — A dynamic trio of third-leg Indiana Sires Stakes events for 2-year-old trotting colts and geldings headlined the Friday (July 31) card at Harrah’s Hoosier Park, with So Joyful, Swan Good Bi and Nectar Of The Gods capturing their respective divisions.
So Joyful, driven by John DeLong for trainer Ernie Gaskin, impressed with a convincing victory in the $47,000 first chapter.
Starting from post 1, So Joyful eased off the starting gate as Ponda Solve (Trace Tetrick) glided from the outside post to the early advantage at the first turn in :28.2. Neatly lined up along the backstretch, the field remained stagnant with Ponda Solve in the driver’s seat through the halfway mark in :57.1. Temporal Power (Joey Putnam) was the first to react from fifth, but Ponda Solve stayed disciplined at the front as So Joyful applied pressure from second at the three-quarter turn in 1:26.3. Picking his moment, So Joyful breezed past Ponda Solve. So Joyful never looked back as he left the eight-horse field in the dust to stop the timer in 1:55.1 and win by 7 lengths. Kountry Dion (Kyle Wilfong) claimed second while Temporal Power soared into third.
The Rebuff colt is owned by All-Wright Racing LLC, Brian Code and James Nellinger, and was bred by Luckiana Farm and Aaron Stutzman. So Joyful added his second INSS victory of the season to boost his lifetime earnings to $51,030. He paid $5.60 to win.
Swan Good Bi, driven by Jordan Ross for trainer Henry Graber Jr., laid it all out to take the field by storm in the $46,500 second division.
Starting from the far outside post 7, Swan Good Bi elected to settle at the back of the field with Tipsy in Vegas (John DeLong) shooting out for the lead to the turn in :28.1. Keeping the line straight, Tipsy In Vegas stayed in control to the half-mile pole in :57.3 with the field staying unchanged. Tipsy in Vegas led a tight ship with the field still in their same spots to the three-quarter turn in 1:26.4. Despite the field staying calm through three-quarters, the homestretch told a different story as Swan Good Bi was still not in the picture yet. Mendoza Mafia (Atlee Bender) discovered another gear in hopes of adding his first win to his collection as he bombed his way past the leader. Threading the needle between trotters, Swan Good Bi smashed the nitro as he blazed through a :26.4 final quarter and crashed the wire in 1:55. Mendoza Mafia settled for second, a neck back, while Tipsy In Vegas fell to third.
Swan Good Bi remains undefeated in his young 2-year-old career through three starts, increasing his lifetime earnings to $52,250. The Swan For All gelding is owned by Indiana Stables LLC, Frank Baldachino, Michael Rosenthal and James Zito. So Joyful was bred by Ernie Lambright.
In the $46,500 third division, Nectar Of The Gods, with trainer Mike Micallef in the bike, scored with a front-end victory to extend his win streak to three.
Away from post 3, Micallef passed on the early to tuck and charged to the outside of Heffae (Lamar Wingard) as the pair raced together to the first quarter in :29.1. Nectar Of The Gods cleared on the backstretch, assuming command before the tempo slowed through a :59.2 half. Nectar Of The Gods remained in charge on the far turn, racing to three-quarters in 1:29 with Heffae beginning to tip from the pocket. Heffae took aim at the head of the lane, moving alongside the leader, before Nectar Of The Gods responded with a :27.4 final split to fend off the challenger by three parts of a length in 1:56.4. Priceless Help (Marcus Miller) was third, 3-3/4 lengths back of the winner.
Still perfect in stakes action after a runner-up effort in his career debut, Nectar Of The Gods has banked $72,500 for owner Bet The House LLC. Steve Jones bred the Temporal Hanover-Goddess colt.
On Saturday (Aug. 1), millionaire On To Norway marks his Hoosier Park return with an appearance in the $22,000 Open Trot, carded as race 8. On To Norway returns coming off his victory in the Hambletonian Maturity, on July 11. Additionally, the Saturday night 14-race card will feature a $7,500 guaranteed Late Pick-4 and a $7,500 guaranteed Late Hoosier Hi-5, offered in partnership with the USTA’s Strategic Wagering Program. First post is set for 5:30 p.m.