by Tammy Knox, Hoosier Park Publicity Department

Photo by Jim Linscott

Sharky Spur and driver Don Irvine Jr. will defend their title in the $200,000 Dan Patch Invitational Pace Saturday, April 10. The duo will begin from post one.

Being the defending champ can sometimes add extra burden to a horse. However, Sharky Spur seems to be taking everything sent his way in stride as he heads into the $200,000 Dan Patch Invitational Pace Saturday, April 10.

Sharky Spur reunites with driver Don Irvine Jr. for the contest. The duo has already experienced some luck prior to the race, drawing post one.

“Sometimes drawing post one is big, and sometimes it’s not,” said Irvine. We want to be either third, fourth, or fifth at the start. We will be in good shape if the right guys take the lead early on.”

Sharky Spur stunned the stellar field last year with a late brush through horses that earned him the title. Now eight years old, the Cam’s Card Shark stallion has shown no signs of slowing down, earning one win and one second in three starts this year.

“I don’t see any change in him,” said Irvine. “He is pretty much the same horse. He had to race against the strong winds last week, and he’s also only raced a couple of times this year so far.”

A repeat in the Dan Patch would also earn Sharky Spur millionaire status. The Roy Davis-owned horse has $931,000 heading into the race. The added honor would be a plus to both his racing career and his career as a stallion. He is already used for breeding in his home state of Pennsylvania. His oldest foals are yearlings this year.

To get to that level, Sharky Spur must face a few of the best horses in the country in this year’s Dan Patch. Irvine is hopeful of the outcome.

“I hope we are able to lock horns within the first three-eighths of the mile,” said Irvine. “I also hope that the early fractions take a lot out of everyone. There is plenty of early speed in the field, and I expect quick fractions.”

Trained by Charles “Buddy” Stillings, Sharky Spur is set at odds of 5-1. He is the fourth choice in the field behind favored Light Source from post seven and Luckyisasluckydoes from post three. Swingin Glory, who defeated Sharky Spur in his only Hoosier Park outing this season, is selected as the third choice on the morning line.