Harrah's Hoosier: NY Sire Stakes champs impressive in Grand Circuit debuts

New York Sire Stakes champions Test Of Faith and Iteration both made their first Grand Circuit appearances on Friday night at Harrah's Hoosier Park, and they couldn't have done better, winning their respective Kentuckiana Stallion Management events for 2-year-old fillies.

In the $220,000 Kentuckiana Stallion Management tilt for pacers, Continualou (Joe Bongiorno) charged to the point from post five and carved out the opening quarter in 27 1/5, but Somethingbeautiful (Lewayne Miller), an undefeated Indiana-sired daughter of Always A Virgin, popped pocket and took over the top spot prior to the 57 second half-mile point.

On the far turn driver David Miller sent Test Of Faith first-up from the fourth position, and she gained steadily after being fed the clear racetrack, advancing into third turning for home and into second in mid-stretch. In the final eighth Somethingbeautiful tried to withstand Test Of Faith's two-wide bid, but Test Of Faith accelerated into another gear that Somethingbeautiful couldn't match, pulling away stylishly to win by 2 3/4 lengths in a life's-best 1:51 3/5. Somethingbeautiful wound up second, and another Indiana-sired filly, GD Rockin Kay (Trace Tetrick) was the third-place finisher.

"She was really quiet and relaxed, and that was kind of our game plan tonight, was to race her off-the-pace," said David Miller. "It would have been nice to get cover, but I didn't have to move until way late and never really asked her until way through the stretch, and she took off.

"She was very nice. You see a 2-year-old that's been on the front every week, and you'd think she'd be hot and everything else, but she was not like that at all. She was very quiet and sat in the hole very relaxed."

Test Of Faith, a filly by Art Major, is trained by Brett Pelling for owners Melvin Segal, Kentuckiana Racing Stable, and Eddie Gran. She has six victories and a second from seven efforts, and she has now banked $367,750. Bred by Fred Hertrich, Test Of Faith fetched $92,000 at the 2019 Standardbred Horse Sale and is the fourth foal of the Cam's Card Shark mare Cannae Cammie (1:50 2/5, $538,140). This makes Test Of Faith a half-sister to Alexis Faith (American Ideal, 1:50 3/5, $579,824) and to Can't Beach That (Somebeachsomewhere, 1:49, $204,600). Test Of Faith paid $4.40 to win as the favorite.

Iteration (Brian Sears) led from start to finish in the $221,000 Kentuckiana Stallion Management for the trotters, stepping off fractions of 27 4/5, 57 3/5, and 1:26 2/5 on her way to a a new mark of 1:55. Big City Pearl (Verlin Yoder) was second after a pocket trip, and Swift Swanda (Trace Tetrick) closed from fifth to third in the last quarter.

"We've been tinkering around with her bridle a little bit. She's been getting a little aggressive racing on the New York circuit, but I've had a lot of confidence in this filly," said Sears. "Just trying to get her mind right, but she's starting to figure it out. She's been racing on the front a lot, and she kind of just doesn't even know what to do about racing horses. We opened her up a little bit more tonight, and she kind of stuck her mind to her business."

Iteration is a full sister (Chapter Seven-Steamy Windows-Muscle Massive) to two-time Breeders Crown champion Gimpanzee. Sears was asked to compare the two and responded, "They're very similar. They look so much alike, and they're both great-gaited. Gimpanzee, he never really did anything wrong his whole career, but this one has been a little green at times."

Bred by Order By Stable, Iteration was grabbed for $250,000 at the 2019 Standardbred Horse Sale. Like Gimpanzee, Iteration is trained by Marcus Melander, and Gimpanzee's co-owner Courant Inc. owns her solely. Iteration possesses a record of 4-1-1 from six trips behind the gate, has pocketed $258,194, and paid $4.00 to win as the even-money favorite.