by James Platz

The first two rounds of Indiana fair racing are in the books and trainer James Yoder has enjoyed a strong showing. In the first week of racing at the Converse Fairgrounds, he conditioned and steered five winners. He followed that with five more winners this week, including a track record-equaling performance with freshman Chocluck Chip. Yoder is using the early fair action as a proving ground for his inexperienced freshmen as he prepares for Indiana Sires Stakes competition in a little over one month.

“I staked all my 2-year-olds that were eligible this year to the fairs just so that I can gate school them, get a line on them behind the car, just give them a workout here,” Yoder said. “Most of them that I’ve been starting here, I’m hoping they are good enough to race in sires stakes.”

Yoder and his wife, Cheyenne, traditionally stable at Harrah’s Hoosier Park. This year, however, they decided to move to the Converse Fairgrounds, located about an hour north of the track. One of the reasons for the change was a more suitable schedule for the trainer’s needs.

“The track doesn’t close at noon,” he said. “I can work my 2-year-olds the way I like to work them. They all work about 40 or 45 minutes when they have a training period. That works out a little better for me.”

The move did require the couple to adjust the composition of the barn due to space restrictions. At Converse they have 19 stalls available. Training this winter at his father’s farm in Kentucky the stable totaled 26 head, with 13 babies. Tough decisions had to be made.

“We had 26 to start the year between me and Cheyenne and a couple of our owners,” James said. “Now we’re down to 18 in the barn right now. We sold a bunch this spring to cut down, including one that was third last time out in sires stakes [sophomore pacer Always Floating]. I thought a bunch of my 2-year-olds showed promise.”

If the first two weeks of fair action are any indication, James has several that are showing promise as sires stakes material. On the pacing side, Luck Be Withyou colt Chocluck Chip is perfect in two starts. In his June 1 start, the pacer wired the field to win by three lengths with a 2:01 clocking. Wednesday (June 7) at Converse the freshman turned in a similarly-dominating performance, this time stopping the clock in 1:58, tying the track mark for 2-year-old colts and geldings. David Fry bred the colt, purchased at auction by the trainer and his wife for $9,000.

“He’s been nice to work with,” James said. “Training down he just drives so easy. Everything is natural to him.”

Where’s Drogon, from the first crop of Hoosier superstar Freaky Feet Pete, is also perfect in two starts. After romping by 15 lengths in his debut last week, a 1:59 effort, the colt returned to win by 17 lengths Wednesday, tripping the timer in 1:59 while pacing a :56.1 back half and :27.1 last quarter. He was an $11,000 purchase for the couple, bred by Ray Kuhns.

“I’ve really liked him training down too,” James said. “He’s actually staked a little more than the other colt. He seems to me that he carries his speed a little better than the Luck colt. He is eligible to the Elevation. The first year of Petes are not eligible to the Breeders Crown, or I probably would have staked him.”

Freaky Feet Pete filly Petredame won in her debut last week, pacing over the half-mile configuration in 2:08. This week she finished second with a 2:05.1 effort.

“She had a little bit of traffic trouble,” James said. “She got in a bad spot, but that’s just fair racing for you. That’s why we’re racing them here, just so they can get a little more experience; get behind the car, get in a field of horses and just try to teach them.”

Freaky Feet Pete’s first crop has already produced three winners, all with ties to Yoder’s barn. He trained colt Designated Freak before sending him to his father, Verlin. The Hillsboro-foaled freshman won a $10,500 event in the Bluegrass State in late May, pacing in 2:01.3 with the elder Yoder in the bike.

“We all loved him as a racehorse,” James said. “I’m just hoping his talent carries through to his babies. We started with four of them training down this year. We have a homebred filly too. She’s a little behind. She probably won’t see Hoosier Park until July sometime. She got hurt in a field so she had hock surgery. She’s been doing really good, she’s just a little further behind the rest of them.”

On the trotting side, Yoder has sent out a pair of winners sired by You Know You Do, as well as a Dover Dan filly. Misty Mills, a You Know You Do filly, trotted to a 2:05.1 score last week and backed up that performance with a 2:04.1 triumph Thursday (June 8) winning by just over three lengths. Black Gold, a Dover Dan lass owned by Stephan and Elizabeth Ray, has turned in back-to-back wins with margins of nine and 19 lengths. Surfer Dude, a You Know You Do colt, recovered from early breaks to race fourth last week. Thursday, he collected his first victory with a six-length margin at the wire, timed in 2:06.

“Both of the You Know You Dos are Breeders Crown staked for this year at Hoosier,” James said. “Hopefully they keep progressing and getting better and maybe we can take a shot. They have the opportunity to.”

This year fair circuit races will be held at Hoosier Park for the first time. The races are scheduled for June 21, 22 and 23 and will give horsemen a chance to compete for valuable points while racing on a big track and a much different environment.

“Next week I’ll ship them to Hoosier and get a training mile there,” James said. “There is a leg of fairs at Hoosier that we’ll most likely race in. We’ll be there at night, try to get them under the lights there and see how they do and go from there.”

Utilizing the fairs to provide experience for his young pupils is a strategy that is slightly different than what Yoder would traditionally employ.

“Everything has been the same up until now,” James said. “Usually, once we get to June, first we’ll gate school them at Hoosier once or twice depending how they are, then we’ll qualify them once or twice. Same thing, depending on how they see the car and see the gate. Then we’ll put them in a non-winners of one [pari-mutuel] and race them at Hoosier to get them ready for sires stakes. Just try to get behind the car four or five times before racing for sires stakes money.”

The opening leg of Indiana Sires Stakes for freshman pacers and trotters begins July 11-15.