Prescott Wins Four on Friday Program at Hoosier Park
Rodney Prescott rallied home aboard four winners Friday, Aug. 19 at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino. The Portland, Ind. native won three Thoroughbred races followed by a win in one of two Quarter Horse races on the 11-race card.
“I knew I had a lot of good shots heading into tonight,” said Prescott. “The ones that won were either favorites or second favorites, so that gave me a good shot to have a good night.”
Prescott is Hoosier Park’s all-time leading rider with more than 615 wins. He secured the leading rider title in 2006 and has competed in all 17 seasons of Thoroughbred racing at the Anderson, Ind. track. He is currently in third place on the roster of leading riders for 2011.
Prescott began his evening with a win in the second race aboard Dot’s In Style, trained by Ralph Martinez. The six-year-old daughter of Indian Charlie sat just off the pace-setters in the five and one-half furlong sprint before powering three-wide and rallying home for the win in the lane. Owned by Don Copeland’s Four Horsemen Stable, Dot’s In Style earned her sixth win in nine starts for 2011, all of which have been under the direction of Prescott over three different tracks.
“This filly of Ralph’s (Martinez) is a nice mare,” said Prescott. “She ran some good races this year, and she’s got a lot of speed. She can go to the front, but she doesn’t have to. She’s a racehorse.”
Prescott earned the first of two wins for trainer Tracy Wisner in the fourth race of the night, moving from last to first in the stretch to win aboard Sliver. The six-year-old Pikepass gelding used his customary style by starting off slow in the five-furlong contest. Prescott began to get the grey gelding interested around the only turn and by the time the field hit the stretch, Sliver was in full gear. Sliver coasted under the wire by two and one-quarter lengths. Also owned by Wisner, Sliver earned his first win of 2011 with the effort.
Wisner and Prescott teamed up once again in the evening’s eighth race with Pretty Plain Jane. Owned by Shane Spiess, the four-year-old daughter of Just Plain Joe broke well at the start of the five-furlong event and never looked back, controlling the pace from start to finish. Prescott scooted under the wire aboard Pretty Plain Jane by one and one-half lengths at the finish to earn the victory in the $44,000 allowance contest to earn her second win of the year in seven tries.
Prescott’s final win of the evening appeared in the first Quarter Horse race of the night in race 10. Seated aboard Bitter Sweet Song from post eight, the duo got out of the gate quickly and fended off challengers to win by a head at the finish of the 350-yard dash. Owned and trained by Randy Haffner, Bitter Sweet Song is now three for four in her career. Unraced last year, the three-year-old filly came into the race off a win in the $100,000 Blue River Derby at Indiana Downs in her previous start.
Prescott aboard Pretty Plain Jane, Photo by Linscott Photography
“Randy (Haffner) has some really nice Quarter Horses,” said Prescott. “He’s done a great job with this filly (Bitter Sweet Song.) She had some problems last year out of the gate and he’s got her straightened out. She’s huge. She looks like a Thoroughbred.”
Prescott and Haffner will team up Saturday, Aug. 20 in the $100,000 QHRAI Stallion Service Auction Futurity. The duo will send out BP’s Frisco Chick from post eight in the 10-horse lineup. BPs Frisco Chick was a trial winner two weeks ago to qualify for the final, which is the richest Quarter Horse race held at Hoosier Park.
Prescott and Haffner will be looking to defend their title. The duo teamed up last year to bring home a win with Call On Linda in the $100,000 Futurity. This year, Call on Linda and Prescott will go for the title in the $50,000 QHRAI Stallion Service Auction Derby slated as the 10th race. Post time for the ninth race Futurity is slated at approximately 4:15 p.m. EST while the Derby is set to enter the gate at 4:46 p.m. EST.