Harrah's Hoosier Park will play host to two of the premier stakes in North America for 2-year-old trotters for the second straight year with the Peter Haughton and Jim Doherty Memorials on Friday, Sept. 13. Two full fields of 10 will go postward in each race, with a number of local competitors looking to protect the home-track advantage. The $390,000 Peter Haughton Memorial for trotting colts and geldings serves as the 10th race on the evening, headlined by the once-beaten Eugune The Genius from the Missy Essig barn. The Indiana-bred gelded son of Helpisontheway-Muscle Baby Doll enters off of a career-best effort in his last outing, a 5 1/4 length romp in 1:54, to take his division of the fifth leg of the Indiana Sires Stakes. Leaving from post six with regular pilot Mike Oosting listed to drive, Euguene The Genius has won six of seven in his rookie campaign while banking $155,625 for owners Russ Beeman and Charles Weaver. Eugene The Genius will hook up with Maryland, who heads to Indiana fresh off a 17-1 romp in the $425,500 William Wellwood at Woodbine Mohawk Park in his last outing on Aug. 24. The two-time winning son of Chapter Seven-Crucial leaves from post eight for the red-hot Marcus Melander barn with Dexter Dunn listed to drive the earner of $230,378. The 10 hopefuls look to follow in the footsteps of T C I, who won the 2023 Peter Haughton Memorial in the first year it was held at Harrah's Hoosier Park. T C I took the 2023 edition in front-end fashion in 1:54 2/5 in a campaign which saw him bank over $1.2 million and take O'Brien Award honors. The 2024 Peter Haughton Memorial field, in post position order with trainer and listed driver below: 1-Tarzan-Trainer: Erv Miller-Driver: Mike Oosting 2-Bombay Tom-Trainer: Norm Parker-Driver: Ronnie Wrenn Jr. 3-Mr Instigator-Trainer: Roger Welch-Driver: John De Long 4-High Speed Swan-Trainer: Erv Miller-Driver: Mike Oosting 5-Father TJ-Trainer: Jeff Cullipher-Driver: Tyler Buter 6-Eugene The Genius-Trainer: Missy Essig-Driver: Mike Oosting 7-Hidalgo-Trainer: Ron Burke-Driver: Yannick Gingras 8-Maryland-Trainer: Marcus Melander-Driver: Dexter Dunn 9-Bellsforall-Trainer: Robert Taylor-Driver: Robert Taylor 10-Civilian Drone-Trainer: Nancy Takter-Driver: Yannick Gingras ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter In the $305,000 Jim Doherty Memorial for trotting fillies, Ponda Fashion gives trainer Jay Hochstetler the opportunity to do one better than last year's finish with Ponda Title, as she was the runner-up to eventual Dan Patch Award winner Soiree Hanover. A victor in her last outing, Ponda Fashion was victorious in her split of leg five of Indiana Sires Stakes in a lifetime-best of 1:55 1/5, getting by the heavily-favored Miracle Maven to do so. Ponda Fashion has won half of her six outings on the year, each with driver Kyle Wilfong in the bike. The daughter of Crescent Fashion-Ponda's Lucky Lady is a half-sister to Harrah's Hoosier Park track record holder and fellow Hochstetler stable star Ponda Jet. Ponda Fashion will leave from post three Friday night. The Hoosier standout will have a pair of Sire Stakes champions from the Northeast to deal with if she wants to get to the winner's circle. New Jersey Sire Stakes champion Champagne Problems leaves from post seven from the Nancy Takter barn. A winner in three of six as well, the daughter of Tactical Landing-Miss Caviar has banked $175,004 on the year and enters the Doherty off of a fourth-place finish in the $288,600 Peaceful Way final at Mohawk. New York Sire Stakes champion Royal Mission will have to overcome the far outside post nine on Friday. Trainer Marcus Melander sends the daughter of Chapter Seven-Swinging Royalty to Harrah's Hoosier Park six days after claiming the $225,000 NYSS final at Yonkers in the rain in 1:58 2/5. Already with a quarter-million dollars made, Royal Mission has won three times and hit the board in six of seven to begin her young career. Melander trainees will bookend the gate, with Italian-bred Goodgirl Bi leaving from the rail. The Jim Doherty will serve as the 12th race on the card. The 2024 Jim Doherty field, in post position order with trainer and listed driver below: 1-Goodgirl Bi-Trainer: Marcus Melander-Driver: Mattias Melander 2-Woodside Izz-Trainer: Susan Miller-Driver: LeWayne Miller 3-Ponda Fashion-Trainer: Jay Hochstetler-Driver: Kyle Wilfong 4-Pink Chou Chou-Trainer: Nancy Takter-Driver: Todd McCarthy 5-Naughty Naughty-Trainer: Jeff Edwards-Driver: Tim Tetrick 6-Sweetasmoni-Trainer: Ken Rucker-Driver: Kyle Wilfong 7-Champagne Problems-Trainer: Nancy Takter-Driver: Dexter Dunn 8-Delaney Hanover-Trainer: Lucas Wallin-Driver: Todd McCarthy 9-Royal Mission-Trainer: Marcus Melander-Driver: Scott Zeron 10-Swanfinerose-Trainer: Erv Miller-Driver: Trace Tetrick Final driver selections/changes for the Friday card will be made Wednesday afternoon (Sept. 11). With purses Friday night totaling $1.275 million on the 14-race card, the two trotting stakes will be joined by nine divisions of Indiana Sires Stakes on the night, along with the $75,000 Hoosier Cup final, which will see 2024 Milstein Memorial winner Sabonis go for his 11th consecutive victory from the rail. First post on the Friday night card is 6:15 p.m. (EDT). --press release (Harrah's Hoosier Park)--