The program at Hoosier Park Friday, Nov. 2 is filled with action open to the world and scattered among the four $100,000-plus stakes are several Indiana sired horses. The card includes the $137,000 Crossroads of America for three-year-old filly trotters, the $113,000 USS Indianapolis Memorial for three-year-old filly pacers, the $256,000 Carl Erskine for three-year-old trotters and the $190,000 Monument Circle for three-year-old colt and gelding pacers. In addition to the Grand Circuit races, two divisions each of the Brad Hanners Memorial and Dick Macomber Memorial are on the 14-race card.
Always A Prince and Trace Tetrick score their sixth straight win in the $220,000 Indiana Sires Stakes Super Final Friday, Oct. 12. (Photo by Dean Gillette)
One race that is getting a lot of early attention is the Monument Circle as Always A Prince, the standout Indiana sired pacer, will go up against some of the horses that competed in the Breeders Crown last week at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono. Trained by Tyler George, Always A Prince has been tough from start to finish, winning 18 of his 21 outings this year. Unraced at two, the Always A Virgin colt has nearly $400,000 on his card for Carl and Melanie Atley with his best time of 1:48.3 in September at Hoosier Park. The Atleys have noted this will be the final race for Always A Prince this season and look forward to bringing him back next year at four after some rest and relaxation over the winter.
“As an owner, you always hope to get a horse like this,” said Atley in a story penned by the U.S. Trotting Association’s media relations manager Ken Weingartner. “It’s a dream come true. His best quality is he takes care of himself. Some horses are so wild and crazy, they kick and carry on, but he goes in and lies down and takes care of himself. He’s a well-mannered colt. We’re very, very fortunate. He’s had a great year. Just unbelievable.”
Always a Prince is favored at odds of 2-1. He will be driven by Trace Tetrick from post two in Race 11 with an estimated post time of 9:30 p.m.
Custom Cantab and Peter Wrenn continued their winning ways during Super Night at Hoosier Park. (Photo by Dean Gillette)
Tetrick will also be looking for a win with Fiftydallarbill in the Carl Erskine, set as the 10th race. The Swan for All three-year-old comes into the race from the Breeders Crown and was last year’s Breeders Crown winner. Trained by Bill Crone, he has eight wins in 17 starts this year and lowered his career best to 1:52.1 in June at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono. With earnings in excess of $831,000, a win would move Fiftydallarbill closer to becoming the newest millionaire in Indiana for owner John Barnard. He starts from post six at odds of 6-1 as the fourth choice of the field.
The Crossroads of America will also have a familiar horse as Custom Cantab from the Christopher Beaver Stable will be favored in the seventh race. Driven by Peter Wrenn from post five, the Mr Cantab filly has won 11 of 15 starts this season for the partnership of Beaver, Donald Robinson and RBH Ventures. She has been tagged as the early favorite at odds of 2-1.
Racing gets underway at 6:30 p.m. Foiled Again, the 14-year-old veteran superstar, will also compete on the card in a division of the Dick Macomber Memorial. Ricky Macomber Jr. has been named to drive the Dragon Again gelding who will retire at the end of the year. Foiled Again, who will complete his 13th year of racing in 2018, has 105 wins and in excess of $7.6 million in earnings. He has been tagged as the favorite from post two in race six.