Harrah's Hoosier Park: Off-the-pace tactics pay off in Indiana Sires Stakes splits

Fresh off a big night of Grand Circuit racing action, two divisions of Indiana Sires Stakes for 3-year-old pacing fillies were the featured attraction at Harrah’s Hoosier Park Racing & Casino on Saturday, September 21. The sophomore pacing fillies have now completed seven rounds of their eight round series. The Indiana Sires Stakes season will culminate with the $250,000 Super Finals for each group on October 11.

In the opening section, Play For Pay and driver Brandon Bates switched up their tactics, opted for a trip off-the-pace, and came charging late in the lane to score in 1:51 1/5. Dojea Rita and Charlie Conrad were the first to get a call through the opening panel in 27 1/5 before yielding the lead to Lady Capulet and Mike Oosting just before the half.

Lady Capulet clicked off fractions of 55 2/5 and 1:23 2/5, and when the field turned for home, it was a cavalry charge to the wire. Using the long Hoosier Park stretch to her advantage, Play For Pay tipped off tiring cover and used a 26 3/5 closing kick to get the win by a head. Pure Maid and LeWayne Miller finished second, while This Peach Rocks and Ross Leonard rounded out the trifecta. Sent off at odds of 5-1, Play For Pay returned $13.60 at the betting windows.

Trained by Michael Arnold, Play For Pay recorded her fourth win from 15 starts this season. The daughter of Tellitlikeitis-Fox Valley Ivy now sports a lifetime bankroll of $162,335 and is owned by Ira Steinberg.

Fully A Virgin and Oosting used similar tactics to get up in the final strides of the mile and capture the second grouping of the stakes action in 1:50 1/5. Utilizing a 25 4/5 closing quarter, Fully A Virgin tipped off cover and powered home a winner, a length and three-quarters in front of stablemate Pansy’s Image and Trace Tetrick. Rockin Nola and Joey Putnam also rallied well late to finish third. The 1:50 1/5 clocking was a new lifetime-best for the Shane Bowermaster trainee and the third win from her last four outs.

With the win, the homebred daughter of Always A Virgin-Full Of Gold recorded her sixth win from 14 starts this season. Owned and bred by Emerald Highlands Farm, Fully A Virgin has now amassed $205,180 in lifetime purse earnings.

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