American Girl, guided by Trace Tetrick, turned in a gutsy performance to take home top honours in the featured event of the evening, a $21,000 Invitational Pace for fillies and mares, on Friday, May 27 at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino.
Trained by Tyler George, American Girl proved she was much the best winning by four lengths and stopping the timer in 1:50.3 to equal her lifetime mark. It was a good day at the office for both Tetrick and George, who each made it to the winner’s circle four times throughout the 14-race card.
Leaving from post five in a talented field of six, Tetrick took no chances as he sent the seven-year-old mare away from the gate firing. She reached the front through an opening panel in :27.3 while Wild Wanda and Ricky Macomber Jr. grabbed a pocket seat.
American Girl went uncontested down the backside through splits of :55.1 and 1:22.1 while the rest of the field waited for the long Hoosier Park stretch to make a move. As the field turned for home, Wild Wanda looked primed to strike from the pocket, but American Girl was strong on the front.
Tetrick asked his mount for more nearing the wire and she dug in gamely using a :28.1 final panel to coast home a winner over Wild Wanda. White Metro and Jason Dillander rallied nicely in the stretch to round out the trifecta. As the public's second choice, American Girl returned $6.40 to her backers at the betting windows.
“I think she is racing as good now as she ever has,” George noted after the victory. “She is as tough as they come and loves her job. Not only is she a pleasure to have in the barn, but she’s probably the best mare we’ve ever had.”
American Girl notched her seventh victory of the season and 35th win from 127 career starts while amassing $679,188 in purse earnings lifetime. The daughter of Arts Chip-L Dees Lourdes is an Indiana Sires Stakes champion and owned by Darla Gaskin and Stanley Rosenblatt.
The victory with American Girl was one of four winners on the card for driver Tetrick and one of four training wins for the George stable. Tetrick and George also teamed up to get Rockalina home a winner in a new lifetime-best of 1:53.2 in a conditioned pace and just one race later, Brookletssuprsonic scored her second consecutive victory.
Ross Leonard guided Aw Naw home a winner in a split of $20,000 Indiana Sires Stakes eliminations for three-year-old pacing fillies for the George stable. Scoring in 1:53.1, Aw Naw scored her fifth win from eight seasonal outings and established a new lifetime mark in the process. Tetrick steered his fourth winner in the final division of the Indiana Sires stakes action as Au D Lox Bluegrass prevailed in a tight photo to get the win in 1:52.4 for trainer John Merkel.
(With files from Hoosier Park)