Some 42 stakes will be offered over the course of the season, which gets off to a unique beginning on Monday, Apr. 8 to coincide with Total Solar Eclipse Day. The afternoon's features include the appropriately named Dark Side of the Moon and Total Eclipse of the Heart handicaps for Indiana-bred and -sired horses.

“We are in the direct line of the total solar eclipse path and thought it was a unique opportunity to offer racing around this phenomena,” explained Eric Halstrom, Vice President and General Manager of Racing. “We have worked closely with our horsemen's organization to provide a full day of racing on such a monumental day, which will not occur in North America again until 2044. We will showcase our older Indiana horses in two handicaps during the racing program and hope to expose our racing product to all whole new group of people expected in our area.”

The track will also play host to the Caesars S. and Horseshoe Indianapolis S. for 3-year-old males and fillies, respectively, and are the richest events on the turf in Indiana.

“Our Caesars Day has become a great afternoon for us in mid-May,” explained Halstrom. “We have found the perfect spot for these black-type turf events. We have seen some really talented horses in both of these races over the past few years.”

Derby and Oaks day is the highlight of the annual calendar and continues to grow in popularity.

“The Indiana Derby continues to grow, and we saw the track's first $8-million handle day last season,” added Halstrom. “This program has become a staple on the summer event calendar for local racing fans as well as our national racing audience. With the addition of Indiana premier races on the day, it gives us a full platform to showcase our state's racing program and feature local participants on a day that captures national attention. And last season, we coupled it with two National Horseplayers Championship qualifiers that were well received and brought in a whole new audience for Indiana Derby Day.”

The 22nd season of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing continues through Thursday, Nov. 14.

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Away alertly for Marcelino Pedroza, Jr, the $775,000 Keeneland September yearling–a half-brother to the magnificent Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute)–was content to lie second and allow the rail-drawn Transect (Gun Runner) to carve out the early fractions. Georgie W (Tapiture) tracked three wide from his high draw, while Cagliostro (Upstart) enjoyed the run of the race down inside. Positions were largely unchanged down the back, but when Alex Achard went for Georgie W three furlongs from home, Pedroza, Jr. was forced to respond in kind aboard Verifying and they carried a tenuous advantage into the stretch. The bay appeared to drift in, causing Cagliostro to steady, was confronted in earnest by Raise Cain inside the furlong pole and wandered about late, but was home first.

“He was just like we wanted,” said the winning jockey. “I waited as long as I could. When we turned for home, I asked him. He was playing with me a little bit. But when I went left-handed, I kind of moved out a little bit….and he gave me another gear just to hang on.

“It means a lot. I've been here five, six years, been riding here long enough. To win this race, the most important at the track, it means a lot.”

Runner-up in last year's GI Champagne S. off a successful Saratoga debut, Verifying was a highly impressive allowance winner at Oaklawn Jan. 14, but might have struggled with a rain-affected track when only fourth at 3-2 in the GII Rebel S. Feb. 25. The bay endured a tough beat at the hands of Tapit Trice (Tapit) in the GI Toyota Blue Grass S. at Keeneland Apr. 8 and attended the scorching pace in the GI Kentucky Derby before wilting to finish 16th. He bounced back with a near-miss second to Disarm (Gun Runner) in the GIII Matt Winn S. at Ellis Park June 11, leading into the final furlong before being outfinished.

Pedigree Notes:

Verifying is the 13th black-type winner worldwide and the ninth at the graded/group level for Justify. Diva Delite, also the dam of SW and Grade III-placed Stage Left (Congrats), was purchased by David Redvers with Verifying in utero for $1.2 million at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton November Sale and was most recently led out unsold on a bid of $775,000 at Keeneland November last fall. Diva Delite is also responsible for a yearling colt by Uncle Mo and produced a Gun Runner colt this year. Midnight Bisou topped last year's KEENOV sale on a bid of $5.5 million from Katsumi Yoshida, whose recent acquisition Defining Purpose (Cross Traffic) took the co-featured GIII Indiana Oaks one race earlier. Midnight Bisou, whose first foal is a colt by Curlin, produced a filly in Japan Feb. 24.

