Indiana | Horse Racing Free Tips

Four Stakes Races Highlight Closing Week At Indiana Grand

Indiana Grand is heading into the homestretch of its abbreviated 96-day racing season in 2020. With three days of action left, four stakes will be highlighted beginning Tuesday, Nov. 17.

The 23rd running of the $75,000 Miss Indiana Stakes and the 21st running of the $75,000 Indiana Futurity are slated for races eight and nine, respectively, on the Tuesday card. Featured in the Miss Indiana Stakes is the standout freshman filly Hungarian Princess from the Kim Hammond barn. The Pataky Kid filly, owned and bred by Swifty Farms, is three for four in 2020 with two stakes wins. She will begin from post seven with Sammy Bermudez aboard at odds of 7-5.

To the outside of Hungarian Princess is Timeless Glory and Geena Lucille, second choice on the morning line. The Harry's Holiday filly, trained by Anthony Granitz, steps into stakes action for the first time off an impressive maiden-breaking victory in early October. Owned by John Wallace and Granitz, Timeless Glory starts from post eight at odds of 7-2.

In the freshman colt and gelding ranks, Dillsboro Devil is favored in the Indiana Futurity. A son of Skylord, the John Langemeier-trained gelding is two for two, scoring the win in his last start in the Crown Ambassador Stakes. Marcelino Pedroza will ride from post 11 for Langemeier's Spooky Hollow Racing Inc. at odds of 3-1.

Joining Dillsboro Devil as an early favorite in the Indiana Futurity is Hard Luck Justice from the other end of the gate in post two. The Harry's Holiday gelding, owned by Joselyn Salazar and trained by Lonnie Hines, steps up into stakes action for the first time off a maiden breaking win Nov. 1. Sammy Bermudez has the call aboard Hard Luck Justice at odds of 7-2.

The older Indiana breds will be featured on the Wednesday, Nov. 18 racing card in the 24th running of the $100,000 Frances Slocum Stakes and the 23rd running of the $100,000 To Much Coffee, set as races eight and nine, respectively.

Piedi Bianchi gets the call as the early morning line favorite in the Frances Slocum at odds of 5-2 with Fernando De La Cruz aboard for trainer Cipriano Contreras. The five-year-old Overanalyze mare is among the state's top five all-time leading female Thoroughbreds in earnings with just over $522,000 accumulated. She will begin from post 10 in the full field of 12.

Unbridled Beast, the three-year-old standout from the Randy Matthews Stable, will tackle the older horses in the To Much Coffee Stakes. The Unbridled Express gelding had won four in a row prior to his last start over a sloppy track in the Unreachable Star Stakes. Unbridled Beast begins from post nine with Indiana's all-time leading jockey Rodney Prescott aboard at odds of 5-2.

The 2020 racing season will conclude Thursday, Nov. 19 with a 12-race card. The track is currently watching the progress of the Straight Fire Six (Jackpot Pick 6) which has a carryover of more than $92,000 heading into the Tuesday, Nov. 17 racing program. There is a mandatory payout for the wager if it goes untouched until Thursday's racing program.

First post for the final week of racing is 2:05 p.m. Dates for the 2021 racing season at Indiana Grand will be announced in December.

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Mike And Penny Lauer Named Top Indiana Breeder For Fifth Year

For the fifth year in a row, Michael and Penny Lauer have been named the Indiana Thoroughbred Breed Development Program's Breeder of the Year, an award based solely on Indiana Breeder's Awards payments.

The couple bred 16 horses in the Indiana program that raced in 2019, earning them a total of $183,243 in Breeder's Awards alone. The two most notable 2019 starters include Drinkatthecreek (Itsmyluckyday – Mizzen My Momma) and Twobirdsonestone (Birdstone – Dreamin Big).

Working as a team, the Lauers have been breeding and training horses for more than 40 years, and have participated in the Indiana program since its inception. Michael has more than 1,100 training wins and more than $9.1 million in earnings throughout his career, with his main stable based at Indiana Grand Racing and Casino and Churchill Downs. He is Indiana Grand's all-time learning stakes-winning trainer with more than 35 stakes wins.

A retired teacher, Penny manages the bookkeeping and daily operations of the breeding and racing side of Michael Lauer Stables. Penny is among Indiana Grand's all-time top five leading owners in wins and leads with more than $5 million in earnings, the most of any other owner in Indiana Grand history. The couple's three daughters, Elizabeth, Sara and Abby, pitch in around the farm.

While their farm is based in Finchville, Ky., the Lauers work closely with breeding farms in Indiana such as Springcliff Farm, Ledgerwood Farm, Nicks Farm and Swifty Farm.

“We've always thought the Indiana program was a good one,” says Penny. “We breed a lot, but we're not the top of the heap. We try to keep some decent mares, breed to decent stallions and go from there.

