Hoosier: Impressive stakes action on tap Saturday night

Hoosier Park will be the site of some impressive stakes racing action on Saturday night and trainer Joe Holloway will be well represented. The developer and conditioner of Indiana’s leading pacing stallion Always A Virgin, Holloway sends out two pacing fillies in the Kentuckiana Stallion Management Stakes.

Bettor Be Steppin, a $70,000 yearling purchase in 2013, has come along a little faster than her trainer expected. After a recent stakes victory at Tioga she enters Saturday’s $153,200 division with confidence. The daughter of Bettors Delight was a Shes A Great Lady finalist but finished fourth after a luckless journey.

“Corey (driver Callahan) said he had a ton of horse but just couldn’t find room,” said Holloway of the Shes A Great Lady experience.

“I thought she would take some time and be good for later in the season,” said Holloway of Bettor Be Steppin. “But she’s improving with each race and is really good right now.”

Bettor Be Steppin will need her A-game from post seven in the ninth race on the program. She’ll meet up with Pennsylvania Sire Stakes champion Southwind Roulette (post three).

Divine Caroline, an exciting filly from the first crop of Rock N Roll Heaven, drew into what appears to be the tougher division. The undefeated J K She’salady drew post six in the $151,950 contest carded as race 11 of 14.

“We’ve got to try to get her speed back,” said Holloway, who confessed that he needed to make wholesale changes earlier this year when Divine Caroline was jumping anything and everything she saw. With those problems appearing to be a thing of the past he’s hoping the change of scenery will do her well.

“I think the long stretch at Hoosier will be right up her alley,” said Holloway about Divine Caroline. Whether she can match the speed of J K Shesalady remains to be seen.

Holloway has mixed feelings about Always B Miki racing at Hoosier on Saturday night. “He wasn’t Jug eligible and we (the owners) made the decision not to supplement to the Cane,” said Holloway, explaining why Always B Miki has been racing exclusively in Indiana. “The races have been good for him. They’ve been like training miles,” Holloway said.

Always B Miki, a son of Always A Virgin, drew post two in the $50,000 Jennas Beach Boy (another Holloway pupil) carded as race 10. He’ll meet North America Cup winner J K Endofanera (post 4).

Since finishing second in He’s Watching’s record-setting Meadowlands Pace final, Always B Miki has four consecutive wins at Hoosier and has yet to be tested.

“He’s eligible to both stakes races at The Red Mile,” said Holloway, “And if he continues to race well I wouldn’t be surprised if he was supplemented to the Breeders Crown.”

The $238,500 Centaur Trotting Classic (race 12) features leading Horse of the Year candidate Sebastian K in search of his ninth win this season. Ake Svanstedt will guide him from post six in a field that includes Market Share (post 1), Natural Herbie (post 2) and Archangel (post 9).

Hoosier Park’s Saturday program has an opening post of 5:15 pm.

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