Mr Michel repeats in Bradford Stakes at Horseshoe Indianapolis
SHELBYVILLE, IN–JULY 3, 2024–Mr Michel continues to be dominant at Horseshoe Indianapolis. In a field of incredibly talented horses, the flashy chestnut with four white stockings powered home to win the $50,000 Bradford Stakes on Wednesday, July 3, his fourth straight win dating back to last fall.
Starting from the outside post 10, Mr Michel and regular rider Edgar Diaz were wide early on. They were not in contention for the lead as Snow Moose and Saul Lopez captured the top spot along the inside, with Tachas Secret and Fernando Morin in the center of the track. Those two established themselves as the ones to beat early on in the 400-yard dash.
Mr Michel came into focus as the field neared the wire. He had a lot of momentum and determination to get to the wire first, and he scored the win in 19.801 seconds, clocking a 96 speed index. High Rolling Seize and Shanley Jackson closed well in the center of the track for second, three-quarters of a length behind Mr Michel and just a neck ahead of WRs Valentino and Danny Martinez for third.
"I was a little worried the way he broke today," said Edgar Diaz through interpretation by Claudio Barraza. "But once he got going, I felt better about his chances."
Mr Michel paid $3.60 for the win. The victory was his 12th trip to the winner's circle, and he remains undefeated in three starts for 2024. Claudio Barraza has trained the gelding since he began racing. The five-year-old son of Kiss My Hocks moved his career bankroll to more than $444,000 after cashing in the $27,500 winner's check, earning a spot among the state's all-time top five money earners. Alberto Valadez owns Mr Michel.
"He didn't break as well, and obviously, I was a little worried," said Claudio Barraza in a post-race interview with Rachel McLaughlin.
"But I saw him closing, and it made it better. He's not the best out of the gate, so having the outside sometimes helps him stay out of trouble. He won at 350 last time out, but he likes 400 better."
It was the seventh stakes win for Mr. Michel, who won the Bradford Stakes last season to defend his title. He has won six of his last seven starts dating back to last year's Bradford Stakes in early July.
Matt Frazier saddled runner-up High Rolling Seize. The five-year-old gelding has lit the board 19 of 26 starts with a record of 8-6-5 and $394,1887 in the bank. The son of Seize The Win has won four stakes races, including the Born Running Classic in June of this year and the Hoosier Park Classic Stakes, Blue River Derby, and QHRAI SSA Futurity from earlier in his career.
Glenn Graff owns and bred High Rolling Seize out of the Feature Mr Jess mare Crossing The Brazos.
Wrs Valentino got another in the money run with his third finish place finish. The son of Mighty B Valiant improved his race record to 13-10-3 from 27 starts and $ in the bank. The eight-year-old Kentucky-bred gelding has eight stakes wins under his belt, two of which were in the 2021 and 2022 Bradford Stakes.
Trainer Tony Cunningham conditions Wrs Valentino for owner/breeder Williams Racing Stables, Inc. He is out of Wrs Kissandteller by Teller Cartel.
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The 22nd season of live Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing extends through Thursday, Nov. 14. Racing is held Monday through Thursday at 2:10 p.m. All Quarter Horse dates are set for 10:45 a.m. Saturdays, July 20, Aug. 10, Aug. 31, and Oct. 5. Indiana's featured event, the Grade 3 $300,000 Indiana Derby, is Saturday, July 6, with a first post time of 12 p.m. For more information on live racing at Horseshoe Indianapolis, visit www.caesars.com/horseshoe-indianapolis/racing or find the track on Social Media @HSIndyRacing.
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