It was a race to the finish for Trainer Tim Eggleston. Both of his entrants, Mansfield Tiger and Too Bad Justice battled each other down the stretch, sure to bring the title home to the Eggleston barn. In the end, Mansfield Tiger got the slight edge for the win in the 9th running of the $100,000 ITOBA Stallion Season Stakes at Horseshoe Indianapolis.
Mansfield Tiger, ridden by Sammy Bermudez, made his presence felt early in the race, taking over the top spot before the first turn in the one-mile event. Dossier and Marcelino Pedroza Jr. held their ground inside for second and Too Bad Justice, ridden by Joe Ramos, had moved into a stalking position to their outside through the first turn. Down the backstretch, Ramos took hold of Too Bad Justice and backed off the top two heading to the half to reserve some energy for the second half. Mansfield Tiger remained comfortable on the lead heading into the final turn.
Midway through the turn, Too Bad Justice began to make a second move toward Mansfield Tiger and by the time they had reached the top of the stretch, the race was between the two stablemates. Mansfield Tiger held his ground on the inside, and Too Bad Justice actually got a head in front a few times, only to feel Mansfield Tiger come back on them. Just steps before the wire, Mansfield Tiger was able to take over for the final time and win the race by a neck over Too Bad Justice. Killer Hotrod and Eddie Perez moved in late for third.
Mansfield Tiger and Too Bad Justice, both owned by Jason Kaylor and Matt Kwiatkowski with Roger Browning part of the partnership on Too Bad Justice, shared the photo space for the winner's circle shot with their connections set in the middle. Mansfield Tiger paid $6.60 for the win, the second choice behind Too Much Justice.
“This race means a lot to us,” said Kaylor. “When we bought both of these horses, we knew they were eligible to this race. We were hoping we would be able to run in it. 'Tiger' is a big horse, and he likes two turns, so this was a race for him. And Sammy (Bermudez) and Joe (Ramos) are the jockeys we love riding them. Matt, Roger, and I want to thank Tim and his team for this. It sure means a lot.”
Mansfield Tiger, a son of Pataky Kid, is now four for seven in 2022 for Kwiatkowski and Kaylor and is on a small win streak with back-to-back wins. Too Bad Justice, which includes Browning on the ownership, is a son of Harry's Holiday and is two for seven this season. He earned a stakes win earlier in the year. Now, both horses are stakes winners and between the two of them, they have earned more than $270,000 racing primarily on the Indiana circuit.
“I really liked both horses in this race and really didn't know which one would win,” said Eggleston. “The race kind of set up like I thought it might and they were both right there at the end. I'm really happy for Matt (Kwiatkowski), Jason (Kaylor) and Roger (Browning) with these horses. I appreciate the opportunity they have given me with them.”
The 20th season of live Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing extends through Wednesday, Nov. 23. Live racing is conducted at 2:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday with Thursday post times set for 2:10 p.m. A total of 12 Saturdays will feature live racing in 2022 highlighted by the 28th running of the Grade 3 $300,000 Indiana Derby and the 27th running of the Grade 3 $200,000 Indiana Oaks set for Saturday, July 9. For more information on live racing at Horseshoe Indianapolis, visit www.caesars.com/horseshoe-indianapolis.
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