Harrah's Hoosier Park: Zeron looks to keep rolling with It's My Show, Periculum
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It's been three weeks since Scott Zeron guided Periculum and It's My Show to major victories on the Woodbine Mohawk Park program. The Maple Leaf Trot and Canadian Pacing Derby champs will see action once again on Friday night with Zeron hoping for similar results at Harrah's Hoosier Park.
First, It's My Show will take the track in the $165,000 Harrah's Hoosier Park Pacing Derby. One race later, Zeron will guide Periculum in the $200,000 Caesars Trotting Classic. The two stakes are part of nearly $1.4 million in purses being distributed on the 15-race Harrah's Hoosier Park card that starts at 6:00 P.M. (EDT).
Following an early-season slump, It's My Show has emerged as a force against the top older pacers, and he looks for his third consecutive win in the Harrah's Hoosier Park Pacing Derby.
"He's got human emotions," Zeron said of It's My Show. "Right now, he's feeling great and racing great. It's my job to get him the best trip."
Following a dismal effort in the Prix D'Ete on August 18, Zeron returned to the sulky behind It's My Show in a Preferred pace at Woodbine Mohawk Park on August 24 and guided him to a third-place effort. A week later in the rich Canadian Pacing Derby, It's My Show blasted out of the gate and worked out a ground-saving trip before Zeron found him a clear path and led him to a 7-1 upset of race favorite Abuckabett Hanover.
It's My Show enters the Pacing Derby following a victory on September 10 at The Red Mile. "I gave him a nice cover trip and he just wanted to go by," said Zeron of the 1:49 2/5 tune-up.
On Friday, It's My Show drew post two in a very competitive field of 10 and once again may be an underdog against a group that includes Haughton Memorial winner Abuckabett Hanover (post eight), the 64-time winner Little Rocket Man (post five), as well as the 2022 Little Brown Jug champion Bythemissal (post nine).
Dunkin' (post one) returns to Harrah's Hoosier Park and will likely get a little more play than the 20-1 odds he went off in August before capturing the track's signature Dan Patch in a career-best 1:49 1/5 clocking.
The Harrah's Hoosier Park Pacing Derby is loaded with talent, as trainer Travis Alexander not only named I Did It Myway (post 10) to the event but had Backstreet Shadow (post six) supplemented. The ageless warrior Charlie May has not won as often this year as the past but remains a threat against any competition. The Ohio-bred son of McArdle landed post seven.
Prior to capturing the prestigious Maple Leaf Trot last month at Woodbine Mohawk Park, Periculum had been a nice horse but not exactly considered elite by many. His elimination and final score earned him not only name recognition but placement in a major race that followed.
"After he won the Maple Leaf he got an invitation to the International Trot," said Zeron. "That was a really great opportunity."
That opportunity was great for both Zeron and trainer Marcus Melander, who had the Muscle Hill-sired 5-year-old in good shape.
"It was tough navigating a trip in the International," said Zeron. "We were starting from the second tier, and I thought the horse that I was following would get me into the race."
Unfortunately for Periculum and Zeron, a chance at winning the $1 million International was spoiled by the long trip and the fact that Periculum was just too far away from race winner Jiggy Jog when he turned into the homestretch.
"I wish I could have been closer. It would have been interesting," said Zeron.
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Periculum (post four) won't have a rematch with Jiggy Jog in the Caesars Trotting Classic as the mare was not entered. Still, there are nine others in the field with talent, and that could make things challenging as Periculum seeks his third win in his last four starts, all with Zeron in the bike.
Though all three of Zeron's drives have been off-the-pace, the driver is not concerned about his charge being one-dimensional.
"They told me he's fine and you can leave with him," Zeron said. "Hoosier's a tough track to navigate. You'd think with the long stretch that it favors closers, but that's not the case. With as fast as we have to go, it's still hard to make up ground in the stretch."
Winner's Bet (post six) rebounded nicely after a break in stride kept him from qualifying for the Maple Leaf final. The Nancy Takter-trained 4-year-old put in a monster effort in capturing the Charlie Hill Memorial at Scioto on September 7. In that race driver Dexter Dunn had to come overland in a snappy final half and finished out his mile with a 26 2/5 final quarter.
Trainer Ron Burke has a pair in the Caesars, with It's Academic and Chapercraz starting from posts one and two in the field, and M-M's Dream, now listed under the care of Henry Graber Jr., starting from post 10 in the second tier. It's Academic has captured a pair of stakes events this year in six tries for Burke. The Ohio-bred managed a fifth-place finish in the International Trot at Yonkers. Chapercraz has won just once in 15 tries this year, but that was a major accomplishment, with the 4-year-old by Crazy Wow upsetting at 32-1 in the $425,000 Hambletonian Maturity at the Meadowlands on July 13.
Trainer Marcus Melander sends out Oh Well (post three) along with Periculum in the contest, and the 4-year-old should not be ignored. A runner-up in the Maple Leaf to his stablemate, Oh Well has been mired with poor post positions all season long and finally gets some reprieve in the Caesars Trotting Classic.
Zeron will again be in the bike for trainer Melander on Saturday night as he guides the freshman Meshuggah in the Mohawk Million.
"He's got great manners," said Zeron of the 2-year-old he guided to victory in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes final at The Meadows on September 5. "He drew post seven and it's his first trip over a big track."
As for the outside draw, Zeron said: "He can leave the gate fast."