Fresh on the heels of Hoosier Champions Night, featuring 12 Super Finals for Indiana Sires Stakes (ISS), the consolation brackets for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings and fillies was slated for Saturday, Oct. 17 at Harrah’s Hoosier Park. The ISS Consolation for sophomore trotting colts and geldings awarded Justdoitforus his first career win for owner-trainer Robert Wyman.
Justdoitforus and Sam Widger were winners in the $25,000 Consolation for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings Sat. Oct. 17. It was a maiden-breaking win for the flashy Guccio gelding. Photo by Dean Gillette
Justdoitforus, a son of Guccio, was paired up with Sam Widger and got away in the two-hole from the center of the track to follow Swan Legacy through fractions of :28.3, :57.0 and 1:26.0. In the stretch, Widger got the gelding out to challenge and did so with a final panel in :29.4 to take home the top prize in the $25,000 consolation. Mr. Wisconsin and John DeLong finished second, a neck behind Justdoitforus while Swan Legacy was another neck back in third with driver Trace Tetrick at the controls. The time for the mile was 1:56.1.
Owned by the 84-year-old Wyman, who is a minister in northern Indiana near Nappanee, Justdoitforus raced last year mainly on the Indiana Sired Fair Circuit and began his three-year-old campaign on the ISFC before shifting to Harrah’s Hoosier Park, finishing third in the start before the Consolation. The win pushed the earnings up over the $20,000 mark for Justdoitforus, who was purchased out of the Michiana Classic Yearling Sale from the Black Creek Farm consignment for $4,500.
Later on the Saturday card, Bluebird Keepsake and Peter Wrenn picked up the win in the $25,000 Consolation for three-year-old trotting fillies. The Swan for All filly went straight to the lead and never looked back, scoring the gate to wire win in 1:57.0. Givemeonemoretry and Jordan Ross finished second over Bluebird Ladyluck and Dan Shetler for third.
Bluebird Keepsake, bred by Daryl Miller’s Blue Bird Meadows, is owned by David McDuffee and L & L Devisser. Bluebird Keepsake was the highest priced yearling from the Hoosier Classic Yearling Sale in 2018, selling for $125,000. She was the first foal from Changed it All, who is a daughter of the superstar mare Armbro Keepsake who earned more than $880,000 during her career along with being named the O’Brien Two and Three-Year-Old of the Year as well as the Dan Patch Older Trotting Mare of the Year in 1994.