Annieswesterncard scores Monument Circle win

Annieswesterncard is familiar with winning at Indiana Downs, and Saturday night the Western Hanover colt found the winner’s circle again with a 1:51.2 triumph in the $231,500 Monument Circle for sophomore colt and gelding pacers. Leading driver Peter Wrenn was at the controls for trainer Joe Seekman, sweeping three-wide with the 4-5 favorite in the turn before kicking home to win by a length and a half over Vertical Horizon and Dave Palone. Evening Job followed closely in third while Nob Hill High was fourth.

 

Continuing a string of bad post position draws, Annieswesterncard started outside in post eight for Sawgrass Farms. Wrenn was able to get a spot along the rail sixth as the field entered the turn, commanded by Standupnkissme and Jim Dailey, who paced a :26.4 opening panel. The gelding was out and moving before the half (:54.3), catching cover behind Doubletrouble and Jamaica Patton. But when the first over charge didn’t advance, Wrenn flipped to the outside.

 

“I was hoping he would have carried us further,” Wrenn said afterward. “I wanted to get out before the inside flow picked up.”

 

Once on the outside, Annieswesterncard sprinted to the lead as an onslaught mounted. Evening Job and Ricky Macomber, who had followed the favorite into the stretch, took aim on the leader, as did Vertical Horizon. Nob Hill High, with Dave Magree in the bike, came flying late, but didn’t have enough. Annieswesterncard held them all at bay to pick up his third seasonal win.

 

“Pete had him in the right spot,” Seekman commented. “This horse prefers to race second over. Pete was heads-up with him and moved him early.”

 

The victory pushed Annieswesterncard’s career earnings to $498,806. The homebred out of Cam’s Card Shark mare Annie Your A Card won a division of The Elevation at Indiana Downs as a two year old.

 

While the Monument Circle proved to be the highlight of Indiana Downs’ 14-race card, the evening was packed with stakes action. The first big event of the night came in the third race. A field of 10 freshman pacing fillies went to post in the $197,900 Kentuckiana Stallion Management stake with Flip Flop Summer prevailing in wire-to-wire fashion. The Jenna’s Beach Boy two year old set fractions of :27, :57.1, and 1:26 before tripping the timer in 1:55 for Trace Tetrick, finishing two lengths in front of stable mate Artcam. Houlihan and Brad Hanners were third. Real Surprising, one-third of the favored entry, finished fourth to give Seekman a sweep of three of the top four spots.

 

“She showed a lot of gate speed, and I wanted to just try to cut some nice fractions,” Tetrick said of the drive. “I thought she should get home and she went right on.”

 

Owned by Seekman and his wife, Tina, in partnership with L & L Devisser LLC, Flip Flop Summer improved her record to two wins in four starts. Out of Abercrombie mare Gails A Crombie, the filly lowered her best mark by four-fifths of a second.

 

Two $93,750 Kentuckiana Stallion Management stakes divisions were offered for freshman filly trotters Saturday evening. The Chuck Sylvester-trained Behindclosedoors collected the first division with a 1:59.4 performance for Wrenn. The Andover Hall filly finished a length and a quarter in front of entry mate Secret Magic and Dave Magee. Cathywithac and trainer Jan Johnson were third.

 

Wrenn settled in third from post five as the field raced into the turn. Shortly after the :29.4 opening split he moved the filly to the point, supplanting Secret Magic. On the lead, Behindclosedoors clicked off fractions of 1:00 and 1:30.4 before closing with a :29 last quarter. The victory was her third of the season for owners Melvin Hartman, Herb Liverman and David McDuffee, and improved her earnings to $126,462.

 

“I didn’t have to win leaving with her. She was well within herself,” Wrenn said of the filly. “She could have trotted more.”

 

In the second division, Cantab It All and Dave Palone powered to a 1:57.2 victory for trainer Jimmy Takter. The Cantab Hall filly was well in hand at the wire, with a fast closing In The Mean Time (Wrenn) finishing three parts of a length back. Springtime Volo rounded out the trifecta.

 

Coming off a fourth-place performance in the $525,800 Merrie Annabelle, Cantab It All rebounded for her connections with a solid effort for Palone. The duo got away fifth from post nine and were out and rolling first-up as the field reached the half (:59). On the lead entering the turn, the filly made it look easy en route to earning her fifth win in six career starts. Owned by Christina Takter, John Fielding, Melvin Hartman and Falkbolagen Ab, Cantab It All raised her earnings to $122,849.

 

“You’re always concerned when you have the nine hole in a 10-horse field,” Palone explained. “What a professional she is. She was absolutely perfect. I let her trot from mid-stretch home and she was on her own.”

 

In other stakes action, Palone returned to the winner’s circle with Angus Hall colt Winning Mister in the first of two $55,000 Oliver Trotting Classic divisions. The Rich Gillock-trained sophomore clocked a lifetime best 1:54.3 in the victory for owner Robert Key of Leechburg, Pa. The second split was claimed by Broadway Hall colt Peter Lugar in 1:55.2. Driven by Wrenn for trainer Trond Smedshammer, the colt earned his first seasonal win for owner Petrus Wolter. (Indiana Downs)