Indiana | Horse Racing Free Tips

Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse Jockey Rodney Prescott Records 4,000th Career Winner

Having the skills to ride in both Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse races has paid off for Jockey Rodney Prescott. The Portland, Ind. native reached a milestone not many jockeys obtain as he scored his 4,000th career win for combined Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse races Wednesday, June 17 at Indiana Grand.

Prescott, Indiana's all-time leading jockey, was a winner in the afternoon's opening race, guiding Serena's Hope to victory in a near gate to wire performance in the five-furlong sprint. Once the five-year-old daughter by Strong Hope was on the lead, she continued to open up on the field, winning by more than seven lengths to give Prescott another milestone in his already stellar riding career.

“This mare (Serena's Hope) had the winter off, and I actually rode her mom (Serena's Reward) for the same owners,” said Prescott. “I've been breezing her in the mornings and she's been breezing well. She broke well today, and she likes to be out front. That is the perfect scenario for her. She really finished well today too, and winning in that time (:59.16), that's pretty quick for this track.”

Owned by Chris Walsh, Serena's Hope paid $44.40 to win as a surprise to bettors. The Indiana sired mare was making her first start of 2020. She now has four career wins and in excess of $54,000 in career earnings. Kim Hammond trains Serena's Hope.

“It's nice to get a milestone like this on a horse trained by Kim (Hammond),” said Prescott. “She is the winningest female trainer in history. The past few years, we have done well together, so this was a nice horse to get this win on.”

Later in the card, Prescott connected for another win aboard Flat Meadow in a five-furlong turf allowance optional claimer, giving him a riding double for the day.

Prescott now has 3,869 Thoroughbred wins and 132 Quarter Horse wins. Of those total wins, 1,143 of them have been recorded at Indiana Grand. Prescott has competed in all 26 years of pari-mutuel racing held in the state of Indiana, dating back to the inaugural season at Hoosier Park in 1995. Prescott is a three-time leading jockey at Indiana Grand, winning the title in 2004, 2005 and 2018. He also shares the title for most wins recorded in one program, winning six races in 2013. Prescott has also won 28 Thoroughbred stakes races at Indiana Grand.

Prescott is also ranked fourth on the list of all-time leading Quarter Horse jockeys. He has 12 career Quarter Horse stakes victories at the track, bringing his combined Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse stakes win total to 40 at Indiana Grand.

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Indiana Grand Opens To Record Wagering Totals; Handle Over $9.8 Million On First Four Cards

Indiana Grand Racing & Casino recorded its best wagering week ever in handle to kick off the 18th season of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing. Over the first four days of racing, a total of $9,867,445 was wagered on 35 Thoroughbred and 10 Quarter Horse races.

The previous best week of handle was recorded during Indiana Derby Week in 2019. A total of $8,673,496 was wagered over four days to establish a new record for most handle recorded in one week of racing.

“The reception of our racing program on a national level has been outstanding,” said Eric Halstrom, vice president and general manager of racing at Indiana Grand. “The entire team has worked through some very difficult times to ensure operations are meeting all requirements set by the state due to Covid-19 protocols. It's really rewarding to all of us to have racing fans be so invested in our racing product. It sure sets the tone for our entire season and we are working hard to keep that momentum going.”

One of the new facets of the racing program that has been popular this season is a new lower takeout on the Pick 5. Held on the last five Thoroughbred races daily, the wager provides a reduced takeout of 11.99 percent, one of the lowest in the country. Pools for the wager are averaging over 71,000 and payouts for the 50-cent minimum wager are averaging more than $3,100.

“We are trying to find ways to cater to our racing fans and providing a lower takeout on the Pick 5 is a great way to engage horseplayers,” added Halstrom. “We will continue to find ways to captivate our racing audience in all sorts of ways, both on track and through simulcasting.”

Live racing continues through Wednesday, Nov. 18 with action held Monday through Thursday beginning at 2:20 p.m. Four Saturday programs are slated for all-Quarter Horse days set for July 4, Aug. 8, Oct. 23 and Oct. 24.

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Cash Logistics Rallies Late To Win Indiana’s Sagamore Sired Stakes

Cash Logistics likes to run off the pace, and it makes for an exciting finish, but it can be nerve wrecking for his connections. Ridden by Jockey James Graham, the Indiana sired son of Unbridled Express prevailed with a hard-fought finish to the wire in the seventh running of the $75,000 Sagamore Sired Stakes at Indiana Grand Wednesday, June 17. He delivered the first career stakes win for trainer Genevieve “GiGi” Londono.

Starting from post eight in the 10-horse lineup, Cash Logistics was unhurried out of the gate in the six-furlong contest. Maters N Taters and Eddie Perez established the pace up front with Nates Heartthrob and Santo Sanjur sitting right at their heels. Halfway through the turn, Cash Logistics had moved into fourth and was preparing for a stretch run to catch the leaders.

