Harrah's Hoosier Park: 'Abuckabett' tries to bring big return for Harris in Dan Patch

Led by the red-hot Charlie May as the 3-1 morning-line favorite, Harrah's Hoosier Park has lured a strong field of 11 for the $310,000 Dan Patch for older pacers on Friday night. While all eyes may be on the Ohio-sired gelding as he sets his sights on going over the $2 million mark in career earnings, trainer Andrew Harris is expecting his Abuckabett Hanover to make more noise than perhaps some expect.

"I was a little shocked [by the morning-line] but it seems to me they gave the hometown crowd a little more love. I respect that. I thought 8-1 was a little high, but to me it doesn't matter what his odds are," said Harris.

Abuckabett Hanover is admittedly six weeks removed from his last exceptional pari-mutuel effort when he overcame a tough trip to be second behind Ruthless Hanover at the Meadowlands in a 1:46 4/5 mile, the fastest of the season. The performance earned him favoritism status in the William Haughton Memorial over the same surface two weeks later, but the trip certainly didn't go as planned. Driver Andrew McCarthy decided to make a bold backstretch bid into the noted speedball Ruthless Hanover and was hung out to dry, perhaps resulting in Scott Zeron picking up the drive in a subsequent qualifier and for the upcoming Dan Patch.

"We wanted to go in a different direction after his last start, and I think Scott Zeron will fit the horse perfectly," said Harris. "I love Andy [McCarthy], so it was nothing personal, but the ownership group and I got together and thought we should make a change. Scott was available and he's hot right now."

Harris, who co-owns Abuckabett Hanover with William Pollock and Bruce Areman, elected to skip the Sam McKee Memorial on August 5 at the Meadowlands since that race figured to be contested in separate divisions and offer a smaller purse than the Dan Patch. Instead, the 5-year-old got in a sharp 1:51 2/5 qualifier at Pocono to prepare for this assignment.

"We just wanted to make sure he had enough time to recover and was prepped back properly," said Harris. "He's 100%. He qualified 16 days after his last start, and it has been like nine days since that for the race. He really didn't miss a lot of time. He qualified nice and strong, just the way you want. He's kind of like a Thoroughbred; he came right off the bench when I brought him back as a 5-year-old, so I'm not worried about him being tight."

Abuckabett Hanover, who leaves from post one, will certainly need to be on top of his game if he is to defeat Charlie May and some of the other sharp horses in the Dan Patch field. Charlie May, who has won two straight races, including the Haughton and #SendItIn Invitational, is clearly at the top of his game right now for trainer Steve Carter. Brett Miller will steer the son of McArdle from post 10 in the second tier.

Coming up second best behind Charlie May in the #SendItIn was Linedrive Hanover, and he's certain to make some serious noise with James MacDonald in the bike from post six. The Anthony Beaton trainee was riding a two-race winning streak prior to that effort, with one of those miles a 1:47 win at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

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More on the local side are Little Rocket Man (post eight) and Ponda Warrior (post 11). Both were listed with driver John De Long and he ultimately stuck with 7-2 morning-line second choice Little Rocket Man, who has an amazing 12 wins in 16 starts in 2023.

De Long's choice left trainer Jay Hochstetler with a decision to make for Ponda Warrior.

"[John De Long] has made a lot of money with Little Rocket Man, and I told him Sunday that I was going to enter to give him a heads-up. He said it was the toughest driving decision he's had to make in his career," said Hochstetler, who wasn't going to hold it against De Long in the future. "He's never lost with my horse. Unless Kyle [Wilfong] gets along with him really good and we get a big finish, I told John 'no hard feelings,' and he can still drive him because he's gotten along with him well."

De Long was of course in the bike in Ponda Warrior's 4-year-old debut when he finished fast in 25 4/5 to cap off a 1:48 4/5 winning mile over the Hoosier Park surface. Hochstetler is certainly hoping that performance is just a starting point for what his son of Rockin Image can accomplish.

"I certainly hope so," said Hochstetler on whether Ponda Warrior was just scratching the surface of his ability. "It was a pretty long layoff; he hadn't raced since November. I didn't know what to expect. For him to go that kind of mile from the get-go was impressive since I can't imagine he was 100 percent tight.

"I really think he has the speed and class to contend with these. He's definitely going to need things to go his way. If the trip shakes out the right way and he's in contention turning for home, they're going to know he's there."

For Hochstetler, he's hoping some Grand Circuit success this year could lead to an opportunity for Ponda Warrior as a stallion.

"I really hope so. We have to lower our lifetime mark a bit more and earn a couple hundred-thousand on his card, but if he's able to do that, he's put together so well and has such great conformation, I really think he deserves a shot to pass on his genes," said Hochstetler.

Trainer Ron Burke also comes to town with a three-headed charge of his own in the middle of the gate. This Is The Plan (post three), Lou's Pearlman (post four) and Southwind Gendry (post five) carry the Burke torch, with perhaps Lou's Pearlman the standout of the trio off a hard-charging second-place finish behind Allywag Hanover on his résumé last weekend.

"I think our horse is one of the best horses in the country, to be honest," said Harris when asked about his chances. "There are a couple of really nice horses in this race and I'm not taking away from any of them.

"I'm pretty confident. If he gets the right trip and everything works out, he's going to be right there."

For Harris, the Dan Patch appearance is just another big spot for his rejuvenated stable, and he's enjoying the here and now.

"Everyone wants to race in the big races," said Harris. "I can't thank Bill Pollock and Bruce Areman enough. They believed in me and gave me a shot to train some incredible horses. The horsepower in the barn right now is about as high as it has ever been. It is easy to get up in the morning when you have those types of horses."

Harris will send out Abuckabett Hanover in the 13th race at Hoosier, one of 15 races on the card that kicks off at 6:15 P.M. (EDT) and includes three $30,000 guaranteed wagers – Pick 4 (race 12), Superfecta (race 13) and Hi-5 (race 15).