McLean’s Selections for Horseshoe Indianapolis on “Championship Saturday” & My Opinion On This Year’s Lady Fog Horn Stakes

(Diamond will not be able to run in Saturday’s Lady Fog Horn Stakes, again…but she will be in an allowance — thanks to good folks at Horseshoe Indianapolis)

(Stats to be updated after Keeneland’s cards on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday)

Here’s our looks for the Indiana Breeders’ Championship Day this coming Saturday. There are 4 Stakes carded for the Thoroughbreds. There are 5 Stakes carded for the Quarter Horses. It will be a huge day of grand racing and many celebrations.

1st: 9-4-10/3/1/5-6//2-7-8…Butch’s Best (9) nearly won on debut and now returns with the addition of Lasix. Barn has won with .20% of the 41 starters here this meet and has won with .20% of 306 starters this year. Has worked super since the first run. Looks poised and ready. Mariachi Justice (4) drops back after a try against Stakes competition last time out. Had two nice 2nds to start the career. New rider takes the reins here. Big shot. Backyard Justice (10) adds blinkers for the first time here after two straight 3rds to begin the career here. Beaten favorite and the barn wins with .21% in the MSW ranks. I bet the 9-4 across the board and the box the top 3 in the exactas. I will key the top 3 numbers over/under the 3-1 in two smaller units.

2nd: 3-2-1/6-8/4/5-7…Win Me Over (3) drops back into the allowance ranks after two straight tries in the Stakes company. Nearly won the last one, too, at huge odds. New rider can boost this one’s chances and can boot, scoot and get it from the gate. Look for this one to be much closer to the leaders here. Friday Night Right (2) broke the MSW last time out and has never run a poor race. Meet’s top rider takes the reins here. Look out. Not Playin Around (1) swept to a near 7-length win last time out. Romp. Winner of the race two back came right back to win the next outing. This one gets a new rider, too, and the rail should not hurt this speed-oriented type. I bet the 3 across the board and then box the top 3 numbers in the exactas. I will key the top 3 numbers over/under the 6-8 in two smaller units. 

3rd: 6-5-11/3-10-4/8-9-7/2-1…Magnificentrevenge (6) has hit the board in 7 straight races. Has not won a single one of them, though. In 19 career starts? Just 2 wins. But 9 seconds and 2 more thirds. Likes to get close. Does not like to go by at the wire. Needs to find the extra gear. Rock of Cashel (5) won by nearly 5 against much tougher last time out. In 8 starts here, this one has 2 wins and 3 seconds. Has 3 seconds in 4 tries at this distance. Should be close at wire, too. Window Shaker (11) was nowhere last time out. No. Where. But won the two previous and had run 3 good ones in a row prior to the debacle last time. Willing to give another chance here. I bet the 6-11 across the board and then box the top 3 numbers in the exactas. I will key the top 3 numbers over/under the 3-10-4 in two smaller units. Spread race for me in the horizontals. 

4th: 9-7/6/4-5/3/2/1-8…I’ll be honest here. Brutally so. And, I will switch from analysis to “Opinion.” Strong opinion. Our very own Diamond Solitaire (9) should be running in the Lady Fog Horn Stakes today. She ran in it as a 3YO last year and ran a very credible 2nd to Fireball Baby — one of the best Indy-breds ever. Fireball Baby should be going after her 3rd straight Lady Fog Horn victory, after having won the last two editions. But? But some damn genius in the Indy-bred program — and who makes these decisions for the racetrack — thought it was time to make the Lady Fog Horn just for 3YO fillies. Stupid mistake. Just stupid. Just plain stupid. And, both the Indiana Racing Commission and the Governor’s office should fix in the future by taking these decisions away from those who obviously cannot be responsible enough to make them. That being written, thank goodness the powers at be at Horseshoe Indianapolis wrote an allowance race so that some of the older mares could participate in today’s awesome program. And, here we are. Diamond Solitaire ran a super 3rd against two good ones in the Cardinal Stakes here on Oct. 5. Winner of that one was Climber — the 3YO filly that many thought would be in today’s Lady Fog Horn. Now, she drops back into the allowance ranks. She gets dirt. Thank God. She gets two turns. Thank God. Let’s hope she gets her win. She is due. I bet the 9 across the board and double down on the win bet. I box the 9-7 sternly in the exactas. Sternly. And, I key the 9-7 over/under the 6 in two smaller units. 

