Fields drawn for Haughton, Doherty Memorials

Harrah’s Hoosier Park will play host to the Peter Haughton and Jim Doherty Memorials, for 2-year-old trotters, on Friday (Sept. 13) A full field of 10 will go to post in each race, with a number of local competitors looking to protect home track advantage.

The $390,000 Peter Haughton Memorial, for 2-year-old trotting colts, serves as the 10th race on the evening, headlined by Missy Essig trainee Eugune The Genius. The Indiana-bred Helpisontheway-Muscle Baby Doll gelding enters off a career best effort in his last outing, a 5-1/4-length, 1:54 romp in the fifth round of the Indiana Sires Stakes. Euguene The Genius has won six of seven starts thus far in his rookie campaign while banking $155,625 for owners Russ Beeman and Charles Weaver. Regular pilot Mike Oosting is listed to drive.

Eugene The Genius will hook up with Maryland, who heads to Indiana off a 17-1 romp in the $425,500 William Wellwood Memorial at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Aug. 24. Dexter Dunn is listed to drive the son of Chapter Seven-Crucial, who has won twice and earned $230,378, for Marcus Melander.

The 2024 Peter Haughton Memorial field, with listed drivers and trainers, is as follows:

Tarzan (Mike Oosting, Erv Miller)
Bombay Tom (Ronnie Wrenn Jr., Norm Parker)
Mr Instigator (John DeLong, Roger Welch)
High Speed Swan (Mike Oosting, Erv Miller)
Father TJ (Tyler Buter, Jeff Cullipher)
Eugene The Genius (Mike Oosting, Missy Essig)
Hidalgo (Yannick Gingras, Ron Burke)
Maryland (Dexter Dunn, Marcus Melander)
Bellsforall (Robert Taylor, Robert Taylor)
Civilian Drone (Yannick Gingras, Nancy Takter)

In the $305,000 Jim Doherty Memorial, for 2-year-old trotting fillies, Ponda Fashion will give trainer Jay Hochstetler the opportunity to one-up his runner-up finish with Ponda Title to eventual Dan Patch Award winner Soiree Hanover in the race’s 2023 edition. In her last outing, Ponda Fashion won her fifth-round Indiana Sires Stakes division over Miracle Maven in a lifetime best 1:55.1. The daughter of Crescent Fashion-Ponda’s Lucky Lady has won half of her six outings on the year, each with driver Kyle Wilfong in the bike.

The Hoosier standout will have a pair of sire stakes champions from the Northeast to deal with if she wants to get to the winner’s circle. New Jersey Sire Stakes champion Champagne Problems leaves from post seven from the Nancy Takter barn. Also a winner in three of six starts, the daughter of Tactical Landing-Miss Caviar has banked $175,004 and enters the Doherty off of a fourth-place finish in the $288,600 Peaceful Way Final at Mohawk.

New York Sire Stakes champion Royal Mission will have to overcome the far outside post nine on Friday. Trainer Marcus Melander sends the daughter of Chapter Seven-Swinging Royalty to Hoosier Park six days after capturing the $225,000 NYSS Final at Yonkers in the rain in 1:58.2. Royal Mission has won three times and hit the board in six of seven starts to begin her young career, having already banked over $250,000. Melander trainees will bookend the gate, with Goodgirl Bi IT leaving from the rail.

The Jim Doherty will serve as the 12th race on the card.

The 2024 Jim Doherty field, in post-position order with trainer and listed driver below:

Goodgirl Bi IT (Mattias Melander, Marcus Melander)
Woodside Izz (LeWayne Miller, Susan Miller)
Ponda Fashion (Kyle Wilfong, Jay Hochstetler)
Pink Chou Chou (Todd McCarthy, Nancy Takter)
Naughty Naughty (Tim Tetrick, Jeff Edwards)
Sweetasmoni (Kyle Wilfong, Ken Rucker)
Champagne Problems (Dexter Dunn, Nancy Takter)
Delaney Hanover (Todd McCarthy, Lucas Wallin)
Royal Mission (Scott Zeron, Marcus Melander)
Swanfinerose (Trace Tetrick, Erv Miller)

Both trotting stakes will be joined by nine divisions of Indiana Sires Stakes and the $75,000 Hoosier Cup Final, which will see 2024 Milstein Memorial winner, Sabonis, go for his 11th consecutive victory of the season. First post for the Friday night card, which features total purses of over $1.2 million, is 6:15 p.m.