Will third time be charm for Tellmeaboutit in Dan Patch?
ANDERSON — When Tellmeaboutit competes in the $300,000 Dan Patch Stakes on Friday at Harrah’s Hoosier Park, the gelding will attempt to make history as the first locally based competitor to win the Dan Patch in its 30-year history.
“He didn’t do as well last year as he did the first year,” said Alvin Miller, the horse’s conditioner and co-owner. “He was ninth, but the year before he was second from the nine-hole. I never thought he had a chance from that post, but he was right there and lost by neck. Let’s see how we do this time.”
In this year’s Dan Patch, Tellmeaboutit, who is co-owned by Twila Harts, will leave from Post 2 with Michael Oosting holding the lines. The 7-year-old is 15-1 on the morning line in the field of 11, which is the first time this contest has included more than 10 entrants.
The son of Tellitlikeitis is also one of a trio of horses who is a Hoosier Park regular including former track-record holder Little Rocket Man and Indiana champion Ponda Warrior. Ohio champion Charlie May is the 3-1 favorite.
“It’s not an easy race for sure,” Miller said. “But he proved he belongs.”
He most certainly has.
Tellmeaboutit has earned $859,805 and has compiled a record of 97-29-25-21. Not bad for a $25,000 yearling at the 2017 Hoosier Classic Yearling Sale.
“He is from the first crop of Tellitlikeitis, so there was that, but I really liked the mare,” Miller said. “Whenever I select horses, I’m always more attracted to a strong female family, and his dam was very strong.”
Portia Blue Chip, Tellmeaboutit’s dam, is a daughter of Bettor’s Delight and a half sibling to world champion Hypnotic Blue Chip. She made $80,446 during her racing career but has been a star in the breeding shed. Portia Blue Chip has produced 12 foals, 10 of which have won, and five progeny that have eclipsed the $100,000 mark. Tellmeaboutit is her most prolific offspring.
The gelding kicked off his career during his freshman season by banking $84,500 with a resume of 11-5-2-1. It was as a sophomore, however, Tellmeaboutit began to shine. His record was 16-6-5-5, and he collected his first Indiana championship. He won his second title as a 4-year-old and third as a 6-year-old. He also established his lifetime mark of 1:47.4 over the Anderson oval last year.
“He has always been a sound horse with only the basic maintenance stuff,” Miller said. “He still can carry his speed despite being kind of a lazy horse training. He puffs up on the racetrack when he knows it’s time to go.”
Miller and Harts have also enjoyed success with Midwest standouts Rocket Fuel, who made 198 starts and collected $784,006 in purse money, and Indiana champion Topville Cadillac. Miller admits he never thought he would have another horse like Rocket Fuel, but Tellmeaboutit comes quite close.
“He’s a lot like Rocket Fuel,” Miller said. “If you didn’t bear down on him training in the morning, he would jog a 20-minute mile. Tellmeaboutit is the same way, and he behaves like Rocket Fuel in so many other ways. They are both very low maintenance horses that are good to be around, and when it came time to go on the track, they were ready to go. Topville Cadillac was a bit tough. She was tough to train, tough to get rigged up and just tough. But we’ve been lucky to have some very nice horses while just sticking around here.”
Miller acknowledges the quality of horseflesh Tellmeaboutit is facing Friday, but he’s confident his horse will acquit himself admirably.
“He maybe doesn’t go as hard as he used to every mile, but he still has the speed to be out there,” he said. “Also you never know if you have one that will be good enough to even get into a race like this, and when you do have one, you don’t know if they will come along again. When you make it in, you have to go because you can’t win if you are not in.
“Winning the Dan Patch would mean the world to me being here in Indiana. It’s your home track, your hometown and a race you dream of winning if you are in this business, even if you are not from here. This is a prestigious race.”
Miller acknowledges Tellmeaboutit receives plenty of extra attention around the barn, but how much more affection would come his way if he came home first in the Dan Patch?
“Even more than he already has,” Miller said. “That’s for sure.”
