Tachas Secret retains title in Hoosier Park Classic at Horseshoe Indianapolis

What a finish and what a trio of horses to have across the track in the photo.

Tachas Secret edged out Mr Michel and Nachor Secret to retain the title in the 30^th running of the $82,400 Hoosier Park Classic Wednesday at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

The race, which began with a purse of $10,000, is one of three original events held during the inaugural season of pari-mutuel racing for Indiana Quarter Horses in 1997 at Hoosier Park.

Tachas Secret and Fernando Morin began from post one and were out of the gate with authority. AP Miss Lunas Tide and Isidro Banuelos stumbled at the start right beside her but quickly rebounded and applied pressure to Indiana’s richest Quarter Horse mare of all time.

They took a short lead along the inside, but the other opponents were lurking in the center of the track, led by Escondido Gold and Diego Villamil Bocanegra. In the final strides of the 400-yard dash, Mr Michel and Edgar Diaz began to make up ground with Nachor Secret and Martin Munoz to their outside, also closing in late.

It took a photo finish (photo) to separate the three Indiana stars at the wire with Tachas Secret getting the advantage by a head over Mr Michel. Nachor Secret finished another head back in third. Together, all three horses have earned $1.68 million in purses during their careers.

Tachas Secret paid $5.60 for the win. The six-year-old sorrel mare is owned by Duke Racing and Marla K. Robinson Family Trust, who purchased a portion of her earlier this year for brood mare rights. Primary owner Chris Duke of Duke Racing said earlier this year it will be the final season for Tachas Secret on the track as she ventures into the next phase of her career as a brood mare.

“She (Tachas Secret) is just a freak,” noted Duke, who along with his wife Stefanie, have a farm nearby and are successful in both racing and barrel horses. “She is sound and she gives it every race. She is something special.”

Tachas Secret has now earned more than $642,000, placing her third on the list of all-time leading Indiana bred Quarter Horses in state history behind Mr Michel ($789,000) and retired Stone Cold Leader ($656,040). She is also second behind Stone Cold Leader for all-time leading Indiana sired contenders. She is the only mare on either list among the top 10 all time.

Ricardo Martinez is the trainer and breeder of Tachas Secret, who was purchased from him by the Dukes following her two-year-old campaign. She is by Martinez’s standout Indiana stallion Habits Secret, who is one of the state’s top stallions annually. It was her second straight title in the Hoosier Park Classic and her 15^th career win for her connections.

For Duke Racing, it was a one-two punch on the day with Tachas Secret joining Heza Classy Cowboy, the winner of the Sterlie Bertram Memorial. It was their fifth win as owners on the year to be ranked in fourth on the list of leading Quarter Horse owners in 2026.

“It is amazing to win both of these races today,” added Duke. “We appreciate everything Horseshoe Indianapolis does for us and all the racing opportunities we have. This is a dream come true to have horses like this.”

Duke Racing and Martinez are not done for 2026. They will be back for the seventh annual Indiana Champions Day set for Oct. 24.

The day includes purses over the $1.6 million mark with nearly $1 million of that earmarked for Quarter Horse racing. First post is set for noon for Indiana Champions Day.

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