Five horses crossed the wire together in a thrilling finish in the $325,000 Dan Patch Stakes presented by Brittany Farms at Harrah’s Hoosier Park Racing & Casino on Friday, August 13 but it was Catch The Fire, driven by Scott Zeron, who emerged on top. Stopping the timer in 1:48.1, Catch The Fire was able to split rivals late in the lane to get the win by a neck over Tellmeaboutit and Michael Oosting. Less than a length separated the top five finishers. With the victory, Catch The Fire stamped his name in the Hoosier Park record books and became harness racing’s newest millionaire.

In what proved to be an action packed mile from start to finish, Zeron sent Catch The Fire away from the gate firing from post four but a host of others also wanted early position. Workin Ona Mystery and Todd McCarthy were the first to get a call through the opening quarter in a blazing :25.3. David Miller and Cattlewash cleared to the front but quickly yielded the lead to stablemate This Is The Plan and Yannick Gingras who wanted their turn on the front through the half mile time in :54.1.

This Is The Plan was joined on the outside by his other stablemate in the field, Backstreet Shadow and Trace Tetrick, and the Burke duo lead the field to the third station in 1:21.2. When the field turned for home, the stage was set for a all-out calvary charge to the wire. 

This Is The Plan dug in gamely down on the inside as Backstreet Shadow continued to press forward. With the top pair battling stride for stride, Zeron found late racing room and Catch The Fire exploded through the gap to get up in the final strides of the mile. After sitting last for much of the mile, Tellmeaboutit utilized an incredible :25.2 closing quarter to get up for second while Backstreet Shadow held on for third. Sent off at odds of 6-5, Catch The Fire returned $4.40 at the betting windows.

“I asked him to leave really hard and we didn’t get to the front so that just shows you how fast everyone was leaving out of there,” Zeron noted of the trip. “He’s an incredibly game horse that loves his job so I wanted to put him in between the horses and he went right through them. He knows his job and loves it.”

Trained by Todd Luther, the four-year-old son of Captaintreacherous—Dream Outloud scored his third straight victory and seventh win from ten trips behind the gate this season. Owned by Black Magic Racing LLC and CT Stables LLC, Catch The Fire now has a record of 15-5-9 from 39 starts.

“He loves to race,” trainer Todd Luther noted after the victory. “I think he would race three times a week if we would let him. He’s just an amazing animal.”

The victory was the first Dan Patch Stakes win for trainer Todd Luther and driver Scott Zeron. The race proved to be a very fitting ending to a sensational evening of harness racing in front of an enthusiastic crowd for the 28th edition of Harrah’s Hoosier Park’s premier harness racing event.

Owned by Ratchford Stable Ns and conditioned by Dr. Ian Moore, the 2019 O’Brien Award winner captured the second triumph of his 2020 campaign and improved his overall record to 34-18-6-4. Sent off as the 3-1 second choice, Century Farroh remained perfect (2-2) in his appearances over the Anderson oval after winning last year’s $170,000 Jenna’s Beach Boy.

Leaving from post position two, Century Farroh settled into third immediately out of the gate as Bettor’s Wish went to the lead with Backstreet Shadow (Tim Tetrick) following him in second. Bettor’s Wish tripped the timer for the first quarter mile in a brisk :25.3. Still on the lead after a half-mile in :54.1, Century Farroh remained in third with Backstreet Shadow still in second.

As Bettor’s Wish separated himself by about two lengths going to the three-quarter pole and established a third fractional time of 1:22.2, Our Majordan A (Andrew McCarthy) who started from the second tier moved past Backstreet Shadow into second placing Century Farroh in fourth.

As the field turned for home it appeared Bettor’s Wish had a bit of a breather on the backside and was going wire-to-wire in Hoosier Park’s signature event. Midway through the stretch, however, his rivals were seeking to overhaul him. Century Farroh was sixth at this juncture but was advancing steadily on the inside with Dorsoduro Hanover pacing up a storm on the outside.

Several hundred yards from the wire it looked like Bettor’s Wish would indeed fend off all pursuers but Miller slid through on the inside to hit the finish line in front. Bettor’s Wish was right there for second, Dorsoduro Hanover was third and Backstreet Shadow was back in fourth.

