Latigo gone in Nobody Listens Handicap at Horseshoe Indianapolis

Latigo may have had an outside post, but he found his way to the winner’s circle first in the 29^th running of the $100,000 Nobody Listens Handicap Wednesday at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

Guided by two-time leading jockey Joe Ramos, Latigo (photo) began from post seven in the field of 10. Every horse in the field left with some speed and Latigo was covered up by horses on both sides in the first furlong of the race.

Goodlookinjustice and Sammy Bermudez got a head in front down the backstretch while Molly’s Town and Santo Sanjur held their ground inside. Ramos saw an opportunity to slip between horses and move down to the rail in front of Molly’s Town before the only turn of the race arrived. That proved to be the winning move.

Latigo and Goodlookinjustice moved around the turn in unison and when the stretch arrived, Latigo took over, moving out to a three and one-quarter length advantage at the wire under wraps by Ramos. Molly’s Town secured second over Neutron and Luis Contreras for third.

“That was Latigo, not me, making that move down the backstretch,” said Ramos with a smile. "I rode this horse (Latigo) plenty of times, I know him very well. I jump on him in the morning every once in a while. And when we broke, I knew I had the horse to win the race as soon as he broke. I knew he was in the game, it was just about finding my spot, finding a place to let him go. When I saw that hole at the three-eighths pole I knew I had a hole to go through. Then from the quarter pole to the finish I knew it was Latigo's race."

Latigo was the favorite, paying $3.80 for the win. The Jimmy Creed six-year-old has been a member of the Randy Klopp barn his entire career, initially purchased for $8,000 from the Keeneland January All Ages Sale in 2020 as a yearling.

Latigo now has 11 career wins in 23 career starts with purse earnings of more than $533,000. All 11 starts have been recorded over the dirt course at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

“Joe (Ramos) and this horse get along really well,” noted Klopp, who co-owns the horse with Roger Spiess’ Spiess Stable. “This really is his horse.”

It was the second premier win for Latigo during his racing career. He also teamed up with Ramos to win the $250,000 Governor’s Stake in 2022. For Ramos, it was his third win in the Nobody Listens. Ironically, the other two wins were aboard Nobody Listens during the 2022 and 2023 editions of the race. The race was renamed in honor of the former Indiana Horse of the Year following a freak trailer accident in 2023.

“The horse who this race is named after, Nobody Listens, is a horse I used to ride,” added Ramos. “And you know he passed away. I lost a nice horse. And then winning this race with another nice horse that I ride is very special.”

Ramos, who rode in his first Kentucky Derby earlier this year, is a fan favorite at Horseshoe Indianapolis. When he has races off, he is known to come up into the grandstand area and pass out candy and thank people for coming.

“I love the sport and the support of the fans,” said Ramos about his career as a jockey. “Just being blessed. Being blessed is the key. I ask the Lord for help and strength to keep doing what I love. That’s all you can ask for.” 

The Shelby County Post is a digital newspaper producing news, sports, obituaries and more without a pay wall or subscription needed.