Dandy's Litl Bro and Atlee Bender slide by on the outside for the win in the final step, Friday, July 31 at Harrah's Hoosier Park. Photo by Dean Gillette  Dandy’s Litl Bro and Atlee Bender kept up the family tradition Friday, July 31 to close out the month of racing with a win in the $16,000 Indiana Sires Stakes eligibles event for two-year-old trotting colts and geldings. The youngster earned his first win in his fourth start in the event in a time of 1:57.1. Dandy’s Litl Bro was gapping off the gate at the start and slowly moved over to the inside, getting away next to last as Royal Rebuff and Marcus Miller moved out to take the early lead at the quarter in :29.0. Maxximillion and John DeLong moved out and to the lead before the half in :58.4 to keep the tempo brisk for the group of six freshman trotters. Heading into the final turn, Bender moved Dandy’s Litl Bro to the outside and was in third place on the outside before Royal Rebuff moved back out heading into the stretch. Dandy’s Litl Bro was widest of all and there were four horses across the track midway through the lane. Rollin Giannis and Trace Tetrick were between horses and also moving swiftly to the wire. Dandy’s Litl Bro got the edge in the last step, winning by a nose over Rollin Giannis. Maxximillion held his ground inside for third. Dandy’s Litl Bro paid $9.00 for the win. The Rebuff gelding is owned by Ervin Miller Stable and Red Barn Stable. Homestead Acres bred the two-year-old, who is trained by Erv Miller. He is a half brother to the standout three-year-old trotter Dan D Man Can, who picked up a new lifetime mark earlier this year of 1:52.4 and has more than $339,000 on his card and counting. Dandy’s Litl Bro sold as a ridgling last fall in the Midwest Standardbred Horse Sale under the name Melamaster. Bob Black signed the ticket for the horse for $13,000 and he joined the Erv Miller Stable, who also campaigns Dan D Man Can. So far, the older son of the mare Caramela Hanover is a perfect seven for seven for the Miller barn and scored his latest win the night before in Indiana Sires Stakes action. While the youngsters were in the spotlight, one older veteran scored a win on the Friday program with Shamwow and Trace Tetrick earning a gate to wire win in the upper conditioned pace. Trained by Walter Haynes Jr., Shamwow was a winner by four and a quarter lengths in 1:49.0, a final panel paced in :27.1. Howard Hughes N and Marcus Miller finished second with ER Rambo and Kevin Lambright rounding out the trifecta. Shamwow, now 10, paid $7.40 for the win. He is owned by Jeff Fought Racing and was a homebred for Fought from his Cornerstone Stock Farm. The Always a Virgin gelding now has 25 career wins and more than $538,000 on his card. He has paced under the 1:50 time barrier several times, but his win Friday was a new lifetime mark for the veteran.

Elphaba and Rick Magee overtake stablemate Too Much in the stretch for her first win in her first pari-mutuel start Sunday, Aug. 2 at Running Aces. Elphaba and Rick Magee turned in a wicked mile Sunday, August 2 to score their first win in the $5,000 Maiden conditioned event at Running Aces. It was the first race for the Indiana filly, who scored the victory in 1:56.3. Starting from post two, Elphaba was the heavy favorite, coming into her first pari-mutuel race off a Time Bar race in Wisconsin at the Mineral Point Matinee for Gabe Wand, who is part owner. She then transferred to the Quentin Schneider bar and won her qualifier in 1:58.3 by 13 lengths. Therefore, she was the tagged favorite of the field. Elphaba rallied out from the inside and got the first call out of the gate, but was quickly overtaken by Charlotto Jo and Nick Roland, who led the field through the quarter in :28.4. Too Much and Brady Jenson kept rolling on the outside of Elphaba. Charlotto Jo gapped off the inside slightly and Elphaba tried to move up the inside before Magee grabbed her up to keep her in place. Too Much finally got the lead heading into the second turn and passed by the half in :58.1. As the final turn approached, Elphaba was out and rolling, moving up to match strides with her stablemate Too Much in the final turn. At the head of the lane, the fillies fought off one another until Elphaba