Crafty Spector caps string of upsets in statebred stakes at Indiana Grand

It was upset city in the four Indiana-bred and sired stakes races Wednesday at Indiana Grand.

Crafty Spector finished off the four-stakes sequence with an 18-1 win in the $105,950 Gus Grissom Stakes after Paisley won the $104,700 Indiana Stallion Stakes at odds of 39-1 and Mo Money landed the $105,900 Crown Ambassador at just less than 6-1. Joyous Lady was a 9-5 winner of the $104,100 Richmond Stakes, but she was the second choice, and even-money favorite Peyton’s Pass finished sixth of seven. The favorites in the three other stakes finished eighth, 10th, and 11th.

Crafty Spector ($39.80), who began his 2017 campaign racing in a pair of $5,000 claimers at Hawthorne, earned just less than $60,000 for owner-trainer John Haran with his Wednesday win under Alejandro Contreras. Crafty Spector tracked the pace while four wide and ran down Derby Express in the final furlong to win by 1 1/2 lengths. Operation Stevie finished sharply for third but was 2 1/2 lengths behind Derby Express, as 6-5 favorite Supreme Justice failed to transfer his good sprint form to two turns and checked in eighth. Winning for the seventh time in 28 starts, Crafty Spector ran 1 1/16 miles on a track listed as “good, sealed” in 1:44.02. The 5-year-old gelding is by Bye Bye Crafty and out of Montanas Ala Mar, by Monashee Mountain.

The other older-horse route race, the Richmond for fillies and mares, was the most formful of the Wednesday stakes. Lady Fog Horn, the 2-5 morning-line favorite, was scratched, and Peyton’s Pass, the even-money betting favorite, stood in her stall for several beats after the gate sprang open to start the race. Peyton’s Pass prefers front-end trips, and she was totally ineffective trying to race from behind as Joyous Lady ($5.80) gamely wore down pace-setting Express Run. Third in this race a year ago, Joyous Lady won her second Indiana-bred stakes of the meet while successfully stretching to two turns from sprint races. The 5-year-old mare is by Kela and out of D’aroak, by Roanoke, and was ridden by Tom Pompell for trainer Randy Klopp, who co-owns and co-bred Joyous Lady with Dennis Claramunt. Joyous Lady won by a head, with Express Run well clear of third-place Bar Rag. The 1 1/16 miles went in 1:43.92.

Mo Money had one of 11 rivals beat at the first call of the Crown Ambassador for 2-year-olds, but that was the right place to be. A hot pace collapsed the speed horses as Mo Money and jockey Deshawn Parker rolled to the front at the eighth pole and came under the wire a 3 1/2-length winner over Classy Score. The latter, a 47-1 shot, was a neck better than 40-1 Santisteban, and 73-1 Rocky Rush completed a 10-cent superfecta that paid $6,412.20. Mo Money, by Caiman out of Utesa, by Eddington, was bred and is owned and trained by Gary Patrick. He ran six furlongs in 1:11.72.

Paisley ($80.40) also came from far behind the early leaders to win the Indiana Stallion by three-quarters of a length over 11-1 shot Prompted, who was a head better than 15-1 Cook Memories. Blue Hen Hockey completed a 10-cent superfecta that paid $16,405.33, while the 50-cent trifecta returned $3,058.35.

Paisley, who started moving with authority a half-mile from the finish, was one of two stakes winners Wednesday ridden by Alejandro Contreras. She ran six furlongs in 1:12.35 while winning for the first time in six starts for owner-trainer-breeder Marvin Johnson. Paisley is by Drinkwiththedevil and out of Sheso, by Blumin Affair.