5th: 7/5/3-6/8-2/4//1…Lady Fog Horn Stakes…Well, you saw and read what I thought and think about the decision to suddenly make this Stakes limited to 3YO fillies. Stupid. And, the level of entries in this prestigious Stakes event reflects the decision. It is nowhere close to the caliber of the race in the past. The racing recruiters got just 8 fillies to run. And, one of them ran in a $5,000 Indiana-bred claimer just two races ago. Ugh. Stupid. And, the people responsible for making this judgment should be called out and called before the authorities to explain. Bet they can’t explain. Not adequately. Any way…No More Fake News (7) gets the nod here. This 3YO Notional filly won the last Stakes event, coming from back in the pack to win at the wire with a top rider up. Has now hit the board in 5 of last 6 — with two wins in that mix. In 15 starts here, though, this one has gone 3-2-3. Hmmm. Amazingness (5) ran 2nd as the beaten favorite in a nice allowance last time out. But? Only 1 win in 15 starts here. Hmmm II. Could either of these beat the likes of Fireball Baby, Bumble of Love or Diamond Solitaire? Give me a break. Fans and bettors lose. I bet the 7 to win/place/show and then key the 7 over/under the 5-3-6-8-2-4 in the exactas. More with the 5-3-6 than the rest. 

6th: 1-9/6-10-7/3/5-8/11//2-4…Crown Ambassador Stakes…The top billing in this Stakes event for the 2YOs goes to Good Forever (1). This son of Forever d’Oro comes in off a 4th in the Indiana Futurity Stakes here on Oct. 5. Pushed the pace that day and looked poised before tiring at the end of his first try at 2 turns. Drops back to the sprint distance here and should perk right up. Only previous race at this distance? Won a Stakes by nearly 3. Look out. Daddys Dream (9) won the first time out before running 2nd in the first try against winners. Has speed. Will go. Should be close at the wire. I bet the 1 across the board and then box the 1-9 in the exactas. I will key the 1 over/under the 9-6-10-7-3 in two smaller units. 

7th: 10-11-9/1/12/4-5/3-8-2/7-6…Indiana Stallion Stakes…This is a 6-furlong sprint Stakes for the 2YO fillies. Wonder by the heads of the Indiana program didn’t make these Stakes events for the 2YOs & Up? Makes about as much sense as their decision on the Lady Fog Horn. But this is just for the 2YO fillies and I will go to the outside and marry up with Tizzy Jojo (10). Won the career debut for a guy who has been ruled off the property, along with his assistant trainer now, his wife. Wow. Filly was idle from the late-May victory until October, when she resurfaced in the barn of a new trainer. Stretched out to two turns then and ran a competitive 4th. But now she returns to sprinting and should be a threat here, again. This trainer wins with .20% with those going from a route to a sprint. Brittanysgldnfaith (11) has run two super races to start the career and should be a threat in here. Will face winners for the first time and the barn wins with .22% of the last 55 to move up. New rider here. Wildcatjustice (9) won last time out to break the MSW. Came with a late rush at even money. Moves up here and the barn wins with .16% when facing winners for the first time. I bet the 11 across the board — take note — and then box the top 3 in the exactas. I will key the 11 over/under the 10-9-1-12-4-5 in the exactas, too.

8th: 4/5-10-8/2-3-7//(11)-(12)-1-6…Unreachable Star Stakes…Although we did not get to run in the Lady Fog Horn, again (did I mention that in my earlier comments?), we will get a shot at a Stakes win. We will run Wire the Cash (3) in this event for the 3YOs going 1-mile in distance. WTC won his last outing — just a week ago — in impressive fashion and bounced out of the race in good order. We decided to give him a shot here. He will be stretching out and we don’t know if that is his preferred distance, but he deserves a shot at making a name and flashing his game here. He has some stalking speed. He picks up the meet’s top rider. Trainer is having a very solid meet. We have a shot — even though he will be facing tougher, for sure. One of those “tougher,” on paper, is Mr Chaos (4). This 3YO gelding deserves top billing. To be sure. He has run 2 nice Stakes in a row and if you toss the grass race? Well, he has hit the board in 7 of the last 8. Four wins in that mix. He is good. He has talent. He should be heavily favored. I bet the 3 — take note — across the board and then key the 3 over/under the 4-5-10-8-2-7 in the exactas. 

9th: 2-(12)-10/(11)-(13)-7-4/1-3-8-9…This is the start of the Quarter Horse races. I am not very “learned” on handicapping Quarter Horse races and those that sprint for a living. But my numbers have been so good in these races over the past couple of years that I have stuck to it. Here are my numbers. No comments. But the numbers pretty much speak for themselves. I like early speed in these races. I give that a huge plus in the final analysis. Give me a fast start. I’ll take my chances from there.

10th: 2-9/3-5/4-8-10/1-7//6…

11th: 10-6/5-3/1/4-9/2-8//7…

12th: 3-10-9/5-8/6/2/7-1…

13th: 10-7-3/6-9/8-2/1-5//4…

Good Luck & All the Best / Gene