“I'd love for some of our Indiana breds to win some big races outside of the state, because I want to show that Indiana breds can win anywhere,” she continued. “I don't feel we get a lot of respect outside of the state and I hope we can help with that with our horses.”

The Lauers recently started standing the stallion Ready's Image in Indiana, who will stand at Swifty Farm for his third year in the program for 2021.

“We started standing Ready's Image in Indiana the last few years because we like him and we're trying to help the program in Indiana more with his quality bloodlines,” says Penny. “He's done pretty well these last couple of years and we look forward to seeing his Indiana babies on the track soon.”

Over the past seven years, the Indiana Thoroughbred Breed Development Program has distributed more than $23 million to Indiana breeders. Horses produced out of the Indiana bred program have gone on to win multiple graded stakes races and even competed internationally in the Breeders' Cup and at the Royal Ascot meet. Currently, breeders are awarded up to 20 percent of the purse in awards for winners.

The 2019 Indiana Thoroughbred Breed Development and Indiana Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association award winners were recognized during the first ever Indiana Breeders Day held at Indiana Grand on Wednesday, Oct. 28.

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Texas Red Yearling Tops Indiana Fall Mixed Sale

The Indiana Thoroughbred Owners And Breeders Association Fall Mixed Sale was held Saturday, Oct. 31, and posted positive results despite the impact of COVID-19 forcing the sale to relocate from its traditional location at Indiana Grand Racing and Casino to nearby Smith Training Stables in Fountaintown, Ind.

A total of 69 horses went through the ring, with 66 selling for a total of $263,400 and an average of $3,991.

The highest price was for Hip 68, an Indiana-bred yearling gelding by Texas Red out of the stakes-placed River Special mare Color Me Special. Consigned by Dawn Martin, the April foal sold for $18,200 to Roger Spiess.

“While COVID-19 threatened the sale, so many people came together to make it a success,” said ITOBA president Bruce Murphy. “A big thank you goes to all the consignors and buyers for making this sale possible, as well as to Duane Swingley Auctioneers and everyone at ITOBA who put in so much work to make it happen. And a huge thanks also go to Randy and Debbie Smith of Smith Training Stables for serving as tremendous hosts. We are excited to see the young sale graduates in the starting gates at Indiana Grand in the coming years, and we look forward to seeing the broodmare graduates produce some great Indiana-breds in the future.

“The fact that we only had three horses that didn't meet their reserve shows that there was strong demand for horses and breeding stock to participate in the Indiana program,” he added.

Complete sale results are available at www.duaneswingleyauctioneers.com.

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Unreachable Star Connections Donate To Friends Of Ferdinand On Indiana Champions Day

Unreachable Star was one of the first modern day superstars in the Indiana breeding program. The one-time leader in the state for most purse earnings accumulated during his racing campaign, the now 16-year-old is remembered with a new stakes race in his honor, the $100,000 Unreachable Star Stakes as part of the newly formed Indiana Champions Day, placing the spotlight on the Indiana breeding and racing program.

In honor of the veteran racehorse, who was the first to eclipse $700,000 in purse earnings in the state of Indiana, Unreachable Star's connections made a $500 donation to Friends of Ferdinand during Indiana Champions Day Wednesday, Oct. 28. The donation will assist the local organization with racehorse aftercare programs.

“This is absolutely a full circle moment for us to have a race named in his honor,” said Loren Hebel-Osborne, one of the owners of Unreachable Star. “If he could be here, he would be eating a watermelon and hamming it up and loving it. I hope this donation brings awareness to all horses that are warriors like him, and we hope people will give them a chance after racing for a second career.”

Unreachable Star was retired in 2015 with a total of $784,595 in career earnings and earned four consecutive year-end honors in Indiana as one of the state's top performers. He was the on-site horse at the Churchill Downs Museum and is now enjoying a new career in the hunter-jumper show ring.

“When he started his career in 2007, the purses and the stakes weren't as high as what they are today, so he would have been pretty close to becoming the state' first horse to earn $1 million if he had raced now,” said Tim Glyshaw, trainer of Unreachable Star during his entire career. “He was a barn pet and we kept him at Churchill Downs the whole time. After every race, he'd get a watermelon. He loved watermelon. You could do anything with him. He was just a really cool horse.”

Bruce Murphy, president of the Indiana Thoroughbred Owners & Breeders Association (ITOBA) provided the winner's circle presentation for the donation.

“We are honored to have owners Dave and Loren Osborne and Chuck Bebber here today for the inaugural Unreachable Star Stakes,” said Murphy. “We are very proud to be able to offer a stakes race in his honor, and this is a very nice donation on behalf of his connections.”

Racing continues Monday through Thursday until Thursday, Nov. 19. All-Quarter Horse racing is set for Saturday, Oct. 3 and Saturday, Oct. 24. For more information, go to www.indianagrand.com.

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