Action kicked off the week of Tuesday, Aug. 23 with an exciting finish in the first race of the night. A plethora of trotters rallied home in closing fashion with Here Comes Dover and Bradley Ferguson getting the victory in 1:56.4.
Here Comes Dover and Bradley Ferguson (inside) fend off a late rally by Full Strength and Ricky Macomber Jr. to earn his first career win at Harrah’s Hoosier Park.
Two-year-old trotters lined up behind the gate and Chamba and James Yoder were the first to emerge, rallying up to the lead to set the first fraction in :27.4. It didn’t take long for Getnthecarchuckie and Jordan Ross to move out and to the lead at the half in :57.1 before Chamba was back out to rechallenge at the three-quarters in 1:28.0.
In the stretch, the late closers were lurking and began to kick into gear. Here Comes Dover had found a spot to slip to the outside in front of Full Strength and Ricky Macomber Jr. Meanwhile, Chamba had put away the ones at the front, but it was the ones from the back with the biggest kick. Here Comes Dover trotted home in :27.4 with Full Strength hot on his heels. Here Comes Dover grabbed the win over Full Strength by a neck in 1:56.4. Morning Edition and Atlee Bender also closed well for third.
Here Comes Dover was a longshot in the field, paying $55.20 for the win. The Dover Dan freshman is owned by Black and White Stable and trained by Walter Haynes Jr. It was his first time hitting the board in five career starts. The Karl Miller gelding has been racing exclusively at Harrah’s Hoosier Park and this was the first start under the direction of Haynes Jr. Here Comes Dover is the second of three foals from the Here Comes Herbie mare Grandma Jan’s Gems, who has a mark of 1:57.3. The family has an unnamed yearling filly this year by Lou’s Legacy.
Another big freshman trotting winner on the night was Epic Touch, driven by Brandon Bates. Starting from the eight hole, Epic Touch got away in mid pack as Dontwalkawayrene and Peter Wrenn set fractions of :28.3 and :59.0 before being joined by Flashy Swan and Dale Hiteman on the lead.
In the stretch, Epic Touch followed her cover to the outside and trotted home in :28.0 to score the win by a half-length over Flashy Swan. Ear Rings and Atlee Bender finished third.
Epic Touch, another longshot, paid $42.80 for the win. The You Know You Do freshman is trained by Keith Roth for owners AJK Racing and Roth, who owns part of the filly. Misty Ridge Stables LLC bred the filly, who was making her third career start. The win in 1:58.4 was a career best for the filly.