Harrah's Hoosier Park: Cash Infusion stars in Circle City Stakes

Grand Circuit action once again returned to Harrah's Hoosier Park Racing and Casino with divisions of the Circle City highlighting the 14-race Friday night card. Favorites reigned supreme with impressive efforts in the 3-year-old stakes, but it would be Cash Infusion who stole the show with a track record performance in the sophomore filly trot.

Leaving from post seven in the field of eight, driver Atlee Bender would opt to steer Cash Infusion mid-pack in fifth as Anthony McDonald cut out a hot opening fraction of 26 4/5 under fire from Funky Wiggle and Kyle Wilfong. Funky Wiggle would clear on the backstretch and tap the breaks lightly to the tune of 56 seconds at the halfway point as Bender hit the gas with Cash Infusion, beginning a first-over march. Cash Infusion powered to the lead on the far turn, pushing past Funky Wiggle by half a length at the 1:24 4/5 three-quarters.

Bender kept the pedal down in the stretch as Cash Infusion gained separation on the field behind the power of a 27 second final quarter, scoring the victory by five lengths on the wire in 1:51 4/5. Jusmakinyalook and Jordan Ross rallied up the rail for second, with Brickhouse Babe and Trace Tetrick rounding out the trifecta. The 1:51 4/5 clocking was a new track record for 3-year-old filly trotters; the previous record was 1:52 established by Next Level Stuff in the 2020 Breeders Crown final.

Trained by Erv Miller, Cash Infusion picked up her fourth win in 18 starts in 2022 for owners W.J. Donovan, Purnel & Libby LLC., Joe Sbrocco and George Ducharme Stable LLC. With the score in the $31,300 Circle City, the daughter of Chapter Seven, out of the Cash Hall mare Swing Anna Cash, has now banked $164,058 this season and just shy of a quarter-million for her career.

The $31,000 first split of Circle City action for the filly trotters kicked off the stakes on the evening, this time with world champion Bluebird Dove scoring her second consecutive stakes victory. Starting from post two in the field of seven, Bluebird Dove and driver Peter Wrenn waited patiently from third as Luv Lorelei and Robert Taylor set the early fractions. Bluebird Dove waited until she saw the passing lane in the stretch before exploding with a 26 4/5 final quarter to score the victory by over a length and a half in 1:53 over Luv Lorelei, with Agnelonia and Trace Tetrick finishing third.

It was the eighth win in 17 seasonal starts for the 3-year-old trained by Melanie Wrenn. Owned by David McDuffee and L&L Devisser LLC., Bluebird Dove has banked $226,306 for her career. Bluebird Dove is an Indiana-bred daughter of Swan For All, out of the RC Royalty mare Goosebump Hanover, and was bred by Daryl Miller.

The New York-bred Patsville would repeat in stakes action as well, this time taking the $61,500 lone division for the filly pacers following a score in the Pegasus Stakes last time out. John De Long landed the perfect pocket trip throughout the mile as JK's Rollin Baby and Atlee Bender set the speed throughout the mile before De Long navigated Patsville through the lightning lane with a 27 second final quarter to score by more than a length in 1:51 3/5. Coastal, with Brett Miller, came in second, and JK's Rollin Baby had to settle for third.

With the score, Patsville is a winner of five-of-16 in 2022 and has now banked over $200,000 on the season for owners William and Patrick De Long. Trained by Tabatha De Long, Patsville was bred by Ross Bonafield and is a daughter of former Meadowlands Pace champion, Huntsville, and out of the Art Major mare Major Master Piece.

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Continuing the trend of the evening, Pegasus Stakes winner Sweet Boy Ben followed up that stakes victory with yet another, scoring in the $30,000 first split for the trotting colts and gelding. Steered by Harrah's Hoosier Park's all-time leading driver, Trace Tetrick, Sweet Boy Been sat mid-pack throughout the mile as Ohio superstar Rose Run Xtra cut the mile in the early stages as the heavy 1-5 favorite. Sweet Boy Ben and Tetrick went on the offensive first-over on the far turn, storming to the front and never looking back in the stretch with a 27 3/5 final quarter to score the win by just over a length in 1:54. Swan Flyer, with John De Long, was second, and the winner's Jeff Cullipher-trained stablemate Tug And Coop took third with Aaron Merriman.

Sweet Boy Ben picked up his third win of the season in his 19th start and fifth tally for his career for owners Pollack Racing LLC. and Cullipher. With the score, the gelded son of Swan For All, out of the Muscles Yankee mare Blue Muse, has earned $91,141 in 2022 and over $140,000 for his career.

Trace Tetrick swept the events for the trotting colts and geldings, taking the $30,000 second division with the nearly invincible Ponda Adventure. Leaving from post two, Ponda Adventure settled in third in the early stages as Erv Miller stablemate Abruzzo and Atlee Bender set torrid opening fractions of 26 3/5 and 54 4/5. Ponda Adventure and Tetrick ventured to the outside on the far turn and went on the attack, engaging the leader at three-quarters in 1:24. Ponda Adventure would do what he has done the majority of his career and dug deep with a 28 2/5 final quarter, as Dover In Motion and Ricky Macomber Jr. surged from the back-field before going off-stride just prior to the wire, securing the victory for Ponda Adventure in 1:52 2/5. Dover In Motion would be disqualified from second to fourth, resulting in Delgado and John De Long being placed second, and Caviar Gold with Aaron Merriman being moved up to third.

Owned by Engel Stable of IL, Louis Willinger and Jerry Graham, the 1:52 2/5 score is a lifetime-best clocking for Ponda Adventure, who is yet to finish worse than second in 25 career starts. The Circle City score was the 20th career victory for Ponda Adventure, who has now banked over $350,000 in 2022 alone and $628,537 for his career. Ponda Adventure is a gelded son of Swan For All, out of the Muscle Hill mare Wildflower, and was bred by Pond-A-Acres.

The night concluded with yet one more repeat stakes winner, with Yourwishisgranted going down the road in the $61,500 colt and gelding pace. Driver Mike Oosting wasted no time getting putting Yourwishisgranted on the engine, working hard three-deep on the turn before clearing and never looking back from there. The gelded son of JK Endofanera dug deep in the lane, fending off the pocket-sitting Sure Thing Herman and Atlee Bender, and Barry's Berries with Brett Miller to score in a lifetime-best 1:49 4/5.

Trained by Matt Rheinheimer, Yourwishisgranted entered off of a 1:51 3/5 upset score in the Pegasus Stakes on October 21. Yourwishisgranted is now a three-time winner in 17 starts in 2022 and has earned $73,340 on the season for owner Bill Huggins. Bred by Indiana's leading breeder, Victory Hill Farms, the $22,000 yearling purchase out of The Panderosa mare Onawish Hanover has banked over $130,000 for his career.

--press release (Harrah's Hoosier Park)--