Saturday, Horseshoe Indianapolis
INDIANA DERBY-GIII, $300,000, Horseshoe Indianapolis, 7-8, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:43.15, gd.
1–VERIFYING, 124, c, 3, by Justify
                1st Dam: Diva Delite (GSW, $300,067), by Repent
                2nd Dam: Tour Hostess, by Tour d'Or
                3rd Dam: Counsel's Gal, by High Counsel
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($775,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-Westerberg, Mrs. John Magnier, Jonathan Poulin, Derrick Smith and Michael B. Tabor; B-Hunter Valley & Mountmellick Farm, LLC (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Marcelino Pedroza, Jr.. $176,400. Lifetime Record: MGISP, 9-3-3-0, $745,300. *1/2 to Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute), Ch. Older Dirt Female, MGISW, $7,471,520; 1/2 to Stage Left (Congrats), SW & GSP, $531,483. Werk Nick Rating: D+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Raise Cain, 124, c, 3, Violence–Lemon Belle, by Lemon Drop Kid. ($180,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP; $65,000 RNA 2yo '22 OBSOPN). O-Andrew N. Warren and Rania Warren; B-Rock Ridge Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-Ben Colebrook. $58,800.
3–Cagliostro, 118, c, 3, Upstart–A Rosefor Isabelle, by Hard Spun. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($385,000 2yo '22 OBSAPR). O-David Ingordo, Talla Racing, James Spry, West Point Thoroughbreds and Nice Guys Stables; B-Lance Colwell & Janice Clark (FL); T-Cherie DeVaux. $32,340.
Margins: NO, 1 3/4, 2. Odds: 0.60, 5.40, 4.30. Also Ran: Transect, Georgie W, Onthestage, Hayes Strike. Scratched: Act a Fool, Stayinyourlane.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs.

#5 VERIFYING scores in a over #2 Raise Cain in the $300,000 Indiana Derby (G3)!

The son of @coolmoreamerica Justify is trained @bradcoxracing and had Marcelino Pedroza in the irons.

Thanks @MattCTVG and @ashley_mailloux for the coverage! pic.twitter.com/eC9itiFVlK

— TVG (@TVG) July 8, 2023

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“Each year, Indiana Derby Day continues to grow and sets new handle records,” said Vice President and General Manager of Racing Eric Halstrom. “Our racing office staff works very hard to assemble top quality fields for each of these stakes. With all the activities surrounding the event, Indiana Derby Day has become one of Indiana's biggest summer sporting events and attracts some of the nation's top 3-year-olds. It's definitely a day to put on your calendars each July.”

A total of 10 of the stakes will be run on the turf course and another 28 are specifically for Indiana-bred and -sired runners. More than $2.9 million will be dispersed to horses that are part of the Indiana breeding program.

The 123-day racing season at Horseshoe Indianapolis kicks off Apr. 18. Click here for more information.

The post Horseshoe Indianapolis Earmarks Over $4.75 Million for 2023 Stakes appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Pending approval at this Thursday's Indiana Horse Racing Commission (IHRC) meeting, the 2023 mixed meet will run Apr. 18-Nov. 17.

That's roughly the same template that Horseshoe Indianapolis used this past season, although next year's meet is scheduled to end on the Friday before Thanksgiving instead of running into the holiday week and closing the day before Thanksgiving, like it did this year.

“The 2023 mixed Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse meet will begin and end at roughly the same time as the 2022 season but, in an attempt to adapt to the changing national racing calendar, there will be some movement of racing days to maximize handle and attendance,” Horseshoe Indianapolis stated in its application package to the IHRC.

