Harrah's Hoosier Park: Dan D Man Can stays undefeated in his sophomore season

Persevering down the stretch, Dan D Man Can, driven by Atlee Bender for trainer Erv Miller, continued his perfect start to 2026 by winning the lone $95,500 division of the fourth leg of the Indiana Sire Stakes for 3-year-old colt and gelding trotters at Harrah's Hoosier Park on Thursday (June 16).

On the outside from post seven, Dan D Man Can was put to work early and powered towards the front, but not before Swan Affect (Marcus Miller) took the field of seven to the quarter in 27 seconds. Dan D Man Can trotted around Swan Affect after that marker and went on to pass the halfway point in 56 1/5, tightly followed by Swan Affect and Bravo Alpha (LeWayne Miller).

Premier Bluebird (Kyle Wilfong) soared first-over from fourth and advanced side-by-side with Swan Affect for second moving into the final turn. Meanwhile, Dan D Man Can held firm to the three-quarters in 1:25 2/5 and turned into the stretch first. The rest of the field would not go down without a fight, converging on Dan D Man Can in the drive to the wire. Leading the pack, Dan D Man Can battled off all the threats to reach the line first in 1:53 1/5. Swan Affect held on for second, three-quarters of a length behind Dan D Man Can, while Inverness Ave (John De Long) rallied for the show along the cones.

Now six-for-six at three, Dan D Man Can is owned by Red Barn Stable, StepbyStep Racing, and Lava Java Stable. The post-time favorite boosted his lifetime earnings to $291,715 and paid $3.40 to win. The Dover Dan gelding was bred by Homestead Acres.

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Earlier in the card, driver Jordan Ross recorded his 1,000th career driving win, accomplishing this milestone with Tipsy In Vegas for trainer Missy Essig.

Slotted into post one, Tipsy In Vegas rocketed on the rail, forcing Ponda Avenue (Marcus Miller) to drive on two-wide to the point past the quarter in 28 3/5. Tipsy In Vegas and Ross reclaimed the lead heading to the halfway mark in 1:00, and from there, Tipsy in Vegas would cruise for the rest of the mile, knocking down the three-quarters in 1:29 4/5 en route to a 1:57 1/5 victory.

Ross began racing in the Indiana-Sired Fair Circuit with his first pari-mutuel win coming in 2016 with Bolt For Home for trainer Robert Taylor at Converse. Becoming a more frequent driver at Harrah's Hoosier Park in 2017, Ross would often partner up with Taylor for his races at the oval during that time. Today, Ross has secured himself as one of the top drivers at Harrah's Hoosier Park, totaling 109 wins so far this season.

In his career, Ross has driven the earners of $11 million from over 8,000 starts. Ross is currently fourth in the standings at Harrah's Hoosier Park this season. Likewise, Ross has been consistently piloting Indiana Sire Stakes horses and represented the United States in the 2023 World Driving Championship.

Live racing continues Friday (July 17) with a 14-race card that includes one $94,000 splits of the fourth Indiana Sire Stakes leg for sophomore pacing colts and geldings. The Friday night card features the $10,000 guaranteed late Pick 4 and the $10,000 guaranteed late Hoosier High 5 done in partnership with the USTA's Strategic Wagering Program.

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