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Royal Prince Granted Win In Caesars Stakes After DQ

Royal Prince and Fernando De La Cruz pulled in a win Wednesday, Sept. 8 in the $150,000 Caesars Stakes. The race was the highlight of the 11-race card that included four stakes on the card and marked the richest day of turf racing in the state of Indiana.

Starting from post four in the reduced field of five, Royal Prince got away second behind Dyn O Mite and Jose Riquelme, following along in a stalking position throughout the one-mile turf event. At the head of the stretch, Royal Prince made his move and at first, looked like he would go right on by as the selected favorite of the field. However, Dyn O Mite came back to challenge. The duo battled the entire length of the stretch in close quarters with Dyn O Mite getting the last call by a half-length. However, contact between the two switched the order after a disqualification and moved Royal Prince up for the win. Perfect Silent Cat and Luca Panici, making his first start at Indiana Grand, finished third. The time of the race was 1:35.26.

Royal Prince is now three for eight in 2021 and four for 11 lifetime. He is owned by Steve Landers Racing LLC and trained by Brad Cox. He moved his career earnings over the $300,000 mark with the win. The grey son of Cairo Prince, a $70,000 yearling purchase is now a two-time stakes winner.

“This horse is always solid and showed today that he is that caliber of horse,” said Ricky Giannini, assistant trainer for Brad Cox who oversees the string at Indiana Grand. “He is stationed at Keeneland so he may go there for his next start.”

The Caesars Stakes was complemented by Empire of Hope, a Caesars Entertainment Racing initiative to bring funding and awareness to racehorse aftercare programs. Nearly $14,000 was raised through several promotions and donations geared toward the cause. A special presentation showing the support was held in the winner's circle with Randy Klopp, Indiana HBPA member and past president, Rachel McLaughlin, On-Air Racing Analyst, and Eric Halstrom, Vice President and General Manager of Racing at Indiana Grand.

The 19th season of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing is now in progress and continues through Monday, Nov. 8. Live racing is conducted at 2:25 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, with first post on Thursday set at 3:25 p.m. A special Indiana Champions Day highlighting the state's top Thoroughbred and Quarter Horses will be held Saturday, Oct. 30, beginning at noon. More information about the 2021 racing season is available at www.caesars.com/indiana-grand.

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Indiana’s Richest Day Of Turf Racing Set For Wednesday At Indiana Grand

Indiana's richest day of turf racing is set for Wednesday, Sept. 8 featuring four stakes for Caesars Stakes Day at Indiana Grand. Purses for the day exceed $700,000 for the 11-race card which is capped off by four stakes, including the $150,000 Caesars Stakes (Listed) and the $150,000 Indiana Grand Stakes (Listed).

Heading the list of entrants in the Caesars Stakes, slated as Race 10, is Royal Prince from the Brad Cox barn. The 3-year-old son of Cairo Prince comes into the race off a second-place finish in the $100,000 KY Downs TVG Preview Dueling Grounds Derby at Ellis Park in early August. The grey stakes winning colt has only missed the top three once in seven starts this season. He will start from post seven at odds of 8-5 with Fernando De La Cruz in the irons.

The Cox Stable will also saddle the favorite in the Indiana Grand Stakes, featuring the fillies over the turf running at a distance of one mile. The Uncle Mo filly Burning Ambition was a winner in her last start at Ellis Park in mid-August, her first and only start of 2021. She is now three for four in her brief career. De La Cruz will also ride from post eight at odds of 2-1 in Race 9.

The Caesars Stakes and the Indiana Grand Stakes will be bookended by the 21st running of the $100,000 Back Home Again Stakes in Race 8 and the 21st running of the $100,000 Circle City Stakes in Race 11. The four stakes will offer a special All Stakes Pick 4 on Races 8 – 11.

Caesars Stakes Day will also feature “Empire of Hope,” a Caesars Entertainment Racing initiative to place the spotlight on racehorse aftercare programs. Indiana Grand will offer several activities to raise funding for the cause throughout the program, including t-shirt sales and Peppermints for Ponies, where guests purchase peppermints to feed to the pony horses following Race 4 on the card.

