Harrah's Hoosier Park: Sophomores clash in Indiana Sires Stakes Super Finals

Three-year-olds of both sexes and gaits battled the elements and each other in four $270,000 Indiana Sires Stakes Super Finals on Friday night at a soggy and cold Harrah's Hoosier Park.

Rockin Nola gave the father-son duo of driver Joey Putnam and co-owner/trainer Joe Putnam the win in the filly pace, turning in a big rally to win in 1:51 4/5 and defending her sire stakes championship from a year ago.

Play For Pay (Brandon Bates) took the group of ten to the opening quarter in 26 3/5, but Pansy's Image (Trace Tetrick) looped from fourth to first prior to the 55 2/5 half. When she cleared, that left her Shane Bowermaster stablemate Fully A Virgin (Mike Oosting) first-over, with another Bowermaster trainee in Lady Capulet (Sam Widger) second-over and Rockin Nola third-over. Pansy's Image maintained a slim lead over Fully A Virgin at the 1:24 2/5 three-quarters, but in the lane Fully A Virgin was able to wrestle the lead away. She couldn't fend off Rockin Nola, though, as the driving Putnam angled her out widest, and she closed in 26 3/5 to get up and win by two lengths. Fully A Virgin had to settle for second, with Lady Capulet third.

"I wanted to get away like sixth or seventh in a perfect world. Everybody was leaving, and I just wanted to make sure I could have a clear run when I got out," offered Joey Putnam. "I knew I needed to be where I was when everybody kept coming early. It just worked out, and the flow was good. It's huge. It can't get better than this."

A Rockin Image filly, Rockin Nola is co-owned by Suttons Bay Racing and Novi Trot LLC. She made her tenth appearance in the winner's circle, and she has now pocketed $398,922. Sent off at 2-1, she returned $6.80 to win.

"She'd been a great filly as a 2-year-old. She came back perfect this year as a 3-year-old, won three or four early, went some big miles, and then we kind of went through a little bit of a lull," said Joe Putnam. "She didn't get good trips, and things just weren't working out, but she was still racing good. The last two or three starts she's really been finishing strong. We got a great trip tonight in a good flow. It worked out perfect."

Grand Swan (Lewayne Miller) broke in last year's Super Final when she was one of the favorites, but she got a measure of redemption by taking the 2019 filly trot in 1:55. Measuredperfection (Yannick Gingras) came up on the rim to get the lead away from Kota's Swan (Widger) past the 28 second opening quarter, and Measuredperfection would go on to hit the half in 57 seconds, with Grand Swan pulling first-over from fourth right before that point. Grand Swan got to within a length of Measuredperfection at the 1:26 3/5 three-quarters, then was able to go by in the stretch. From there, Grand Swan kicked clear and prevailed by 2 3/4 lengths over Haylie Ivy (Ricky Macomber Jr.). Measuredperfection held third.

"I didn't really know what to expect. We were going for like $250,000, so crazy stuff happens," remarked Miller, who also trains Grand Swan. "I wanted to protect my position and either move her to the front or come first-up. I was a little worried with the wind tonight coming first-up, but she fought them off like she normally does.

"We've been picking our spots, not trying to over-race her and giving her some time off here and there. Other than that, just taking care of her. She's a fighter, and she's a big, strong filly. Ricky (Macomber Jr.) and I, we were talking after the race, and he said he knew he couldn't up beside me because he knows she fights them off."

Grand Swan still has some stakes engagements coming up the rest of 2019, and her future after that is undetermined at this juncture.

"She's got the rest of the stakes here and then the Matron at Dover if everything goes all right from now 'til then," Miller said. "Then we'll decide at the end of the year if we want to keep her or what we want to do with her."

Grand Swan Racing, Go Fast Stable, and Never 2 Late Stable owns Grand Swan, a daughter of Swan For All. This was her 16th career win, and she has now earned $542,500. The 2-5 favorite, she paid $2.80 to win.

Swandre The Giant (Gingras) also made amends for a defeat in his Super Final last season, taking the 3-year-old male trot in 1:55. He pushed on to the lead around Smooth Aceleration (Macomber Jr.) past the 27 4/5 first quarter, then was well-rated through a 57 4/5 half and a 1:27 three-quarters. Swandre The Giant got separation on the field on the way to three-quarters and reported home a 4 1/2 length winner. Gotwuteverittakes (Miller) was the runner-up, and Wow Lester (Tetrick) came in third.

"I just wanted to take my time making the front. Once I got there, he's just all class. When I asked him in the stretch he took off, and he was real strong finishing," said Gingras. "It's a tough group of colts; here and there he was able to beat them, but it's tough. Tonight, it was definitely a drop down for him, and he showed he's part of the top of the crop. Greenshoe and those kind are a little tough for him, but he was strong tonight.

"Just trying to stay warm, that was my main goal for the night. It's freezing and it's the worst kind of weather really, but props to the track crew, the track is really good tonight even though it's rained all night. You look at the program and you try to look at the tendency, like see if the front is good or from the back, but it's kind of played out all night that the track is playing fair and seems like the best horse wins."

Ron Burke trains Swandre The Giant, a Swan For All colt, for owners Diamond Creek Racing, J&T Silva Stables, LLC., and Howard Taylor. He has won 15 times in his career, and he pushed his earnings to $645,743. He was the 1-5 choice and returned $2.60 to win.

Tellmeaboutit (Oosting) sat third on the cones through fractions of 26 4/5, 55 2/5, and 1:23 4/5 in the colt and gelding pace, then rallied with authority up the passing lane to win by 2 1/2 lengths in 1:50 3/5. Shamwow (Miller) was second after a first-over trip, and Little Rocket Man (Tetrick) wound up third after cutting the mile. There was an inquiry on Tellmeaboutit to look at a possible pylon violation in the lane, but it was determined he had gone inside only one pylon and had not gained an unfair advantage, so the result stood as posted.

"We've just tried to bring him along and teach him to race. He'd gotten a little hot by the end of the year last year, so just easy, baby steps I'd say," said winning trainer/co-owner Alvin Miller. "About May of last year we had a pretty good idea (he was a top colt). We train at home and he actually had some big last halves. He told us pretty early he was the real deal.

"He's got a couple more of the little stakes here and that'll probably be it for the year."

Twila Hearts co-owns Tellmeaboutit, a gelding by Tellitlikeitis. Tellmeaboutit now owns 10 career wins, and he has banked $324,055. A 3-1 shot, he paid $8.60 to win.