Harrah's Hoosier Park: De Long rolls a seven, including Indiana Sire Stakes tally

A pair of $66,000 Indiana Sire Stakes events for rookie pacing fillies headlined the Tuesday (July 28) night card at Harrah's Hoosier Park, and Kountry Legacy and Fitterjake got the job done. Kountry Legacy was the third of John De Long's seven driving wins on the program.

Jeff Cullipher-trained Kountry Legacy hung back out of the gate in post four as Tellmehowitis (Kyle Wilfong) timed the start the best to the lead, beating out Chancey Lucre to the first quarter in 26 1/5. After going single-file onto the backstretch, the post time favorite Callie Rocks (Trace Tetrick) glided out of third to snag the lead before the halfway mark in 55 4/5. Leading the charge on the leader, Fantastech (Marcus Miller) and Kountry Legacy found their chance nearing the three-quarters in 1:25.

Hitting the homestretch, Kountry Legacy and Owleo's Pride (Ricky Macomber Jr) rocketed past the leader in a final quarter time of 25 3/5, with Kountry Legacy slamming the wire in 1:51 3/5 and winning by a half-length. Owleo's Pride rallied into second, while Tellmehowitis got up for third.

The victorious 2-year-old filly is owned by Pollack Racing LLC. and Jeff Cullipher. Bred by Ola Yoder, the Capt Midnight-Shartin N filly boosted her lifetime earnings to $58,200 for her second win of her career. Kountry Legacy paid $9.00 to win.

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This win was marked the middle of De Long's seven win night. His other victories came with Sweet Image (race three), Ponda Light (race four), Jk's Star (race nine) Canttouchem (race ten), Kountry Karp (race 12) and Toy's For You (race 13).

In the other split, Fitterjake, driven and trained by Aaron Stutzman, introduces herself into the Indiana Sire Stakes program with a bang, staying strong to the wire.

From the outside post eight, Fitterjake had her eyes set on the lead, soaring to the first quarter in 27 4/5. The odds-on favorite Jk’s Fast (John De Long) sat second behind the leader Fitterjake upon arrival to the backstretch. Stretching the field, Fitterjake paced past the half-mile mark in 58 2/5 as Mystical Jk (Kyle Wilfong) broke ground on the outside, climbing up the ranks towards the leader. The top two pacers remained unchanged from the start with Fitterjake passing the three-quarters and stalked by Jk's Fast to three-quarters in 1:26 1/5. Setting up a battle in the homestretch, Fitterjake fended off the oncoming JK's Fast all the way to the wire in 1:52, holding on by a neck. Jk's Fast settled for second, while Mystical Jk held on for third.

The winning Jk Endofanera filly out of For Sharks Sake was bred and is owned by James Miller. Fitterjake remains undefeated in her two career starts, totaling $38,000 in lifetime earnings. Fitterjake paid $6.20 to win.

Live racing at Harrah's Hoosier Park continues tomorrow (July 29) with four editions of INSS action. The 2-year-old colt and gelding pacers take center stage in two $65,500 flights in races four and 12. Meanwhile, the 3-year-old filly trotters compete in races six and 11 for purses of $48,500 and $49,000. The 14-race 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.

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