Sometimes a horse just needs a little time. Grand Harbor proved that was all she needed as the three-year-old filly rallied home in a surprise win during the 18th running of the $100,000 Hoosier Breeders Sophomore Handicap.
The race was one of eight premier events on the Indiana Derby card featuring total purse money of more than $1.27 million.
Grand Harbor began from post one and picked up the services of Axel Concepcion for the first time. She dropped back off the early pace setters as Stanka and Fernando De La Cruz occupied the lead position out of the gate alongside Spirited Justice and Luis Contreras in the preliminary stages of the six-furlong sprint. Grand Harbor sat in mid pack down the backstretch.
Around the final turn, Grand Harbor was on the move up the inside and had perfect positioning as the field turned for home. She dipped to the inside, found a seam, and got through before tracking down the early pace setters. The late closers were in full force on the outside, but Grand Harbor was able to reach the wire first, just a nose ahead of Liams Charge and Alberto Burgos. Lady Chaos and Irvin Moncada finished third.
“Credit to her and the whole team for getting her ready,” said Concepcion. “Today, she broke really good and was very nice and smooth. I was in a great spot. The horses on the outside kind of stayed there. I saw a little room on the inside, so I took the shot and she was there for me. All the credit to her. It was a really tight spot. A lot of heart and she got there.”
Mari Hulman George Memorial
Kapoor (photo) and Junior Alvarado used a gate to wire effort to win the 16th running of the $100,000 Mari Hulman George Memorial.
An outside post did not deter Kapoor at all. Alvarado hustled the four-year-old filly out of the gate and to the lead in the nine-horse field running one and one-sixteenth miles over a track that was upgraded to fast earlier in the day following rain. Kapoor settled on the lead and set the tempo throughout the entire race.
Turning for home, Kapoor had stretched her lead out to two lengths. Yes It Tiz and Irad Ortiz Jr. had their sights set on the leaders and were slowly closing in, but Kapoor was up for the challenge all the way to the wire to win by three-quarters of a length in a time of 1:41.75, the second fastest time in the 16-year history of the race. Five a Side and Horseshoe Indianapolis’ current leading rider Fernando De La Cruz finished third.
Kapoor paid $6.20 for the win. The Uncle Mo filly, bred by Godolphin’s operation in Kentucky, is owned by Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid’s Godolphin LLC. Bill Mott trains the filly, who was unraced at two but has now won five of her last six starts dating back to last May. Overall, she is now five for eight as she nears $300,000 in earnings.
Hoosier Breeders Sophomore Handicap
JR Shadow Boy (photo) is unstoppable. The lightly raced three-year-old grey gelding remained undefeated Saturday in the 18th running of the $100,000 Hoosier Breeders Sophomore Handicap.
JR Shadow Boy was the heavy favorite, coming into the race off four straight wins. He has always won by four or more lengths in each of his four career races and he has always been linked with jockey Hannah Leahey, a former leading apprentice jockey at Horseshoe Indianapolis. The duo entered the starting gate in post five but left it on the lead.
JR Shadow Boy battled for just a few steps with Rank Randy and Fernando De La Cruz on the inside before moving out to open lengths ahead of the field of six in the six-furlong sprint. At times, the grey gelding was more than seven lengths ahead of his opponents.
Well in command, JR Shadow Boy came down the stretch and was at a leisurely tempo, moving under the wire by one and one-half lengths ahead of Hard Luck Prayer and Andres Ulloa, who closed for second, just a neck ahead of Speedy Spirit and Santo Sanjur.
“Oh my gosh, it makes me a little emotional. I’m so blessed,” said Leahey. “This horse is phenomenal. He shows up every time. He makes my job so easy. He’s a dream to ride. He really doesn’t have anything you have to put up with. You get on him, and he does exactly what you ask, every time with 100 percent effort and heart. Really no worries. If I had to maybe pick something, it would be just don’t go too fast. He’ll go wherever you want him to go. If you want him to wait, he’ll wait. If you want to send, he’ll send.”
JR Shadow Boy paid $2.10 for the victory. The son of Unbridled Express is owned by Normando Jimenez’ Jimenez Racing Stable. With only one start on the very last day of the meet last year at two, he has returned this year at three with four straight wins, including two straight premier victories.
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