Operation Stevie will be rolling late

Cipriano Contreras has done a lot of good at Indiana Grand since he left his longtime position as assistant to trainer Mike Reavis on the Chicago circuit and struck out on his own as a trainer there in 2016. One of the very best things he did was claim a horse named Operation Stevie out of a $10,000 nonwinners-of-two race in May 2016.

Operation Stevie has gone on to earn more than a halfmillion dollars for Contreras and co-owner Earl Trostrud Jr. and on Wednesday stands a good chance of padding that bulging bankroll in the $100,000 William Henry Harrison Stakes.

The Harrison is one of two six-figure dirt-sprint stakes on the card for Indiana-bred

and -sired horses, and while Operation Stevie will be heavily favored in his race, the filly Unbridled Class will be an even shorter price one race later in the Shelby County Stakes, which is restricted to fillies and mares. The Harrison is carded as race 6, the Shelby County as race 7 on an afternoon program.

Operation Stevie made his third Harrison start last year and won it for the first time, and while the gelding is 7 now, he appears to be coming into Wednesday’s race in form at least as good as one year ago. So is Contreras, who has won with five of his last 15 runners at the meet and sends Operation Stevie back into stakes competition following consecutive wins over starter-allowance company. Operation Stevie can get a decent mile under the right conditions but always has been best suited as a one-run sprinter, and even at Indiana Grand, which has a short homestretch that can cause problems for deep-closing types, he can unleash a furious final-furlong punch.

The horse he’ll probably have to run down is the same one he caught to win the 2018 Harrison, Double Tuff, who had a stretchcall lead a year ago before Operation Stevie clipped past him in the closing strides. Double Tuff was claimed for just $16,000 two starts ago and paid quick dividends with an easy starterallowance win last out at Indiana Grand. He has much better tactical speed than Operation Stevie, and if the favored closer is slow to kick into high gear, Double Tuff could be tough to run down.

In the Shelby County, Unbridled Class is listed on the morning line as a 2-5 favorite. Unbridled Class has been in excellent form all year for trainer Bernie Flint with five wins in her seven starts, and even in a last-out defeat she finished a fine second to favored Mylady Curlin in the $100,000 Mari Hulman George, an open stakes race around two turns on dirt.

Unbridled Class sprints at least as well as she routes and with any sort of break can make the lead from her rail draw Wednesday.