JR Shadow Boy remains undefeated in $100,000 Sagamore Sired at Horseshoe Indianapolis

Sometimes being in the right place at the right time places one in the presence of greatness. That is exactly what happened to jockey Hannah Leahey, who picked up the business aboard JR Shadow Boy last year before his racing career started.

Now, four straight wins later, the duo is undefeated and adds premier racing winner to their credentials with an impressive win in the $100,000 Sagamore Sired Wednesday at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

“I got to ride this horse by accident,” noted Leahey, who was the track’s leading apprentice rider in 2023 in her first year of action in Indiana. “The jockey that was supposed to show up and breeze him (JR Shadow Boy) didn’t show. I filled in and we worked either three-eighths or a quarter. I normally try not to get too excited when you are just working that short of a distance on a horse, but I knew immediately, this was a special horse.”

Leahey became the regular rider aboard JR Shadow Boy for the Joe Davis Stable. After a delayed start to his career on the last day of the meet last fall, he was a winner by seven lengths. He returned this spring, winning both of his starts by nearly 10 lengths apiece and stepped up to face premier racing competition for the first time Wednesday in the Sagamore Sired.

That was a tall task for the son of Unbridled Express, but he was up for the assignment.

JR Shadow Boy began from post eight and was wide in the initial stages of the five and one-half furlong event, as expected. Socorro’s Prayer and Alberto Burgos were the first leaders before Leahey decided it was time for JR Shadow Boy to call the shots in the race.

The grey sophomore rolled by his competition in just a few strides and was leading by open lengths midway through the only turn. At the head of the lane, he was in control by seven lengths under wraps by Leahey, who guided him under the wire with no urging as the winner by four lengths.

Mister T and Mitchell Murrill rallied from the back of the pack with a big burst of speed late for second, just a nose ahead of Socorro’s Prayer at the wire.

JR Shadow Boy was the heavy favorite, paying $2.10 for the win. He is now four for four as he moves his career bankroll to more than $130,000. He was a $3,500 purchase from the ITOBA Fall Yearling Sale for owner Normando Jimenez’s Jimenez Racing Stable. Davis and assistant trainer, Miguel Cazares, picked the colt out.

It has long been a notable sign that the grey foals of Unbridled Express outperform the others, and JR Shadow Boy fits that saying. Davis and Cazares noted he was “eye catching” at the sale and got him for a cheaper price than expected.

The undefeated gelding didn’t have an easy day of it either. He threw a shoe in the paddock that had to be tacked on before the race. Afterwards, he got a little overheated and bypassed the winner’s circle photo as he headed back to the barn. But the whole Davis barn was trackside to assist their stable star and ensure he was properly cooled following his big win.

“This whole barn is a pleasure to work with,” added Leahey. “This is the first horse I have ever ridden for them. It makes me feel really good for them to put me on this horse with no past experience with their barn. They all work so hard and do such a good job. I can’t tell you how much it means to me they have confidence in me as a jockey on such a nice horse.”

Jimenez is well known in central Indiana. He owns and operates several liquidation stores in the area under the name of Mr. Jimenez Discount. They are noted as the number one liquidation store in Indianapolis with two locations in the Circle City and a third in Shelbyville near Horseshoe Indianapolis.

Jimenez has invested heavily in racing over the past few years and is dedicated to seeing the Indiana racing and breeding programs grow.

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