For 2022, Horseshoe Indianapolis had been awarded 127 total days, with six of those dates dedicated exclusively to Quarter Horse cards. Although there will be some Quarter Horse racing mixed in on the Thoroughbred dates, which is standard for the track, there will again be six stand-alone Quarter Horse programs in 2023.

In order to meet the state's minimum requirement for unlimited simulcasting, Horseshoe Indianapolis must run at least 120 total Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse dates.

“The stakes schedules for both breeds will likely see some minor changes, but on the Thoroughbred side, our signature events–[the GIII] Indiana Derby and [the GIII] Indiana Oaks–will see a minor change as well,” the application stated.

“We feel there's an opportunity to make the event even bigger by turning it into a potential two-day, stakes-filled display of the best racing in Indiana. With that in mind we have added Friday, July 7, to the calendar and we'll keep the Indiana Derby on Saturday, July 8, as we try and follow up our remarkable success from 2022,” the application continued.

The 2022 running of the Indiana Derby marked the fourth straight year in which Horseshoe Indianapolis established a new track-record handle.

Four race dates in 2023 (from 12 to 16) will shift to Saturdays.

“Although it is proven the racing program captures more attention and more eyes with its Monday-through-Thursday racing schedule, it's also evident that weekends draw the best crowds,” the application stated.

Stabling will remain open through the winter again this year at Horseshoe Indianapolis, an amenity designed to bolster the horse population for when racing resumes next spring.

“Winter training continued to be an important tool for our [2022] early season racing program,” the application stated. “In all, nearly 400 horses took advantage of our racing surface and barn area being open year-round. The entries in April increased over 2021 and the new barn gives us the opportunity to have even more horses this upcoming winter. We believe it is likely that over the course of the next few months that almost 500 horses will use our facilities to stay fit and in training.”

Horseshoe Indianapolis also detailed in its application a 2023 spending strategy for capital investments.

“For 2023, there is a considerable sum ($813,708) set aside for rolling capital…more than we are likely going to need to use to sufficiently replace aging equipment,” the application stated. “Most of the maintenance capital plan calls for the replacement of harrows, floats and snow removal equipment. We will be doing a thorough inventory of our current equipment, and its condition, and coming to the IHRC with a request for substitute capital at the March 2023 meeting as there are other needs that could improve our facility and product.”

The application continued: “Due to the unplanned year-round use of our tractors, we are experiencing unexpected wear and tear. It is likely that we will need to plan for a phasing in of new tractors over a number of years.

“Additionally, Horseshoe Indianapolis continued its improvements with the Racing Capital Fund Appropriation Committee (RCFAC) capital,” the application stated. “The 2022 RCFAC items have been very productive for our racing program and we will have some equipment in 2023 that will not only bring value to horsemen and our facility, but for our customers as well.”

According to Horseshoe Indianapolis, among the RCFAC expenditures already approved for 2023 are an apron tent and awning structure ($650,000), the installation of a new turf rail and geolocation services ($150,000), Eurocizer material ($25,000), and sand for a turf course renovation ($25,000).

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Among top-tier trainers, there is no one like him. He'll run fillies against the boys, run back in a week and he's not afraid to throw a 50-1 bomb into a race or, in the case of 2022 GI Belmont S. winner Sarava (Wild Again), a 70-1 shot. It hurts his winning percentage, which is at 17% on the year. But McPeek doesn't seem to care. His job is to make money for his owners, and he understands that the more chances he gives his horses, the more money his clients are likely to make.

McPeek dipped into his bag of tracks Saturday when he entered Classic Causeway (Giant's Causeway) in the Caesars Belmont Derby Invitational, a decision that led to a Grade I win in a $1-million race.

The colt had shown a lot of promise early in his career and was among the top contenders for the GI Kentucky Derby after winning the GII Tampa Bay Derby. Then trained by Brian Lynch, Classic Causeway went off form and finished eleventh in the GI Florida Derby and eleventh again in the GI Kentucky Derby. The owners made a move after the Kentucky Derby and turned the horse over to McPeek. In his first start for McPeek, he ran third in the GIII Ohio Derby, a sign that maybe he was about to come around.

