Lead Me To The Beach tops Leader of the Class Sale Futurity Trials at Horseshoe Indianapolis

A total of 16 two-year-olds vied for a spot in the upcoming $62,960 final of Leader of the Class Sale Futurity Monday at Horseshoe Indianapolis. Leading the pack to the final was the decisive winner Lead Me To The Beach, who scored her trial in a time of 17.816 seconds.

Guided by Edgar Diaz, Lead Me To The Beach began from the outside post in the 10-horse lineup and was out of the gate and on top of the field in the first step. The brown filly continued to lead the way, making it difficult on her opponents to close the gap.

In the end, she was well under wraps by Diaz for the win by one and one-half lengths. Winr Takes All and German Rodriguez closed on the inside for second by a nose over EOS Running Roxie and Francisco Quintero.

Lead Me To The Beach was the overwhelming favorite, paying $2.60 for the win. She is the latest standout from Indiana’s premier sire Escondido Beach, who passed away recently. Owned by Mark Michel and Tim and Casey Pequignot, Lead Me To The Beach is from the Vanessa Wilcox breeding operation in northern Indiana.

The dam, Sheza Classy Leader, is a daughter of Leader of the Class, making it extra special to have the filly headed to the final of the race named in honor of her grand sire. Lead Me To The Beach comes from rich maternal bloodlines. She is also a half-sister to Indiana’s all-time leading money earner, Stone Cold Leader.

The other trial was won by Heza Classy Cowboy (photo), also under wraps at the wire for jockey L.D. Martinez. The Flying Cowboy 123 colt was in contention from the start of the 350-yard dash and as the wire neared, he moved himself out as the one to catch, scoring the win by a half length in 18.164, the third fastest time of the trials. HF Hesabrickhouse and Diego Villamil Bocanegra finished second, just a head in front of Jes Da Bomb Diggeti and Eduardo Luna.

Heza Classy Cowboy was also the favorite, paying $3.00 for his win. The Patrick Easter bred colt is owned by Duke Racing LLC and trained by Tony Cunningham. It was his second win in four starts of his young career.

The entire field headed to the Leader of the Class Sale Futurity final, in order with time and jockey includes: Lead Me To The Beach (17.816, Edgar Diaz); Winr Takes All (18.092, Antonio Rodriguez); Heza Classy Cowboy (18.164, L.D. Martinez); EOS Running Roxie (18.186, Francisco Quintero); HF Hesabrickhouse (18.229, Diego Villamil Bocanegra); Jes Da Bomb Diggeti (18.241, Eduardo Diaz); Kool Candy Wagon (18.260, Rolando Pina); Lil Zoom Zoom (18.281, L.D. Martinez); HF Liza Jane (18.373, Diego Villamil Bocanegra); and Miss KTB 23 (18.455, German Rodriguez).

Tony Cunningham will saddle three in the final (Heza Classy Cowboy, EOS Running Roxie, Lil Zoom Zoom) with Natasha Perez (HF Hesabrickhouse, HF Liza Jane) and Tim Eggleston (Jes Da Bomb Diggeti, Kool Candy Wagon) both saddling two. German Rodriquez, who both rides and trains, will also saddle two in the final (Winr Takes All, Miss KTB 23).

The Leader of the Class Sale Futurity Final is slated for Sept. 11. It will lead into the 15^th annual QHRAI Yearling Speed Sale with online bidding beginning at 8 a.m. on Sept. 12. The online bidding runs until 2 p.m. on Sept. 14.

For more information on the sale, go to the Quarter Horse Racing Association of Indiana’s website at indianaquarterhorseracing.com.

The 23^rd season of live Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing runs through Nov. 13.

For more information on racing at Horseshoe Indianapolis, visit www.caesars.com/horseshoe-indianapolis/racing or find details on social media @HSIndyRacing.

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