At the top of the stretch, it appeared Maters N Taters would keep everyone behind him, including race favorite Cash Logistics. Maters N Taters had a three-length jump on the field. Cash Logistics had his work cut out for him to catch the leader. Graham went to work on Cash Logistics and never backed down as the sophomore gelding continued to make up ground. Late in the race, Cash Logistics had momentum built up, moving in to capture the win and the title by three-quarters of a length. Nutty Train also closed well to finish second for Malcolm Franklin, just a neck ahead of Maters N Taters.

Owned by Charlie and James Hancock, Cash Logistics scored his second career win in three starts during his 2020 debut. He has been with Londono since the beginning of his career. She currently has four in training at the Churchill Downs Training Center and more babies at the farm who will join her barn soon.

“He (Cash Logistics) has matured quite a bit and he's starting to figure it out,” said Londono, who is in her fourth year of training. “He had some ground to make up, but he did that last time (in the Crown Ambassador Stakes last fall) and just ran out of time. Today, he stayed strong and made a big move at the end.”

Graham likes what he sees so far in Cash Logistics. He feels the three-year-old could have a big future ahead of him.

“He (Cash Logistics) has gotten big and long and tall, and he's still kind of green, which is a good thing,” said Graham. “He just keeps getting better and better. A couple more races, and I think he will be really good. He galloped out well today and I think 'GiGi' will think about stretching him out off that race. He's got a lot of potential.”

Cash Logistics completed the sprint in 1:13.44. A homebred by Charlie Hancock, he paid $4.40, $3.00 and $2.60 across the board.

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Sandy’s Newsgirl Breaks Her Maiden In Indiana’s Swifty Sired Fillies Stakes

It's been a year of trials and tribulations for Sandy's Newsgirl, and all the hard work paid off Wednesday, June 17. The 3-year-old Indiana sired daughter of Elite Squadron picked up her first career win in the seventh running of the $75,000 Swifty Sired Fillies Stakes at Indiana Grand.

Jockey Fernando De La Cruz wasted no time getting Sandy's Newsgirl in the mix of the six-furlong sprint. The sophomore filly rushed out to the lead, keeping open lengths between her and the remainder of the field the entire distance. At the top of the stretch, Sandy's Newsgirl increased her dominating hold on the lead, opening up by six and one-quarter lengths at the wire for the win. French Vanilla and Emmanuel Esquivel maintained ground for second followed by Angry Bee and Carlos Diaz, who moved up late to finish third. Time for the stakes race was 1:14.18.

“I can see a big improvement this year in her,” said De La Cruz, who rode her in all six of her starts last year at two, finishing second in four of those outings. “I wanted to make it to the lead. Those were my instructions. I just wanted to sit there and keep her going to the wire. I've been getting on her a lot in the mornings. You can really tell a difference in her physically.”

Sandy's Newsgirl paid $13.00, $6.40, $6.20 across the board. She increased her career bankroll to more than $75,000 for the ownership group of Ironhorse Racing Stable, managed by Harlan Malter. Tim Glyshaw trains Sandy's Newsgirl and likes what he sees in her this season.

“We are extremely happy about her race today,” said Glyshaw. “She has always shown speed. She's grown up a lot both size wise and maturity wise. We could see that. Her works are just as fast as they were last year, but we still weren't 100 percent sure about her. She's had trouble carrying her speed in the past, but we wanted to try her in this stake.”

Sandy's Newsgirl's road to the winner's circle has been a little bumpy this year. In February, she arrived at Glyshaw's barn in Tampa and ran right through the webbing and attempted to jump a four-foot concrete wall, with no success. As a result, she was left with a deep wound on her hock, an injury that could not be corrected with stitches.

“Tim (Glyshaw) and his crew handled the day to day care on this filly and put in so much work to get her right,” said Malter. “To see a horse come back and run like that is a huge testament to Tim. It just shows how dedicated he is to his horses. I don't think people realize how much time and effort he puts into this.”

Malter, who is based on the West Coast, is generally trackside for as many Indiana stakes as he can attend, but due to current travel restrictions, he had to watch Sandy's Newsgirl win via simulcast.

“I wasn't there because I didn't think she (Sandy's Newsgirl) could win, I just have not been able to get on a plane,” added Malter. “We are part of the breeders on this filly too, and through Superbad Stables, this is our first-ever time of breeding a stakes winner. It's been a very exciting day.”

Superbad Stables teamed up with Pine Lake Breeders of Carmel as breeders on Sandy's Newsgirl. Superbad Stables is now concentrating their efforts on former Ironhorse Stable standout Bucchero, who stands at Pleasant Acres Stallions in Morriston, Fla.

“Superbad is now in the business of breeding Bucchero babies,” added Malter. “We have a lot to look forward to.”

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