Harrah's Hoosier Park: A great eight for On To Norway

Round two of Indiana Sire Stakes for 3-year-old trotting males served as the Thursday (June 12) feature at Harrah's Hoosier Park, with a pair of $49,500 divisions seeing On To Norway extend his win streak to eight, and Operator pull off a mild upset in a career-best clocking.

In the first division, On To Norway was sent away from the rail as the 1-5 favorite with regular pilot John De Long in the bike. De Long took the two-hole tuck on the first turn while Mehelpingyou (Jordan Ross) cut the quarter in 28 3/5 as the 7-1 third choice. De Long moved the favorite to the top on the backstretch, leading to the half in 57 2/5 before extending his lead to 2 1/2 lengths at three-quarters in 1:26.

Extending the win streak was never in doubt in the lane, with On To Norway and a motionless De Long cruising home in 27 2/5 to reach the wire three lengths clear in 1:53 2/5. Mehelpingyou held sway for second, with Bluebird Ladychuck (Dan Shetler) edging out Tarzan (Marcus Miller) for the show spot.

Ron Burke trains On To Norway, who has now won eight of nine on the year and 11 of 17 lifetime. Bred by Bennet Farms Inc of MI, the gelded son of Muscle Massive-One Class Act went over $100,000 in seasonal earnings with the victory and boasts a career bankroll of $124,962 for owners Burke Racing Stable, Frank Baldachino, Black And White Stable and Michael Rosenthal.

In the second division, Operator would convert a pocket trip to pull a mild 5-1 upset of On To Norway's stablemate, Starlitfranknstein, for the driver/trainer combination of Kyle Wilfong and Jay Hochstetler.

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Leaving from the rail, Operator and Wilfong cruised to an early lead through an opening quarter of 28 1/5 with Trace Tetrick and the 1-9 Starlitfranknstein sitting the pocket. Starlitfranknstein moved to the top just beyond the quarter, trotting to a comfortable half-mile clocking of 57 1/5 with Operator now in the pocket. The lead duo began to separate from the field on the way to three-quarters, as Starlitfranknstein led an anxious Operator to that station in 1:25 4/5.

Wilfong fed Operator racetrack, and the sprint was on in the lane as Operator and Starlitfranknstein continued to exchange blows in the stretch. Powering home in 26 4/5, Operator wore down Starlitfranknstein in deep stretch to score by three-quarters of a length in a career-best clocking of 1:52 4/5. Ponda Rocky (Atlee Bender) finished third, three lengths behind the winner.

Operator has won two of three during his 3-year-old campaign, and five of 13 in his career. Bred by Christopher Nissley, the gelded son of You Know You Do-Crazyasclassic sports lifetime earnings of $123,755 for owners Connie and Homer Hochstetler, Robert Buddig, and Allen Schwartz.

The win was one of four on the night for Wilfong to lead all drivers, and second of the evening for Hochstetler to lead the training category.

The late Pick 5 on Thursday went unsolved, leading to a carryover of $4,231 into the early Pick 5 on Friday in races 1-5, which will have a guaranteed pool of $20,000. Additionally, the late Hoosier High 5 in the race 14 finale will be guaranteed at $10,000, with both wagers done in partnership with the USTA's Strategic Wagering Program.

First post for the Friday night card is 6:15 p.m. and also features two divisions of Indiana Sire Stakes for the three-year-old pacing colts and geldings.

For more information on the 2025 live racing season at Harrah’s Hoosier Park, guests are encouraged to visit www.harrahshoosierpark.com.

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