Sweet Ginger was one of three Indiana sired winners on the Monday card at Monticello Raceway March 7. Sweet Ginger was part of a one-two punch for the Hoosier State in conditioned pace action.
Sweet Ginger was an easy winner at Monticello Raceway Monday, March 7 as part of the winning end of an Indiana sired Exacta.
Starting from post one, Sweet Ginger and McGwire Sowers had no opposition as they went to the lead. Indiana sired daughter of Rockin Image Topville Olivia, driven by Jim Taggart Jr. followed along as the two pulled away to more than a six length advantage at the quarter in :29.0. Their dominance continued at the half in :58.4 before She’s A Billionair and Michael Merton began to close the gap on the top two before the three-quarters in 1:28.3.
Around the turn, Sweet Ginger was urged by the tap of the wheel by Sowers and continued to keep the pace going, driving all the way to the wire without Sowers moving his hands out of the handholds for the win by two and one-half lengths in 1:58.0. Topville Olivia finished second easily over She’s A Billionair.
Sweet Ginger paid $4.10 for the win. The six-year-old daughter of Fred and Ginger is owned by J L Benson Stables of Florida and is trained by Philip Sowers. Hoosier Standardbred Farm and Fair Meadow Farm bred the mare, who now has two wins for 2022. Overall, she has 16 wins in 68 starts with earnings over $72,000 and a mark of 1:54.1 taken as a four-year-old at Plainridge. Sweet Ginger started her career in Illinois under Shawn Nessa before moving over to Hoosier park at the end of her two-year-old campaign and was eventually moved to Ohio.
Sweet Ginger is the 13th foal from the Artsplace mare, Artifical Sweetner, who earned six figures during her racing career. She has produced several racehorses, including Maximum Bet, who has a mark of 1:54.4 and earnings of more than $250,000 Sweet Sally Sue, who is still racing and has a mark of 1:50.3 and earnings over the $100,000 mark.
Other Indiana sired winners on the card included Dirtylittlelies and the Sowers team in a time of 1:59.2, paying $38.80 for the win as a longshot in the conditioned pace. The Rockin Image four-year-old mare is owned by Clifford Grundy and was bred by Christy Yoder Jr. The other winner was also a four-year-old mare by Rockin Image, Baci Baci, who won by a head for driver Gregory Merton in 1:58.3. George and Rose Bonomo own the mare, who was bred by Concord Stud Farm. Mark Ford trains.