CV Denali wins Harley Greene Derby Final at Horseshoe Indianapolis

It’s been a long ride for trainer Claudio Barraza with the Botticelli Shake line. He has had nearly all of her foals, including multiple stakes winner Botticelli Beach.

Now, it’s CV Denali’s turn to shine on the track. The latest stakes winner by Botticelli Shake adds the $103,000 Harley Greene Derby to her credentials recorded during the first all Quarter Horse Day of 2026 at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

CV Denali (photo) and jockey Edgar Diaz qualified as the second fastest from the trials and headed into the starting gate from post eight, on the inside of undefeated and fastest qualifier Beachum and Cristian Penaloza. When the gate sprung, she was willing and able to take on all her competition with a front-end running spot early on.

Midway through the 350-yard dash, she began to surge forward on the outside, and got a length or two on Beachum, who dipped down to her inside in the final strides. But it was all CV Denali to take top honors in the 12^th running of the Greene Derby Final by one and one-half lengths.

Beachum finished a neck ahead of Rock N the Beach and Rolando Pina in the sprint timed in 17.499, the second fastest time recorded in the Greene Derby Final.

“She (CV Denali) is anything but calm,” noted Diaz, who is among the top four jockeys this season at Horseshoe Indianapolis. “Everything (credit) goes to the trainer, owner, and the barn for this win.”

CV Denali was the favorite, paying $6.20 for the win. The Escondido Beach three-year-old is now five for six lifetime, experiencing her only defeat last year in the Miss Roxie Little Futurity Final to Rock N the Beach.

The filly was born and raised on Sheri Miller’s farm in Shipshewana, Ind., where Escondido Beach stood until his passing last August. She was purchased privately by Campos Family Ventures of Connersville, Ind., and picked up their farm name of CV Denali to start her racing career last season.

“We have been doing nothing but working with her continuously in the gate,” said Barraza. “But she withheld from the pressure today. She is a high energy filly and that energy comes from her mother. Botticelli Beach was the same way. This filly has the same body as Botticelli Beach, she is just a different color.”

CV Denali moves into the $266,000 range in career earnings. After winning her Greene Derby trial, she is now two for two in 2026.

The race is named in honor of longtime Indiana State Fair Inspector Harley Greene, who missed the running of the race for the first time in 12 years due to health issues. Brian Elmore, longtime friend of Greene, recently visited with him and brought a message to participants and racing fans.

“There is nobody more important to Indiana Quarter Horse racing than Harley Greene,” said Brian Elmore, former Quarter Horse trainer, owner, and executive in Indiana racing. “He could not be here today because his health prevented him from attending and he hated that. He is now 91 years old, and he wanted me to extend his congratulations to the winners. He also sends all his love and admiration to all horsemen and horsewomen and thanks everyone for their friendship over the years.”

In addition to CV Denali, Diaz and Barraza teamed up for a win in the $30,000 Maiden Stakes Final with Jess a Favorite. The Favorite Cartel filly earned her first career win in her fifth career start for owner Ulises Varela.

The Oklahoma bred filly was a winner by a nose in the four-horse photo that placed her first over Maleficent Dash and Alberto Ceron-Zamudio. Keep Her Off Tequila and Rolando Pina won the photo over Coyote Kiss and Yovani Flores-Munoz for third.

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