That might have set him up for some of the big dirt stakes coming up for 3-year-olds. Instead, McPeek targeted the Belmont Derby. Never mind that Classic Causeway would have to come back in two weeks or that he had never run on the grass. It was a $1-million race, and McPeek decided to take a shot, something few other trainers would have done with this horse.

It didn't hurt that Classic Causeway was the recipient of a lucky break. Emmanuel (More Than Ready) was not only a top contender in the race but the clear speed. But he was scratched by the stewards for reasons that remain unclear. The New York Gaming Commission tweeted the following: “The Commission Steward has ordered the scratch of Emmanuel, scheduled to run in today's Belmont Derby, due to issues relating to veterinary records. The matter remains under review.”

With Emmanuel out, Classic Causeway was the only speed in the race. Jockey Julien Leparoux picked up on that and put in a heads-up ride. Classic Causeway led by a length after a half-mile had been run in :48 and, from there, they couldn't catch him.

McPeek's aggressive handling of horses was also on display at Horseshoe Indianapolis, where he had a good showing Saturday. He got a win in the $100,000 Mari Hulman George S. with Semble Juste (Ire) (Shalaa {Ire}), who was coming back in nine days after winning an allowance at Churchill. In the GIII Indiana Oaks, he ran Runaway Wife (Gun Runner) off an eight-day layoff and Silverleaf (Speightster) off a nine-day layoff. Runaway Wife finished second and Silverleaf was third. McPeek also ran Rattle N Roll (Connect) in the GIII Indiana Derby, just a week after he won the American Derby. He finished seventh.

On Saturday, McPeek also won the GIII Iowa Oaks with Butterbean (Klimt). She was coming back in 28 days, by McPeek standards a long layoff.

The only horse he ran all day that had more than four weeks off was Tiz The Bomb (Hit It a Bomb), who was making his first start since the May Kentucky Derby in the Belmont Derby. He finished ninth.

On the day, McPeek ran horses in five different races, all of them stakes. He won two and had two others, both fillies, finish in the money and pick up black type. Among that group, everyone was running back in 28 days or less. That just doesn't happen anymore.

A Record-Breaking Belmont Meet For Chad Brown

Chad Brown winning a training title at the NYRA tracks is no longer big news, but what Brown accomplished at the Belmont meet that ended Sunday was historic.

With 153 starters, he won 47 races, setting a new record for most wins by a trainer at the Belmont spring-summer meet. The old record was 44, set by David Jacobson in 2013. But Jacobson compiled those numbers during a year in which the meet ran for 56 days. This year's meet ran for 44 days.

Twelve of Brown's winners came in graded stakes races and four were in Grade I's. He won 14 stakes overall. He won 27 turf races and 20 on the dirt. But his winning percentage on the turf was 26%, while he won with 41% of his dirt starters.

More Small Fields

They could only find five horses to run in the GII Suburban S. Saturday out at Belmont–a race that has been won by Easy Goer, Dr. Fager, Forego, Buckpasser, Kelso, Bold Ruler–and one came from the barn of the racing secretary's best friend, Uriah St. Lewis. The winner, Dynamic One (Union Rags), had never before won a graded stakes.

Between the June 11 GI Metropolitan H. and the GI Woodward S., likely to be run this year on Oct. 1, NYRA will offer five graded stakes for males on the dirt. (The other two are the GI Whitney S. and the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup). Please don't try to tell me this isn't a problem.

Juan Vazquez and the Pennsylvania Racing Commission

For years, the Pennsylvania Racing Commission seemed like a do-nothing organization run by bureaucrats who had better things to do than to truly police the sort. But it looks like that has changed.

Juan Vazquez, who has a long and troubling history of breaking the rules, shipped a horse in January from Belmont to Parx. The horse, Shining Colors (Paynter), arrived in such bad shape that she had to be euthanized due to what the stewards said was a case of severe laminitis. Vazquez was suspended for 2 1/2 years Friday, and the stewards called his actions “grossly negligent, cruel and abusive.”

