Bodenheimer dominates Indian Summer, gains BC Juvenile Turf Sprint spot

Bodenheimer was bred in Washington, kicked off his career in Minnesota, and on Sunday won the $150,000 Indian Summer Stakes, earning a berth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint next month over the Keeneland course he had just conquered.

Bodenheimer laid down wicked splits of 21.60 and 44.56 under Brian Hernandez Jr., and favored Good With People, who had shown plenty of Southern California speed, couldn’t come close to keeping up. Bodenheimer led by about two lengths into the turn, cornered professional into the stretch, and was gone.

Cowan finished with interest to considerably narrow the gap and run second, but any chance he had to run down Bodenheimer ended when he had to be steadied past the quarter pole trying to slip between Good With People and Petit Verdot.

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“He’s a fast horse,” Hernandez said. “He took the race to them and he was the best horse in the race.”

Bodenheimer’s trip got a lot softer when Wesley Ward scratched likely odds-on favorite Golden Pal, who has ample speed. Ward also withdrew the filly Wink, and Roderick, his lone remaining starter, failed to handle turf in his first try on the surface.

Bodenheimer clocked 1:02.70 for 5 1/2 furlongs over firm turf and paid $10.80 to win.

The Indiana Summer is a Breeders’ Cup Challenge race and Bodeheimer earned automatic fees-paid entry into the BC Juvenile Turf Sprint next month. Bodenheimer, a Washington-bred by Atta Boy Roy out of Beautiful Daniele, by A. P. Indy, debuted at Canterbury Park with an impressive turf-sprint maiden win. He gutted out a victory on dirt in the Prairie Gold Juvenile and didn’t show his best racing over the European-style Kentucky Downs course, finishing fifth.

If all goes well, Bodenheimer will be the second Breeders’ Cup starter for Valorie Lund, who trains the colt for Kristin Boice and Marylou Holden. Lund’s first Breeders’ Cup runner was Bodenheimer’s sire, Atta Boy Roy, who finished 10th in the 2010 BC Sprint.