Converse Fairgrounds played host to ten races Tuesday, June 21 in place of the program scheduled for Shelby County. The quickest winner on the day was Lonestar Fashion, winner of the lone three-year-old colt and gelding trotting event for the Indiana Sired Fair Circuit (ISFC).
Lonestar Fashion and Clint Coy stop for a photo after winning the lone division of the ISFC for sophomore trotting colts and geldings.
Guided by Clint Coy, Lonestar Fashion, a son of Crescent Fashion, got away from the gate in third with Swartz Bros Sam and Joey Putnam rallying out for the top spot, leading the field of seven to the quarter in :31.2. Turning down the stretch for the first time, Coy positioned Lonestar Fashion to the outside to create an outer flow behind him and slowly moved up on Swartz Bros Sam at the half in 1:01.0 and three-quarters in 1:30.2. Stablemate Hand Dover Dan was right on the back of Lonestar Fashion heading into the stretch.
Lonestar Fashion handled Swartz Bros Sam but it was Hand Dover Dan and Doug Rideout that had a lot of momentum. The two trotters rallied home together but Hand Dover Dan could not get past Lonestar Fashion, going off stride just steps before the wire. Lonestar Fashion was the winner in 1:59.4 and now has three wins on the ISFC and moves to the top of the standings for sophomore trotting colts and geldings. Swartz Bros Sam finished third in the mile clocked in 1:59.4, the fastest of the day.
Lonestar Fashion, trained by Doug Rideout, is owned by Julie Rideout and John Graber. It was four wins on the card for Rideout as a trainer and second for Coy, who also guided Badimage to victory in the first race of the day, winning the bookend races. Coy also trains Badimage, who was a winner in 2:02.0 for owner John Lewellen in the first division of the two-year-old pacing fillies.
Badimage shared the fastest division of the day in the freshman pacing filly division with Here We Go BB, trained and driven by Doug Rideout. The Tellitlikeitis filly, owned by Sheila Parcher, won easily by more than five lengths in 2:02.0, a final panel in :28.4. Other freshman pacing filly winners were Check in Process and Charlie Conrad (2:03.2) and Kruisin Kristen and Jay Cross (2:02.1).
Three divisions of freshman colt and gelding pacers were held with Master Splinter and Terry Skinner turning in the fastest time of 2:00.1, a final quarter in :29.1. The Always a Virgin colt is also trained by Skinner for Ar’Tarrius Fleming of Mississippi. Other freshman colt and gelding winners included Lil Joe IV (Gerald Miller, 2:01.4) and M-M’s Tony (Jay Cross, 2:04.0).
Two divisions of three-year-old trotting fillies were held with Rideout sweeping both divisions. He was the driver and trainer of Crescent Beauty (2:02.4) and Walk With Me (2:04.2). Crescent Beauty, a daughter of Crescent Fashion, is owned by Julie Rideout and Peter Schmucker Jr., who also bred the filly. Walk with Me is owned by Matthew Miller.
The ISFC travels to the Clinton County Fairgrounds in Frankfort for its next stop. Racing is slated for Monday, June 27 and Tuesday, June 28.