This was not your typical slap on the wrist, but a penalty that fit the crime. Obviously, the racing commission has had enough of Vazquez's flouting the rules and it brought its hammer down on a trainer who should have been thrown out of the game years ago.

He is eligible to return on Jan. 26, 2025. Will someone–a racing commission, a track?–let him race at that time? One would hope that the sport can show enough backbone that Vazquez will never participate again. Just don't count on it.

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Third in his first two tries on grass for trainer Rodolphe Brisset at Horseshoe Indianapolis last term, including going a mile in his juvenile finale Oct. 6, he returned from the bench to air in his dirt debut going seven furlongs in his first try for trainer Michael McCarthy at Churchill Downs last time June 8.

With Black Type Thoroughbreds acquiring a 75-percent controlling interest since, 3-1 third-choice Actuator broke inward at the start from his outside draw here. Favored GISW Rattle N Roll (Connect), drawn two to his inside, took the worst of it at the break, clipping heels while getting bumped from both sides with rider Brian Hernandez, Jr. briefly losing the irons.

Actuator, meanwhile, raced in an outside fourth while rounding the clubhouse turn. Chasing from third while three deep heading down the backstretch, the bay was ridden to keep pace on the far turn, challenged from the outside while racing a bit greenly with his lead change as they straightened and dug down deep in the stretch to hold Best Actor (Flatter) safe while brushing with that rival inside the sixteenth pole.

Actuator survived a steward's inquiry involving the start and also an objection lodged by jockey Florent Geroux aboard the runner-up alleging interference in deep stretch.

“I don't know where I interfered with him,” winning jockey James Graham said. “He did break in a little bit, but his horse didn't break either. We kind of made contact. But that's the first jump. I grabbed him immediately and he actually came and leaned on me the last sixteenth. My horse ran his race. He showed a lot of grit and tenacity today, so I'm happy with that.”

McCarthy added, “He didn't get away from there great, but James was able to go ahead and get us into a great spot going into the first turn. Up the backside, he was sitting right off the speed and around the turn. James asked him to pick it up, and he slowly got into a rhythm. He was game through the lane.”

McCarthy continued, “Everybody was quietly confident. I thought his performance off the layoff was very, very good. The horse came back and trained well after his maiden score. Jake Ballis and his partners were very keen to get in on the horse. I thought there were bigger and better things to come with him.”

Pedigree Notes:

Actuator is the 11th graded/26th stakes winner for former WinStar stallion and current Jockey Club of Turkey resident Bodemeister. Like Bodemeister's 2022 GII American Turf S. winner Stolen Base, Actuator is also out of an Indian Charlie mare. Indian Charlie is now responsible for 30 graded/90 stakes winners as a broodmare sire. The E. Paul Robsham-bred Indian Rocket, a winner of two of 16 career starts, was a $175,000 KEENOV weanling. The half-sister to GISW and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up R Heat Lightning (Trippi) passed away in 2019. Actuator was her final produce.