got the edge, moving out to a two and three-quarter length win at the wire with a final panel paced in :29.1. Too Much was second by a nose over Brandyoldfashioned and Casy Leonard. Elphaba paid $2.60 for the win. The Best in Show three-year-old is owned by Gabe Wand and Robert Wand and is part of the Quentin Schneider barn. She was bred by Nathan Miller of Middlebury, Ind. and was purchased by the Wands from the first crop of Best in Show under the name JN Wild Show at the Midwest Classic Mixed Sale for $6,500. She is a half sister to several solid racehorses, including Odds on Alpha Male, a winner in 1:50.3 with nearly $300,000 in earnings and still counting. Wand is very active on the Wisconsin harness racing circuit. He serves as a director for the state’s organization and has assisted with several youth events in that area. He has a small stable annually that races mainly on the Wisconsin fair circuit and the Chicago tracks and now at Running Aces. He has won several Driver of the Year titles in his home state and is the longtime packaging manager at Prairie Farms. He was also inducted into the Wisconsin Harness Horse Association Hall of Fame in 2021. He also serves as a director for his region with the U.S. Trotting Association. Wand is a big fan of Broadway and named the Indiana filly after a character in Wicked, played by Cynthia Erivo in the blockbuster movie.

Dandy's Litl Bro and Atlee Bender slide by on the outside for the win in the final step, Friday, July 31 at Harrah's Hoosier Park. Photo by Dean Gillette  Dandy’s Litl Bro and Atlee Bender kept up the family tradition Friday, July 31 to close out the month of racing with a win in the $16,000 Indiana Sires Stakes eligibles event for two-year-old trotting colts and geldings. The youngster earned his first win in his fourth start in the event in a time of 1:57.1. Dandy’s Litl Bro was gapping off the gate at the start and slowly moved over to the inside, getting away next to last as Royal Rebuff and Marcus Miller moved out to take the early lead at the quarter in :29.0. Maxximillion and John DeLong moved out and to the lead before the half in :58.4 to keep the tempo brisk for the group of six freshman trotters. Heading into the final turn, Bender moved Dandy’s Litl Bro to the outside and was in third place on the outside before Royal Rebuff moved back out heading into the stretch. Dandy’s Litl Bro was widest of all and there were four horses across the track midway through the lane. Rollin Giannis and Trace Tetrick were between horses and also moving swiftly to the wire. Dandy’s Litl Bro got the edge in the last step, winning by a nose over Rollin Giannis. Maxximillion held his ground inside for third. Dandy’s Litl Bro paid $9.00 for the win. The Rebuff gelding is owned by Ervin Miller Stable and Red Barn Stable. Homestead Acres bred the two-year-old, who is trained by Erv Miller. He is a half brother to the standout three-year-old trotter Dan D Man Can, who picked up a new lifetime mark earlier this year of 1:52.4 and has more than $339,000 on his card and counting. Dandy’s Litl Bro sold as a ridgling last fall in the Midwest Standardbred Horse Sale under the name Melamaster. Bob Black signed the ticket for the horse for $13,000 and he joined the Erv Miller Stable, who also campaigns Dan D Man Can. So far, the older son of the mare Caramela Hanover is a perfect seven for seven for the Miller barn and scored his latest win the night before in Indiana Sires Stakes action. While the youngsters were in the spotlight, one older veteran scored a win on the Friday program with Shamwow and Trace Tetrick earning a gate to wire win in the upper conditioned pace. Trained by Walter Haynes Jr., Shamwow was a winner by four and a quarter lengths in 1:49.0, a final panel paced in :27.1. Howard Hughes N and Marcus Miller finished second with ER Rambo and Kevin Lambright rounding out the trifecta. Shamwow, now 10, paid $7.40 for the win. He is owned by Jeff Fought Racing and was a homebred for Fought from his Cornerstone Stock Farm. The Always a Virgin gelding now has 25 career wins and more than $538,000 on his card. He has paced under the 1:50 time barrier several times, but his win Friday was a new lifetime mark for the veteran.