Contest winner Tony Bradshaw wins first turf race of 2025 at Horseshoe Indianapolis

Jailhouse Justice and Jockey Marcelino Pedroza Jr. kicked off turf racing for 2025 with a win Wednesday, May 7 at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

The four-year-old gelding is owned by Tony Bradshaw, 2022 winner of the Road to Louisville contest and the $30,000 option to purchase a yearling from the ITOBA (Indiana Thoroughbred Owners & Breeders Association) Fall Sale. Bradshaw and his trainer, Tony Granitz, selected Jailhouse Justice from the sale for $8,000, their top choice among the yearlings. The Indiana sired gelding is now just shy of $100,000 in purse earnings.

Jailhouse Justice began from post four and broke well to be in the mix early of the seven and one-half furlong turf event. He sat just off the pace setters as Theo’s Promise and Evin Roman set the tempo inside with Sargent Hulka and Hannah Leahy were positioned just outside of him in second. Pedroza kept the gelding contained in third down the backstretch before allowing him to advance heading into the final turn.

When the field came off the turn, Jailhouse Justice, nicknamed “JJ” by Bradshaw, had a short lead. Once clear, Pedroza encouraged him for a little more speed and he drew away from the field to win by two and one-quarter lengths in the $43,000 conditioned event. Breezy Justice and Joe Ramos closed for second over Knight’s Move and Santo Sanjur for third.

“He (Jailhouse Justice) broke sharp,” said Pedroza, a three-time leading rider at Horseshoe Indianapolis. “It kind of changed the strategy when the five (Looking Good Lewis) didn’t break on top. He was the speed in the race. I thought about letting him (Jailhouse Justice) go on out to the lead but decided to hold him back and wait. Once we had clearance down the backstretch, he was ready to go. I had to hold onto him and let him know it wasn’t time yet. We still had a lot of race to run.”

Jailhouse Justice was the favorite, paying $4.00 for the win. The Harry’s Holiday gelding has now won three races in 12 career starts, all over the turf.

“This has been a thrill of a lifetime,” said Bradshaw, who lives in Louisville, Ky. and was trackside for the win. “It’s always so exciting to watch ‘JJ’ run and to see him race so well.”

Turf racing is now underway with the win from Jailhouse Justice. It is a precursor to Indiana’s biggest day of turf racing set for Wednesday, May 14 tagged as Caesars Day. The afternoon program will include four premier races, featuring the $150,000 Caesars and the $150,000 Horseshoe Indianapolis, both Black Type events. The day includes the $100,000 Sagamore Sired and the $100,000 Swifty Sired Fillies. Several activities trackside will enhance the day, including the $2,500 Caesars Racing Legends handicapping contest, sponsored by the Indiana Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association. First post for the day is 2:10 p.m.

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