Saturday, Horseshoe Indianapolis
INDIANA DERBY-GIII, $300,000, Horseshoe Indianapolis, 7-9, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:44.48, gd.
1–ACTUATOR, 118, c, 3, by Bodemeister
                1st Dam: Indian Rocket, by Indian Charlie
                2nd Dam: Yellow Heat, by Gold Fever
                3rd Dam: The Real Thing, by Capote
   1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($2,200 Ylg
'20 FTKFEB). O-Black Type Thoroughbreds, Rags Racing Stable
LLC, Rick Howard & Gavin O'Connor; B-WinStar Farm, LLC (KY);
T-Michael W. McCarthy; J-James Graham. $174,600. Lifetime
Record: 4-2-0-2, $250,860. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple
Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Best Actor, 124, c, 3, Flatter–Abraqat, by Smart Strike.
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($330,000 Ylg '20
KEESEP). O-Gary & Mary West; B-E. H. Beau Lane, Gail
McMichael Lane, J. B. Lane Orem & Michael Orem (KY); T-Brad Cox. $58,200.
3–King Ottoman, 124, c, 3, Curlin–Shook Up, by Tapit.
1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($335,000 RNA Ylg '20 KEESEP).
O/B-Three Chimneys Farm, LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen.
$32,010.
Margins: HF, 2HF, 3/4. Odds: 3.20, 2.90, 4.90.
Also Ran: Trademark, Mowins, Fowler Blue, Rattle N Roll, First Glimpse. Scratched: New Year's Fever, Un Ojo. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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A debut fifth with a tough trip going six furlongs Mar. 4 at Fair Grounds, the gelding earned a pair of hard-fought nose successes Mar. 27 and May 1 at Oaklawn before finishing a close second at 14-1 in the sloppy-track Texas Derby May 31 at Lone Star. Cruising to a sharp 3 3/4-length score in the GIII Indiana Derby July 7 at Indiana Grand, he backed that up with a pace-pressing tally in the GIII West Virginia Derby a month later at Mountaineer.

Second that day was Warrant (Constitution), who re-opposes here for Twin Creeks Racing Stable and Brad Cox. Never out of the trifecta in six trips to the post, the chestnut was runner-up in the Oaklawn S. this spring before overcoming a wide trip to score in the Texas Derby.

Super Stock (Dialed In), upset winner of the GI Arkansas Derby this April, made no impact when 16th in the GI Kentucky Derby, and could manage only fourth in the Texas Derby and Iowa Derby, but bounced back with a convincing tally in the Runhappy Ellis Park Derby last out Aug. 15.

Other contenders include Reddam Racing's improving Team Merchants (Nyquist), who upset a Del Mar allowance/optional claimer with a 91 Beyer at 18-1 July 16 before running fifth in the Shared Belief S., and Defeater (Union Rags), a debut graduate Jan. 2 at Fair Grounds who has since run two strong seconds, including last time behind Speaker's Corner (Street Sense) in a loaded Saratoga allowance Aug. 14.

The post Mr. Wireless Tries to Stay Hot in Oklahoma Derby appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The Grade 3 Indiana Derby had a heavy favorite in Churchill Downs' Matt Winn winner Fulsome. But the time-honored racing tenet is that you don't run away from one horse. Indeed, Sermononthemount finished second at 18-1 as Mr. Wireless rolled to victory in the 1 1/16-mile stakes. Fulsome finished a non-threatening third.

The 1 1/8-mile Ellis Park Derby would not appear to have a prohibitive favorite in its field of six 3-year-olds. While Super Stock won the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby, he also finished fourth in the Texas Derby and Iowa Derby following a 16th in the Kentucky Derby. Also entered: Indiana Derby fourth-place finisher Starrininmydreams, Ellis Park allowance winner Colonel Bowman, allowance runner-up (by a nose) There Goes Harvard and Ellis maiden-winner Hanks.

The Ellis Park Derby is part of a five-stakes Sunday card that also features the $125,000 RUNHAPPY Groupie Doll for fillies and mares, $125,000 RUNHAPPY Ellis Park Juvenile, $125,000 RUNHAPPY Ellis Park Debutante and $100,000 Audubon Oaks.

“He's a horse that wants some pace up front and be allowed to finish. And we really didn't get that in the Indiana Derby,” Amoss said. “He's also a horse, in my opinion, that would rather come around than go inside. He kind of likes to have one of those trips where he's not crowded in any shape or form, and he didn't get that either. But he still ran well. The Ellis Park Derby is a logical race for us because No. 1, it's right there. It's very attractive purse-wise, and I like the distance.”

The Indiana Derby “was a race on paper that I thought was worth rolling the dice,” he said. “I think that's kind of what's happening again… I see a field in the Ellis Park Derby with a lot of horses that are up and coming and improving, but certainly no horse in there that would scare another one out.”

