A pair of sophomore trotting males remained perfect on the season, as Dan D Man Can and San Patricio took their respective divisions of the second leg of Indiana Sire Stakes on Thursday, June 11 at Harrah's Hoosier Park.
The Erv Miller-trained Dan D Man Can teamed up with regular pilot Atlee Bender to take the $49,500 first split on the evening.
Leaving from post four, Dan D Man Can took his time out of the gate, hovering around the middle of the seven-horse field as Swan Affect (Marcus Miller) looked to set the tone, gliding to the lead just ahead of Inverness Ave (John De Long). Swan Affect maintained his tempo, showing the way for the rest of the field to the first quarter in 28 seconds.
The field started to gap as the duo of Swan Affect and Inverness Ave hoped to separate themselves from Kousin Karl (Trace Tetrick) and the post time favorite Dan D Man Can. Eventually, the trotters started to regroup while Swan Affect held the line strong to the halfway point in 56 1/5. Kousin Karl drifted wide to challenge Inverness Ave, with Swan Affect trotting past the three-quarters in 1:24 4/5.
Beginning to close the gap from fourth, Dan D Man Can moved to the outside with sights set on the lead trio. Hanging on by a thread, Swan Affect battled off Inverness Ave and Kousin Karl; however, Dan D Man Can was shot out of a cannon down the outside in 27 3/5 to surge clear by a length on the line in 1:53 3/5. Swan Affect held on for second, while Inverness Ave got up for third.
The Dover Dan gelding is owned by Red Barn Stable, Douglas Overhiser and Lava Java Stable. Dan D Man Can was bred by Homestead Acres. Dan D Man Can boosted his lifetime earnings to $189,715. Dan D Man Can paid $3.40 to win.
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San Patricio, driven by Trace Tetrick for trainer Tyler Butenschoen, backed up his recent performances by staying hot to dominate the $50,000 second division.
From the jump, the post time favorite San Patricio wasted little time out of the gate from post six to find the lead in front of Sunday Swagger (Marcus Miller) to lead the field of eight to the quarter in 28 seconds. San Patricio remained in front down the backstretch with the closest trotters Sunday Swagger and August Salazar (John De Long) from second and third. Hitting the halfway mark in 56 seconds, San Patrico led a pack of four - Sunday Swagger, August Salazar and Bravo Alpha (Kyle Wilfong) - leaving the rest of the field behind.
The field stayed the same to three-quarters in 1:24 1/5 as San Patricio was not giving the rest of the field an inch. Battling for position down the lane, August Salazar wore down Sunday Swagger along the outside, but it was too little to late for August Salazar, as San Patricio did not falter down the stretch and was home free to the wire in 1:52 4/5, 2 3/4 lengths clear. August Salazar climbed to second, while Sunday Swagger fought off the field for third.
San Patricio is owned by Tony Holmes, Michael Holmes, June Zent and Timothy Thornton. San Patricio was bred by Tony Holmes and Walter Zent. The Swan For All gelding increased his lifetime earnings to $163,900 on his third straight win to start his sophomore season. San Patricio paid $2.40.
Live racing at Harrah's Hoosier Park continues with a 14-race card, delivering another $95,000 Indiana Sire Stakes bout for the 3-year-old colt and gelding pacers in race ten. Friday's racing will include a $10,000 guaranteed late Pick 4 and the $10,000 guaranteed late Hoosier High 5 done in partnership with the USTA's Strategic Wagering Program. First post is set for 5:30 p.m. (EDT).
--press release (Harrah's Hoosier Park)--