A “Parade of Champions” will also take place with five current pony horses highlighted as retired racehorses. Ethan Hunt and Niceandeasydoesit, both serving as outriding horses, will be featured following the sixth race along with Gallant, Even Fever, and retired Quarter Horse Stealtheshowjo.

The afternoon card will also feature the $1,000 Caesars Stakes Warriors Contest, open to players both on-track and online. The top handicapper on the six contest races will receive a $500 gift card. The contest is open to all players currently residing in the United States that are 18 years of age and older. The contest begins on Race 5. Entries should be submitted to: indianagrandcontest@gmail.com by 4:20 p.m. to play.

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Fancy Liquor Keeps Geroux’s Hot Streak Alive In American Turf

Florent Geroux continues to have a big weekend at Churchill Downs, following up his five-win Kentucky Oaks day with a victory aboard Sky Chai Racing and Sand Dollar Stable's homebred Fancy Liquor in the Grade 2 American Turf.

The 3-year-old son of Lookin at Lucky entered the $500,000 race off a victory in the listed Caesars Stakes at Indiana Grand, and was sent off as the third choice of seven runners at odds of 9-2. Fancy Liquor, trained by Mike Maker like third-place finisher Field Pass, closed from well off the pace to best Taishan by a half length on the wire, completing 1 1/16 miles over firm turf in 1:42.83.

“I wasn't expecting what we got, but it worked out,” Maker said. “So I'm very pleased. Field Pass is a stakes winner over this course and didn't quite run his race at Saratoga. Tyler (Gaffalione) didn't feel like he handled the softer going today but still ran a good race. Flo said he was loaded, on the gallop out and everything.”

On or near the pace in each of his five lifetime starts thus far, Fancy Liquor wasn't able to keep pace with the early speed in the American Turf. Geroux found himself at least a dozen lengths off the leaders entering the backstretch, but the French veteran didn't panic, guessing that the frontrunners would tire and come back to him.

There were three across the track in the heated early pace battle: American Butterfly on the rail, Sugoi between horses, and 6-5 favorite Smooth Like Strait on the outside. They blasted through early fractions of :23.04 and :46.48, pulling away by about eight lengths from 9-5 second choice Field Pass. It was another four or so lengths back to Fancy Liquor in fifth.

American Butterfly dropped out of the race nearing the far turn, and Sugoi quickly followed suit. By that point, Field Pass had started making up ground on the outside and took over the lead from Smooth Like Strait. Those two battled for several strides before Smooth Like Strait conceded, but the effort left Field Pass vulnerable as Fancy Liquor and Geroux swept up the middle of the course in the final eighth of a mile.

Fancy Liquor grabbed the lead and refused to let Taishan by in the final yards, crossing the wire a half-length the best. Field Pass held on to finish third over Smooth Like Strait.

Bred in Kentucky by his owners, Fancy Liquor is out of the 21-time winning Secret Romeo mare Brandys Secret. The colt won on debut at Gulfstream Park in February of this year, and finished third behind Field Pass next out on the synthetic at Turfway Park in the Jeff Ruby Steaks. Fancy Liquor was again best by Field Pass two starts later when third in the G3 Transylvania, but got away from his stablemate to win the Caesars Stakes in Indiana in his final prep for the American Turf. Overall, Fancy Liquor's record stands at 3-1-2 from six starts for earnings of over $450,000.

“This horse seems to be still learning,” Geroux said. “He broke really well but the horses in front of me were going really fast. He's shown in the past he's run well on the lead but he doesn't necessarily have to have the lead. The race I rode aboard him at Keeneland (the Grade III Transylvania) he came from just off the pace and we got beat by Field Pass that day but I know (Fancy Liquor) was still learning and getting better. Even back in the Jeff Ruby Steaks, where he beat us there, too, (Fancy Liquor) ran a really solid race.”

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