Fox Stake draws a dozen

Twelve 2-year-old colt and gelding pacers have been divided into two $37,250 divisions of the Fox Stake at the Indiana State Fairgrounds Saturday afternoon. With $40,568 in earnings and a mark of 1:53.2, Coastal Highway is the richest and fastest of the dozen that will line up behind the gate, drawing the outside post six in the second split.

A son of Jenna’s Beach Boy out of the $100,000-winner US Sixty, Coastal Highway has won two of three starts, including a Hanover division at Balmoral last month and a career-best effort in the Review at Springfield Aug. 14.

Trained by Joe Seekman, Coastal Highway was a $10,000 yearling purchase by owners Sutton’s Bay Racing, Sawgrass Farm and Broekhuis Stable. Tim Tetrick has been named to drive.

Also in the second Fox division is Idealic Life, a son of Western Ideal coming off a second-place finish in an Arden Downs division at The Meadows Aug. 12. The Roy Brown trainee has two wins in eight starts this year, including a career-best 1:56 win at odds of 84-1 in an early-closer at The Meadows July 25. Mike Lachance will drive from post three.

Last year’s Trainer of the Year Erv Miller’s Allamerican Steady drew post four in that same split. A son of Life Sign, Allamerican Steady is owned by Miller in partnership with his daughter, Hannah. The bay colt has two wins and three seconds in five starts, all coming on the Illinois fair circuit.

Hot Rod Mindale, who won a Reynolds division at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs July 14 in a career-best 1:54.2, has drawn the outside post six in the opening Fox division. Trainer Jim Arledge Jr. did not name a driver at draw time for the son of Real Artist. The only other winner in the half-dozen field is Clown’s Smile, a son of Grinfromeartoear who scored a 1:57.3 victory in a conditioned race at Indiana Downs Aug. 10 in his lone career start. Trainer Bobby Mattingly has named Joe Essig Jr. to drive, leaving from the inside one post.

The two Fox divisions are slated as races eight and nine on the 12-race program.

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