“He’s always been a good horse,” Miller said. “He has just had some back luck this year and this time he had some luck. Also, how the track was playing really had no impact on how I drove him. I just went out there and did my job. We had no particular strategy, and this is how everything worked out.”

Moore had noted earlier in the season it can be difficult transition for a 4-year-old horse but that this one was a, “Tough horse and a good horse. Good horses find a way a overcome things.”

Century Farroh rewarded his supporters with a payout of $8.60. Bettor’s Wish paid $2.60 and Dorsoduro Hanover $7.00. The exacta returned $22.80, the trifecta $48.35 and the superfecta $38.13.

Just when one thought they had seen it all, a first quarter in :24.4, a favorite who looked hopelessly beaten in the stretch came a Phoenix out of the ashes as Lather Up showed what the heart of a champion can do even when a victory seemed out of the question. With a final time of 1:47.2, Lather Up turned in a stunning performance to capture the 26th edition of the $330,000 Dan Patch Stakes at Harrah’s Hoosier Park Racing & Casino on Friday, August 9. After equaling the World Record with a 1:46 performance two starts ago, Lather Up continued his record-setting trend with a 1:47.2 final time to equal the overall track record at Harrah’s Hoosier Park and Dan Patch Stakes record set by Sweet Lou in 2014.

The sparks were flying early as Lather Up surged away from the wings of the gate from post four but was forced to settle for a spot along the rail in third as Filibuster Hanover, with Yannick Gingras in the bike, was a step quicker and grabbed the front from post five. Scott Zeron also gave Jimmy Freight marching orders but with everyone on a mission to the front, eventually settled for a pocket trip. As the field straightened away down the backside, Teague gave Lather Up the green light and he quickly ranged up to grab command just before the half in :53.3.  

The scorching pace continued as Lather Up led the field through the third station in 1:21.3 but Brian Sears and McWicked were on the attack first-over with Always A Prince and Trace Tetrick in tow. McWicked powered past Lather Up and appeared to be the winner but, Lather Up wasn’t finished. In a remarkable rally, Lather Up used a :25.2 final quarter and the inside passing lane to quite literally, pace away from the field. Lather Up finished two lengths to the good while McWicked held on gamely for second. Endeavor and Sam Widger came flying late to round out the trifecta. As the heavy 1-5 favorite, Lather Up returned $2.60 to his backers at the betting windows.

“This is one for the books,” trainer Clyde Francis said with an ear to ear smile in the winner’s circle. “That’s an unbelievable animal is what that is.”

“I love that passing lane,” Teague laughed. “I had to wait on him in the last turn and McWicked looked like he had a lot of power but my horse loves to chase. That’s his game. Once he got through the turn I knew it was game on.”

The Teague-Francis duo added their names to the Dan Patch record books for the second time as they were also victorious in the 2016 edition of the race with World Champion, Wiggle It Jiggleit. For Lather Up, he recorded his fourth consecutive victory and eighth win from 11 seasonal starts. The four-year-old Ohio sired, homebred son of Im Gorgeous-Pocket Comb is owned by Gary and Barbara Illes. It was recently announced that 50 percent interest of Lather Up was sold to a group headed by Taylor Made Sales and Stallions. Taylor Made Sales and Stallions also owned the 2018 Dan Patch Stakes winner, Lazarus N.

“I want to thank Taylor Made for all they do,” Ernie Martinez, working in concert with Taylor Made Sales and Stallions, noted. “Lather Up is unbelievable. I’ve never seen a horse like this—to do what he just did—he’s a beast. Putting him in front of the fans like this is exactly what we want to do. What an effort this horse gave tonight in front of all of these fans.”

The 26th edition of the Dan Patch Stakes brought life to the track in in several aspects. Racing fans packed the house to witness Harrah’s Hoosier Park’s signature event and had the opportunity to participate in different promotions throughout the evening. The wagering front also saw much success and offered remarkable value to the horseplayer with full fields and guaranteed wagers throughout the card.