Ulanbator Wins Schaefer Memorial
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Photo:
Gulfstream/Lauren King Photo
Ulanbator and Jockey Julien Leparoux were able to fend off a hard charging Geothermal and Jose Lezcano Saturday, July 18 to win the 16th running of the Michael G. Schaefer Memorial. The race was one of six stakes on the card leading up to the featured Grade II Indiana Derby.
Ulanbator left the gate with good speed, but Ground Transport and Corey Lanerie were the first leaders of the race, powering out to the top spot from the center of the pack. Joy Boy and Ricardo Santana Jr. also hustled quickly at the start hoping to overtake Ground Transport but had to follow along. The top two drew away from the rest of the field by open lengths, leaving Ulanbator gapping in third place. Early fractions had a quick tempo of :23.24, :46.66 and 1:10.97. By the time the final turn had arrived in the one mile and 70 yard race, Ulanbator had eased to the outside with hopes of getting in position for a strong stretch run.
In the stretch, Ulanbator went right around the top horses and was driving hard until Geothermal came powering down the lane. The close finish was in favor of Ulanbator by a nose over Geothermal. Class Leader and Brian Hernandez Jr. finished three-quarters of a length back in third. The time for the race was 1:41.01.
“They were going pretty fast early on and that was good for us,” said Leparoux. “Down the backside, I wanted to get outside so we could make a run. He tried very hard down the stretch and even fought back for the win.”
Trained by Ian Wilkes, Ulanbator is now five for 18 lifetime. The Offlee Wild four-year-old is owned by Mary Ann Charlston, who also bred the horse. With only one start as a two-year-old, Ulanbator now has more than $300,000 in career earnings. He paid $7.60, $3.80 and $3.00 across the board as the favorite in the race.
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Long shot Antonia Autumn came from last to first over the yielding turf at Indiana Grand on Saturday, July 18, to take the seventh running of the $100,000-added Indiana General Assembly Distaff (listed) by 2-3/4 lengths over favored Kitten’s Dumpling. Annulment was third, another length and a half back. The race was the first of five stakes supporting the 21st Indiana Derby.
Jockey Corey Lanerie picked up the mount on Antonia Autumn just 15 minutes before the race, replacing Joe Rocco Jr., who was still en route when the race went off after being delayed at Ellis Park.
“I didn’t have a lot of time,” Lanerie said, “but I looked at it and saw she’s a one-run horse, so I hoped to get lucky with a little pace in front of me. I just let her run her own race until the three-eighths pole and then tried to find her some running room. We got lucky and found a split and she proved today that she was the best horse.”
The early pace was surprisingly quick for turf that had been suddenly drenched two races earlier. Ketel Twist jumped out first but was quickly overtaken by Analog Girl, who got the first quarter in :23.59 and the half in :48.78. Antonia Autumn, who broke from post eight, meanwhile had settled along the inside at the rear of the field of 10 older fillies and mares. Annulment came from off the pace to lead into the stretch, clocking the mile in 1:39.27, but by then Lanerie had Antonia Autumn on the move. The pair split horses approaching the eighth pole and sailed home, finishing the 1-1/16 mile course in 1:45.73.
Jamie Frost, farm manager for owner Castleton Lyons, was on hand for the win.
“She (Antonia Autumn) was entered at Ellis Park in a stake two or three weeks ago and it came off the turf, so we scratched,” he said. “This was the next close-by race on the turf at the right distance.”
Given that recent history, the sudden downpour caused Frost some concern.
“We weren’t sure,” he said, “because she’s run a little disappointing on soft turf, but she loved it today—loved it.”
Joy finished fourth, followed by Maria Maria, Maryanna Star, Rusty Slipper, Analog Girl, Samiam and Ketel Twist.
Antonia Autumn went off at 16-1 and paid $35.60 to win, $15.80 to place and $10.20 to show. Trained by Ben Colebrook, six-year-old Antonia Autumn is by Bernstein out of the Alydar mare Chipeta Springs. The Indiana General Assembly Distaff is her first stakes win. Her record stands now at four wins, two seconds and three thirds from 16 career starts. The $58,938 winner’s share for the Indiana General Assembly Distaff pushed her lifetime earnings to $215,941.
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Glenard and Jockey Alex Cintron were selected as the favorites in the sixth running of the $100,000-added Warrior Veterans Stakes during Indiana Derby Night Saturday, July 18 at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino. They did not disappoint their backers, using a late move to earn the win by one length over the turf course.
Starting from post two after rains had turned the turf into yielding, Glenard was not quick out of the gate as Scotland Forever and Rodney Prescott jumped out for the early lead during the one and one-sixteenth mile event. Scotland Forever increased his lead as the race progressed and it wasn’t until the final turn that the gap began to close and the horses near the back began to close in, including Glenard. Cintron was able to cut the corner and save ground before rolling past horses and getting the advantage at the finish line by one length. Thatcher Street and Brian Hernandez Jr. were also rallying hard at the end to finish second, just a neck over Scotland Forever, who maintained third.
“He broke good and had good positioning early on,” said Cintron. “Last time when I rode him in Delaware, he was five to six lengths back the whole way and was from an outside post and still won. Today, he had an inside post and it was perfect.”
Glenard paid $6.00, $3.80 and $3.00 across the board. The five-year-old son of Arch now has five career wins in 22 career starts. He has won his last two with Cintron aboard for owner Andrew Stone. The time of the race was 1:45.97. Glenard is trained by Graham Motion. Cintron and Motion also teamed up the day before at Indiana Grand to win the $100,000 Ta Wee Stakes with Tiger Ride.
The Warrior Veterans, a listed stakes, was previously named the J. Kenneth Self Shelby County Boys & Girls Club Stakes. The race was named to honor various military personnel and the entire Thursday racing program leading up to Indiana Derby was dedicated to the event “A Salute to Our Armed Forces.” Debbie Lee, mother of Marc Lee who was the first Navy SEAL killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Chris Bain, 2015 Wounded Warrior of the Year, were keynote speakers for the event. They were also in the winner’s circle for the Warrior Veterans race to present the trophy to the winning connections of Glenard. Also assisting with the trophy presentation was the Milan Basketball team, the state champions in 1954 and the team that inspired the movie, “Hoosiers.”
Source: Indiana Grand
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