James Graham has the return mount on Sermononthemount. Graham turned out to be prescient when he said this before the Indiana Derby: “He tries his butt off every time, so you have to take a little bit of a shot — and he's doing good. What if Fulsome has a bad day? And hopefully we have a good day. Give it a shot and see what happens.”

Mr. Wireless validated his Indiana Derby victory by taking last Saturday's Grade 3 West Virginia Derby.

“He showed he is legit by the results of the West Virginia Derby,” Amoss said. “So that's nice, too.”

Sermononthemount didn't run well on turf when claimed for $50,000 at the Fair Grounds in March. Two races later, Amoss put him in for a $30,000 claiming race as a confidence-builder, and off that win began tackling stakes company. The result was third in the Prairie Mile and then the Indiana second.

“The Ellis Park Derby will give him a chance to really show what he can do at more distance,” Amoss said. “He's an improving young horse.”

The post Amoss Hopes Sermononthemount Will ‘Really Show What He Can Do’ In Ellis Park Derby appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The 1 1/8-mile local fixture for 3-year-olds is carded as Race 8 on a nine-race program that begins at the special first post time of 2 p.m. EDT. The Derby post time is set for 5:35 p.m. The card includes the $200,000, Grade 3 West Virginia Governor's Stakes and five $75,000 stakes on the dirt and turf.

Mr. Wireless, a Kentucky-bred gelding by Dialed In, finished a troubled fifth in his career debut in Louisiana in March, but since then has gone three-for-four. He broke his maiden at Oaklawn Park later in March and then won an allowance race at the Arkansas track in early May.

Trainer Bret Calhoun then shipped him to Lone Star Park, where he finished second behind Warrant after a less-than-ideal journey. The Grade 3 Indiana Derby, which he won by 3 ¾ lengths while never worse than second, proved to be a breakout race for the Mr. Wireless, who is owned by JIL Stable and Jon Lapczenski.

Calhoun won the 2019 West Virginia Derby with Mr. Money, who like Mr. Wireless entered the race in top form. Mr. Wireless is the 9-5 morning-line favorite in the West Virginia Derby with regular rider Ramon Vazquez named.

“Everything has gone really well since his last start,” Calhoun said. “He's improving and steadily getting better. It seems like we're never getting to his bottom—he has a lot of stamina.”

Mr. Wireless has been training recently at Colonial Downs in Virginia with some of Calhoun's other horses. They had been at Churchill Downs in Kentucky, but horses had to leave for a few months due to reconstruction of the turf course.

“It has been great at Colonial, which is a very horse-friendly place,” Calhoun said. “He seems have thrived here. His races have all been very good—he had an excuse in his first start—and his two-turn races have been better. He faced Warrant once and finished second, but I think a couple of things could have gone differently that day.”

Calhoun, who will be at Saratoga Race Course Aug. 7 to saddle By My Standards in the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes, said the plan is to ship Mr. Wireless to West Virginia the evening of Aug. 5 for a Friday morning arrival.

Bourbonic, owned and bred by Calumet Farm, posted a 72-1 upset in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct Racetrack in New York before finishing 13th in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby and fifth in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes, the first and third legs of the Triple Crown, respectively. The colt by Bernardini is conditioned by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, who won the 2015 West Virginia Derby with Madefromlucky.

Three-time winner Bourbonic, the 3-1 third choice on the morning line, has been working regularly on the training track at Belmont Park in New York. Eric Cancel is named to ride.

“Bourbonic has trained well since the Belmont Stakes,” Pletcher said. “He needed a little freshener, and he has responded.”

Twin Creek Racing Stables' Warrant, who defeated Mr. Wireless in the Texas Derby in late May and hasn't raced since, is the 5-2 second choice on the morning line. He is trained by Brad Cox, who also entered Robert LaPenta's Kinetic Sky (6-1) in the Derby.

