Crosley cruises in Checkered Flag at Horseshoe Indianapolis

Crosley is known for many products, from turntables to furniture to cars. Now, the name is known as a multiple premier winning Thoroughbred at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

Crosley cruised home Wednesday in the fifth running of the $100,000 Checkered Flag Handicap.

The inside post was neither a help nor a hindrance for Crosley and Sammy Bermudez (photo, leading) over the sloppy racing surface as the field of 10 fillies and mares left the gate for the six-furlong sprint. The Kid Pataky and Joe Ramos emerged as the early leader tracked closely by Lil Gin N Class and Mitchell Murrill to her outside.

Crosley held her ground inside behind The Kid Pataky. The field was tightly bunched heading into the only turn of the race and horses began to fan out three wide to get into position for the stretch drive.

“I watched every single race she ran, every replay from Day One, I watched all of them,” said Bermudez, who was riding for the first time. “I was trying to figure out how to ride her and how to win. I knew I had to get a good trip. If I got a good trip, I knew I had a chance.”

Out of the turn, The Kid Pataky was still in the lead. Crosley had snuck out from behind her and was moving in the three path down the lane. Lil Gin and Class was still in contention as the three horses led the way to the wire. In the end, Crosley was able to move by them and win by three-quarters of a length.

The Kid Pataky and Lil Gin N Class could not be separated at the wire, finishing second in a dead heat. Imagine the Moon and Santo Sanjur moved up late to finish fourth.

"It got tight, but I had room,” added Bermudez, a top 10 jockey at Horseshoe Indianapolis. "I was worried about horses 4 (The Kid Pataky) and the 6 (Lil Gin N Class) and Werk It Wendy, who beat my filly the time before. But its horse racing you know. Anything can happen. It was my turn today. It’s nice because my kids are all here today. My kids are my strength.” 

Crosley was an upset winner, paying $35.20 for the win. She is a homebred owned by John Langemeier’s Spooky Hollow Racing of Georgetown, Kentucky. Langemeier trains the four-year-old daughter of Pass Rush. The filly carries her father’s chestnut coat and is now four for nine in her career, after winning three of five last year as a three-year-old.

The win in the Checkered Flag was her first of 2025.

“I’m not surprised, but I’m very thankful,” said the quiet John Langemeier. “Sammy (Bermudez) got her through.”

Langemeier, who graduated from the University of Kentucky with a master’s degree in genetics, worked at Calumet Farm during his college years. He had a short stint on the Kentucky baseball team, but his real interest was in racehorses.

A multiple stakes winning trainer since the late 1990s, Langemeier has had a lot of success in the Hoosier State over the years and has invested in the Indiana program. Crosley is his latest horse to excel for his breeding and racing operation.

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