A pair of Indiana sired horses took home top honors in the co-features at Hawthorne Racecourse Sunday, March 8. Dee Rocks was a winner in the $12,000 Fillies and Mares Open while Castle Flight won the $12,000 Open Pace.
Castle Flight, driven by Kyle Wilfong Sunday, March 8, won the Open Pace at Hawthorne. He is shown setting a track record at Harrah’s Hoosier Park last year. Photo by Dean Gillette
Trained by Jamaica Patton, Dee Rocks wasted little time making her presence known in the second race on the card, rolling out to the lead for driver Ridge Warren and maintaining control throughout. The five-year-old daughter of Rockin Image scored the win by two and one-quarter lengths in 1:54.2, a final panel in :28.0. Owned by Ronald Phillips and John Carver, who also bred the mare, Dee Rocks now has 21 career wins and in excess of $361,000. Her career best time remains at 1:51.0 taken last year at Harrah’s Hoosier Park.
In the third race, the male pacers were in the spotlight and Castle Flight had to work a little harder to get the lead for driver Kyle Wilfong, but once the top spot was contained after the quarter-mile marker, he was untouchable. The eight-year-old son of Panspacificflight rolled home a winner by two and one-half lengths in 1:52.1. Trained by Derek Burklund, Castle Flight is owned by Growth Opportunities of Ohio. Alvin Fry is the breeder of the gelding who earned his 29th career trip to the winner’s circle and in excess of $316,000 in purse earnings.
Other Indiana sired winners on the card were Dirt E Rock, trained by Mike Brink and driven by Michael Oosting in a conditioned pace in a time of 1:56.0 and Bluebird Luigi, driven by Brandon Bates for trainer Mark P’Pool. The Guccio three-year-old scored a convincing win in 2:00.2 for owner Kathy Millman. It was the first career win for the sophomore trotter.