(Alpine Princess wins the Mari Hulman George Memorial Stakes on Saturday at Horseshoe Indianapolis / All Photos by Coady Media)

From the Horseshoe Indianapolis Media Team / Tammy Knox:

Alpine Princess reigns in Mari Hulman George Memorial

at Horseshoe Indianapolis

 

SHELBYVILLE, Ind. (Saturday, July 5, 2025) – Alpine Princess elevated her game Saturday, July 5 during the 16th running of the $100,000 Mari Hulman George Memorial Handicap, a Black Type event for three-year-old fillies and mares. The sophomore filly blew under the wire in a time of 1:41.24 during the one and one-sixteenth mile race, just a few ticks off the track record at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

Alpine Princess and Luan Machado began from post three and was on the lead in two steps out of the gate. Our Pretty Woman and Mike Smith pressed the pace from the outside early as Alpine Princess held the top spot in full command of the race. Windy Walk and Emmanuel Esquivel were also tracking closely on the outside in the preliminary stages of the race.

Around the final turn, Alpine Princess was still leading the way under a firm hold by Machado and when the field turned for home, Alpine Princess began to reach another altitude of speed, scoring the win by one length. Our Pretty Woman held her ground for second over Cat’s Cave ad Orlando Mojica for third.

“I was a little worried about that 46-and-change, but yeah, they went just a tick off the track record,” said Ricky Giannini, assistant trainer for Cox. “Hopefully, a little confidence booster here and we’ll go find the next spot for her. Maybe something at Ellis Park, the Groupie Doll, if it’s not back too soon.”

Alpine Princess was the favorite, paying $3.40 for the win. Owned by Full of Run Racing and Madaket Stables, the four-year-old daughter of Classic Empire was purchased as a yearling at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $190,000. She soared over the $600,000 mark in earnings with her win in the Mari Hulman George Memorial. Brad Cox trains the filly.

“It (this race) didn’t come up an easy race, either,” added Giannini, who oversees the Cox Stable at Horseshoe Indianapolis. “There were several stakes-caliber horses in here. She showed some grit down the lane. Because Mike Smith (Our Pretty Woman) came to her and she opened up on them.”

For Machado, the spectacular year continues on the track. He was Kentucky’s winningest jockey last season and rode Final Gambit in this year’s Kentucky Derby. The multiple Graded Stakes winning jockey adds yet another accolade to his impressive stats.

“She (Alpine Princess) stepped out of the gate pretty good,” noted Machado, a native of Brazil. “When I looked at her past races, she had done a race like this before. She stepped out of the gate with Florent (Geroux); he made the lead on her and she took it all the way. I was expecting that if she broke good today, I would check on her and she would respond. And the track was playing to speed earlier, so that’s why I enjoyed that.”

The 23rd season of live Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing runs through Thursday, Nov. 13. For more information on racing at Horseshoe Indianapolis, visit www.caesars.com/horseshoe-indianapolis/racing or find details on social media @HSIndyRacing.