Warrant, never worse than third in five starts, worked a sizzling :59 2/5 for five furlongs at Ellis Park in Kentucky, Kinetic Sky, who worked the same time in company with Warrant, will make his stakes debut in the West Virginia Derby. Warrant will be ridden by Florent Geroux, while Joe Talamo is listed aboard Kinetic Sky.

The Derby wasn't run in 2020 because of COVID-19 restrictions and logistical issues with shippers from out of state. The race has a history of stops and starts, but it had been held for 22 consecutive years since 1998, when it returned to the Mountaineer calendar after a seven-year absence.

For this year, anyone attending the races in the grandstand or on the apron on West Virginia Derby day must purchase a ticket because patron attendance is limited to 1,500. To order tickets visit the Mountaineer Casino website.

In the event the limited number of tickets are not all purchased online, walk-up ticket purchases will be permitted on race day until the limit is reached. For those who don't have tickets, tailgating will be permitted on the grassy area that overlooks the backstretch and far turn.

Mountaineer will be offering advance wagering on the entire Derby program on Friday, Aug. 6, in the casino off-track betting area for those who may not wish to attend on race day. Online wagering is also available through various advance deposit wagering outlets including TVG.

$500,000 WEST VIRGINIA DERBY (Grade 3)

Post Horse Jockey Odds

1 – Bourbonic – Eric Cancel (3-1)

2 – Kinetic Sky – Joe Talamo (6-1)

3 – Bourbon Thunder – Deshawn Parker (8-1)

4 – Mr. Wireless – Ramon Vazquez (9-5)

5 – Warrant – Florent Geroux (5-2)

6 – Channel Fury – Malcolm Franklin (10-1)

7 – Americainaed – Joe Mussaro (50-1)

The post ‘Improving’ Mr. Wireless Headlines Saturday’s West Virginia Derby appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Winning for the third time in five starts – all in 2021 – Mr. Wireless covered 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:42.84. He paid $9.80 to win as the third wagering choice in the field of six 3-year-olds and picked up $178,200 as the winner's share of the $300,000 purse. He is owned by Jon Lapczenski and JIL Stable. Mr. Wireless, produced from Voussoir, by Arch, was bred in Kentucky by John and Iveta Kerber, who race as JIL Stable.

Sermononthemount finished second, 1 3/4 lengths ahead of Fulsome, the 2-5 favorite from the Brad Cox stable who came into the Indiana Derby off three consecutive victories, including a last-out score in the G3 Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs on May 29. Starrininmydreams finished fourth, Convention fifth and W W Crazy, the early pace-setter fading to last.

Mr. Wireless, bobbled at the start but settled in just behind pacesetter W W Crazy, who set fractions of :24.16 and :48.31 for the opening half mile. Mr. Wireless grabbed the advantage before reaching the far turn, getting the opening six furlongs in 1:12.41, then was never challenged there, leading by 1 1/2 lengths at the furlong pole (with a mile split in 1:36.61) and drawing away under steady encouragement from Vazquez.

Mr. Wireless debut  with a fifth-place finish March 4 at Fair Grounds in Louisiana, then graduated with a nose victory going a mile at Oaklawn Park on March 27. He posted another nose victory next out, winning a May 1 allowance at the Arkansas track, then finished second in his stakes debut behind Warrant in the May 31 Texas Derby on a sloppy track at Lone Star Park.

Calhoun won the 2019 Indiana Derby with Mr. Money for Allied Racing Stable.

The Indiana Derby was the last of 12 races, including six stakes, on the afternoon/evening program at Indiana Grand. Spurred by $905,027 in new money on the Straight Fire 6 jackpot bet that had a mandatory payout and a $166,573 jackpot going in, nearly $6.3 million was wagered, exceeding the previous all-time high of $5,979,952 bet on last year's Indiana Derby card.

The post Mr. Wireless Earns First Stakes Victory In Indiana Derby appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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