Harrah’s Hoosier Park is just days away from it’s 29th season of Standardbred racing and to polish off the pre-meet qualifiers, a special “dress rehearsal” was held Wednesday, March 23 with drivers in full colors for eight-race card.
Predator and Prey and Jared Finn scored an easy win during the dress rehearsal Wednesday, March 23 at Harrah’s Hoosier Park. Photo by Dean Gillette
One returning trotter looked especially good as Predator and Prey and Jared Finn scored a seven-length win in the fifth event. Predator and Prey went straight to the lead and led by open lengths at every call before pulling away from the field and turning in a final quarter in :28.4 to win in 1:58.4. The four-year-old Guccio gelding, trained by JD Finn, starts his four-year-old campaign off a season last year that brought in over $100,000 in earnings. Overall, he has six wins and more than $141,000 in earnings with a career best time of 1:54.1 taken last year at Harrah’s Hoosier Park in 1:54.1.
Predator and Prey was purchased by Finn Racing LLC of Newton, Ill. out of the Hoosier Classic Yearling Sale under the name Topville Samson from breeder Merle Yoder. He was one of 44 sold at auction that season by Guccio and part of the last full class offered at auction before Guccio moved over to the driving horse industry as a stallion. Predator and Prey was purchased by the Finns for $10,000.
Predator and Prey is a half-brother to the standout mare Satin Dancer with a mark of 1:53.0 and earnings of more than $739,000. He has a two-year-old half-brother by Dover Dan named Topville Swift Dan that will race in 2022 and a yearling half-brother, also by Dover Dan named Topville Sebastian, who will sell at the yearling sales this fall.
Predator and Prey completed his three-year-old season last fall in the $270,000 Indiana Sires Stakes Final. He was a winner in preliminary rounds of the Indiana Sires Stakes series last year.
Another standout performer from last year, Brookview Bullet, scored an open length win in his qualifier in 1:54.0. Guided by Brandon Bates for Trainer Henry Graber Jr., the four-year-old gelded son of Always A Virgin won by four and one half lengths, a final quarter in :27.1 after taking over just after the quarter in :30.1. Brookview Bullet is owned by Eleven Star Stables and was bred by Brookview Farms. He starts off his year with seven career wins and more than $178,000 in earnings with his personal best record of 1:50.1 taken last year at three at Harrah’s Hoosier Park.