Flurry, Jersey Justice score in Indiana-bred juvenile stakes

Deshawn Parker and Marcelino Pedroza ended Thursday’s card dead even at 106 wins apiece for this marathon Indiana Grand race meeting that ends Friday, and on the stakes portion of the Thursday program they tied with one win apiece.

Pedroza piloted odds-on favorite Flurry to victory in the $100,000 Miss Indiana Stakes for Indiana-bred 2-year-old fillies, while Parker booted home 2-1 favorite Jersey Justice in the $100,000 Indiana Futurity for Indiana-bred 2-year-olds, with entry preference given to colts and geldings.

Both races were contested over one mile 70 yards on a fast main track, but Jersey Justice ran far faster: He was timed in 1:41.41, while Flurry clocked 1:44.68, according to the official timer at Indiana Grand.

Jersey Justice, trained by Tom Amoss for Maggi Moss, added a second rich stakes win to his 2017 campaign to go with his victory Oct. 4 in the $104,000 Hillsdale Stakes. That race was contested at six furlongs, and Jersey Justice was making his two-turn debut Thursday, but so was all but one other horse in the Indiana Futurity, and Jersey Justice stayed the trip well enough.

Breaking on top, Jersey Justice was reined in to get a two-wide pressing trip as Sky Writer set splits of 24.04 for the first quarter-mile and 47.50 for the half.

“Today he relaxed perfect,” said Parker, who is spending his first season at Indiana Grand. “Once he did that, I was pretty confident.”

Parker let Jersey Justice cruise up to Sky Writer’s flank midway around the far turn, Jersey Justice took a clear lead in the stretch, and though Jova made a mild gain the final furlong, Jersey Justice ($6.40) remained one length clear at the finish. Sky Writer held third over a racing surface that favored forward placements Thursday.

Jersey Justice is by the young sire Jersey Town and out of the Good and Tough mare Vain Vixen. He cost just $10,000 at auction and now has banked about $140,000 just four starts into his career.

Flurry led a one-two finish for trainer Mike Lauer in the Miss Indiana, scoring by 3 1/2 lengths over Obsolete. Lauer and his wife Penny bred both horses, and Penny Lauer owns them. Genaro Garcia, oddly, trains the third- and fourth-place finishers, Shyla and Crossed.

Flurry ($3.40) and Pedroza sat a perfect trip stalking a speed duel between Crossed and Just Plain Kate, and when those two were gassed following a 46.04 half-mile split, Flurry took over. An 18 1/4-length maiden winner last out, she took a four-length lead to the stretch call and was under only the mildest pressure to the finish. Flurry, beaten a head in her career debut, is by Old Fashioned and out of the Pure Prize mare Dreamin Big.