by Alicia Hanger and Tom Reading, Hoosier Park publicity department

Anderson, IN — Sweet Joe, controlled by Ricky Macomber, Jr., turned in a perfect performance to win his third leg division of the 3-year-old colt and gelding Indiana Sires Stakes trot on Sunday, June 1, at Hoosier Park. The pair crossed the line in 1:58.

Sweet Joe was a 1:58 winner in his Indiana Sires Stakes division.

Seven Bends and Jay Cross headed out for an early lead. Sweet Joe made a commanding quarter move for the front position as the favorite in the race. He had the field evenly distributed at the halfway mark in :59.

Starting down the stretch, Sweet Joe started to have some competition with Seven Bends attacking from the inside and Sweet Camacho, with Mark O’Mara driving, challenging from behind. Sweet Joe was not fazed and continued ahead for the win by 1-1/4 lengths. Seven Bends received second and Sweet Camacho came in third.

“He (Sweet Joe) felt really good tonight. He liked fighting them (Seven Bends and Sweet Camacho) off in the end,” said Macomber. “He’s a front end horse. He doesn’t have to be on top, but does better racing in the top three.”

This marked the third win of the season for Sweet Joe. The gelded son of Sweet Whiz is owned by Sylvia Burke, Howard Taylor, Weaver Bruscemi, and Bethann Palone. Mickey Burke is the conditioner.

ABC Mercedes, controlled by Mark O’Mara, raced down the stretch to win his third leg split of the Indiana Sires Stakes on Sunday. In his lifetime, ABC Mercedes has won 10 out of the 12 races he has competed in.

Linscott Photography

ABC Mercedes won for the 10th time in 12 lifetime starts.

Brandon’s Secret, guided by Jay Cross, fired out of the fifth post to take an early lead over the field. Rounding the turn towards the quarter-mile mark in :27.2, Brandon’s Secret and ABC Mercedes fought for possession of first place, with Secret Image, managed by Bobby Brower, trailing in third.

Charging down the backstretch in a time of :58.2, ABC Mercedes pulled away to take the lead over Secret Image. At the three-quarter mark in 1:29.2, ABC Mercedes continued to lead, with Secret Image and Brandon’s Secret looming from behind.

In the stretch, Secret Image and Brandon’s Secret looked for an opportunity to close in on ABC Mercedes, but he pulled away from the field to win in a time of 1:57.1, 3-1/2 lengths ahead of Brandon’s Secret. Hesaflashysecret and Dan Shetler, Jr. moved up for third.

“He (ABC Mercedes) felt comfortable tonight,” O’Mara stated. “I spoke to him down the stretch a little, so he knew to finish the mile.”

Owned by Larry W. Miller and trained by Joe Putnam, ABC Mercedes has won three races in three attempts this year. The 3-year-old gelding by ABC Garland increased his career earnings to over $137,000 with his performance.

The Indiana Sires Stakes will continue Sunday, June 15. The final for the Indiana Sires Stakes is scheduled for Saturday, June 28, with the winner receiving the largest portion of the estimated $100,000 purse. The final of the Indiana Sires Stakes is part of Hoosier Cup Night, in which purses will exceed $1 million.