NEWS
Indian Blessing scores front-running victory in Juvenile Fillies
Posted: Saturday, October 27, 2007 1:49 PM
INDIAN BLESSING
Photo by Z/Matt Barton
by Steve Bailey
Hal and Patti Earnhardt's homebred Indian Blessing remained unbeaten in her short career and most likely secured champion two-year-old filly honors with a front-running victory over a sloppy Monmouth Park main track on Saturday in the $1,832,000 Grey Goose Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1).
The dark bay or brown Indian Charlie filly out of the Flying Chevron mare Shameful entered off back-to-back victories in a maiden special weight race at Saratoga Race Course on August 30 and the Frizette Stakes (G1) on October 6 at Belmont Park by a combined 9 3/4 lengths.
"By all means, this is a great day," said Hal Earnhardt, the president of Earnhardt Automotive, which operates ten dealerships in the Phoenix area and one in El Paso, Texas.
"It's really nice to have a homebred. My wife and I also raced Indian Charlie and we still have the mare now, so this is really special."
As she did in her previous two starts, Indian Blessing left no doubt as to who was going to set the pace in the 1 1/16-mile race for two-year-old fillies.
She took the field through fractions of: 46.44 for a half-mile and 1:10.61 for six furlongs as A to the Croft raced a half-length off of Indian Blessing's outside flank.
Indian Blessing, sent off as the 1.70-to-1 favorite for trainer Bob Baffert, continued to power through the mud under jockey Garrett Gomez as she opened a three-length lead at the quarter pole and a six-length lead in early stretch.
Matron Stakes (G2) winner Proud Spell made a late charge but was no match for the winner, finishing 3 1/2 lengths back. Backseat Rhythm finished another half-length back in third as Indian Blessing covered the distance in 1:44.73.
Baffert said the off track did not concern him a bit as he knew the filly was strong enough to overpower the rest of the field.
"The only way it changed my thinking is that I wasn't going out to meet Garrett on the track and ruin my shoes," said Baffert, who won his fourth Breeders' Cup race following triumphs by Thirty Slews in the 1992 Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1), Silverbulletday in the '98 Juvenile Fillies, and Vindication in the 2002 Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1).
"It seemed like that stretch run took five minutes. But this filly is incredible. She's going to take her speed and run those other fillies into the ground."
Bred in Kentucky by Earnhardt, Indian Blessing remained unbeaten in three starts and has earned $1,357,200.
For an Equibase chart, click here.
Steve Bailey is deputy news editor of Thoroughbred Times
