Anderson, IN — The fifth installment in the Whoomp versus Somemoreblue saga saw Whoomp, driven by John De Long for trainer Roger Welch, take down her rival in the $93,500 Indiana Sire Stakes for 3-year-old pacing fillies at Hoosier Park on Saturday (Aug. 15).
Dueling out of the wings, Whoomp shot out from post five while being matched by Somemore Blue (Marcus Miller) in post two to open up a four-length advantage over the rest of the five-horse field. Somemore Blue offered little opportunity for Whoomp to slide by easily, which forced Whoomp to drop in the pocket and follow the leader through the :25.4 first fraction. After the early excitement, the fillies settled in on the backstretch and the field remained unchanged racing to a :55.1 opening half.
Whoomp elected to follow Somemore Blue, hoping to take advantage of the tiring track conditions. The attention focused on the top pair through the third station, reached in 1:23.4. Rounding the curve signaled Whoomp’s time to party as she punched the nitro and blazed past Somemore Blue on the strength of a :25.3 final quarter, hitting the wire 1-1/2 lengths in front in a time of 1:49.3. Somemore Blue settled for second after stretch battle while It’s My Story finished a distant third, eight lengths behind the winner.
Whoomp snagged her fourth win of the year while raising her lifetime earnings to $561,976. The 3-year-old filly is owned by William De Long, Wm Patrick De Long, and Jesse De Long. She was bred by William De Long and Patrick De Long.
Earlier on the card, Flagman, driven by Kevin Lambright for trainer Rick Plano, planted his flag in the winner’s circle, nailing favored Ponda Jet at the wire to win the $22,000 Open Trot.
On the rail in post one, Flagman waited for the post-time favorite Ponda Jet (Kyle Wilfong), who soared to the early advantage at the first turn in :27. Ponda Jet cemented his lead on the backstretch with the trotters following the leader single file. The veteran trotter did not skip a beat through the three-quarter turn (1:24.2) with Flagman at the ready. Wearing down the leader, Flagman chipped away at Ponda Jet’s advantage in the stretch and put a neck in front at wire, winning in 1:52.1. Finite, with John De Long in the bike, rallied for the show spot.
Flagman is a Guccio gelding owned by Maryann Plano. He secured his third victory of the season. The nine-year-old increased his lifetime earnings to $836,619, and paid $22.60 to win.
Live racing resumes next week on Tuesday (Aug. 18) at Hoosier Park with a 14-race card featuring the traditional $10,000 guaranteed Late Pick 4 and the $10,000 GTD Late Hoosier High 5 done in partnership with the USTA’s Strategic Wagering program.