The undefeated-in-2025 Rock Shines Again highlighted the final Indiana Sire Stakes prelims of the meet at Harrah's Hoosier Park on Friday (Oct. 3). A pair of divisions of the eighth and final leg for both the sophomore pacing males and fillies were featured on the 14-race card.
Leaving from the outside post nine in the $50,000 affair, Rock Shines Again and regular pilot Trace Tetrick floated away into fifth early as the 1-5 favorite while Class Factor (Pete Wrenn) sprinted to an early lead through a first quarter of 26 2/5. Bikini Chaser (LeWayne Miller) brushed from third to take over just after the half in 55 2/5. Rock Shines Again flushed the cover of JK The Great (Atlee Bender) moving into the final turn, stalking from second-over in fourth as Bikini Chaser brought the field to three-quarters in 1:24 2/5.
Rock Shines Again ripped off cover turning for home, but Bikini Chaser battled gamely to his inside as the top two began to sprint away from the rest. Pacing home in 26 seconds, Rock Shines Again got the better of a dead-game Bikini Chaser late to win by three-parts of a length in 1:51. The Family Man (Marcus Miller) rallied for third, 3 1/2 lengths back of the winner.
Trained by Tyler George, Rock Shines Again, who is 12-for-12 this year, has earned $197,625 for owners Ricky Redder and T G Stable. Victory Hill Farms bred the gelded son of Rockin Image-Bikini Star. The win was one of four on the night for the Tetrick and George combination.
The $50,500 second division for pacing colts and geldings went to Deal The Odds as the 6-5 favorite, scoring from off-the-pace with driver LeWayne Miller. Deal The Odds got away in seventh from post five while Avanti (Atlee Bender) protected his rail starting position to cut the opening quarter in 27 seconds. Saba Rock (John De Long) popped the pocket and assumed command before the half in 55 2/5 before Somemore Soaring (Trace Tetrick) moved first-over from fourth and alongside the leader at three-quarters in 1:23 4/5. Meanwhile, Deal The Odds was now third-over in fifth. Somemore Soaring put away Saba Rock in the stretch but came under attack from Chandler Bing (Jay Cross) and Deal The Odds, who began to roll off his cover. Deal The Odds surged home in 26 1/5 to get by both late and win by 1 1/2 lengths in 1:50 3/5, as Somemore Soaring edged Chandler Bing for second.
Trained by Joe Putnam, Deal The Odds has won six of 13 on the year for owners JP Racing, Michael Lee and Crazy Parrot Farm. The Odds On Equuleus-Sono Bello colt was bred by Silver Linden Farms and has banked $170,187 this season while going over $240,000 in career earnings.
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In the first of two $49,500 divisions for 3-year-old pacing fillies, Can'ttouchthese held sway on the front-end as the 7-5 favorite. John De Long wheeled Can'ttouchthese to the top through an opening quarter of 27 1/5 before tapping the brakes to the half in 56 1/5. Miss Fancy Nancy (Trace Tetrick) moved first-over from fourth and moved into third on the outside, bringing Tarshish (Marcus Miller) into play second-over while Can'ttouchthese raced to three-quarters in 1:24 2/5. Tarshish tipped off cover and took aim at Can'ttouchthese as the two raced for home, with Can'ttouchthese fending off the late charge by a quarter-length in 1:51 2/5. Miss Fancy Nancy finished two lengths back in third.
Trained by Roger Welch, Can'ttouchthese has won six of 13 this year and earned $157,806 on the season. The homebred daughter of JK Endofanera-Can't Touch This surpassed $400,000 in career earnings and has won 12 of 21 lifetime for owners William and Patrick De Long and Doug Riccolo.
In the second division, Brooklets Rockette made her Sire Stakes debut a winning one on the front-end with driver Kevin Lambright. Lambright left from post six with the Robert Taylor trainee, parked and pressing on the first turn to the outside of leader Wunderkindbluechip (Atlee Bender) through a quarter of 26 3/5. Once clear, Brooklets Rockette led to the half in 55 2/5 before opening up by two lengths on the far turn at three-quarters in 1:23 4/5. The 2-1 favorite held sway in the stretch, reaching the wire first in a career best 1:51 2/5 over a rallying Concert Master T (Trace Tetrick) and pocket-sitter Wunderkindbluechip.
Gary Wilcox's winning homebred daughter of Rockin Image-Brookletssupersonic has won three of eight on the year and only missed the board once while banking $52,970.
Two $20,000 Sire Stakes eliminations were needed for both the Aged Mare Trotters and Aged Male Pacers on the card. The first elimination for trotting mares went to Jusmakinyalook (Jordan Ross, $67.20) for trainer Anthony Miller as she upended 1-9 favorite M-M's Dream in 1:53 3/5. The second went to Yo Beth D (Mike Oosting, $2.40) in 1:52 4/5 for trainer Ken Rucker.
Oosting and Rucker also teamed up with Little Rocket Man ($2.20), as the 9-year-old surpassed $1.9 million in career earnings following his 1:50 score in the first elim for aged pacers. The second went to the heavily-favored Buzzsaw Russ (Atlee Bender, $2.60) in 1:49 4/5 for trainer Missy Essig.
The Indiana Sire Stakes season concludes with Hoosier Champions Night on Friday, Oct. 3 with $2.2 million dollars on the line in Super Finals for all 12 division. First post for the Hoosier Champions card will be 5:30 p.m. (EDT).
--press release (Harrah's Hoosier Park)--