Greenhills sweep divisions of Hoosier Breeders Sophomore Stakes

The Greenhill Racing Stable of Sheri and Jeff Greenhill, Jeff serving as trainer, has bred and owned a surprising number of Indiana-bred stakes horses for a modest operation. They came up with two more Wednesday when Toss of Fate won the $104,700 open division of the Hoosier Breeders Sophomore Stakes and Moves Like Magic 30 minutes later captured the $104,800 division restricted to 3-year-old fillies.

The Greenhills bred and own both horses, but they shared the wealth among jockeys, putting Malcom Franklin on Toss of Fate and DeShawn Parker on Moves Like Magic.

Toss of Fate is a gelding by Shanghai Bobby out of the Greenhill’s mare Pay the Toll, and my goodness has Pay the Toll been a remarkable broodmare. As a racehorse in 2007 Pay the Toll needed a mere $5,000 maiden claimer to win for the first time after 20 defeats, but her first foal to race, Aint She a Saint, won five stakes and nearly a half-million dollars. Then came Needmore Cash, a two-time stakes winner of more than $330,000, Naked Bootleg and Saints Bro, both five-time winners in long and fruitful careers, and Derby Express, a three-time stakes winner of nearly $400,000. Truth Be Told is a three-time winner with a $50,000 bankroll and now Toss of Fate has a record of 6-3-3-0 and a six-figure stakes win of his own.

Moves Like Magic comes from a different wing of the breeding operation and is by Maclean’s Music out of Schefflera, who got a stakes winner with her third foal to race. Schefflera’s first two foals to race, Pourmeanotherone and Even Keeled, both are three-time winners, however.

Toss of Fate dominated his race, winning by more than three lengths despite paying $26.40 to win. Franklin plunked him down in the pocket tracking from third as the horse just in front of his nose, Cap de Fuego, went a slow half-mile in 49.43 seconds. The 1 1/16-mile race unfolded at such a moderate tempo that none but the lead pack had a realistic win chance the final quarter mile and it was Toss of Fate, tipped outside Cap de Fuego and 2-1 pace-presser Ace of Aces, who finished off the job. Ace of Aces finished a half length in front of Cap de Fuego for second, while 13-10 favorite Snicker Cookie lost a lot of ground and was too far behind the slow fractions, checking in sixth. Toss of Fate was timed in 1:45.97 over a muddy sealed track.

The fillies’ division had a totally different dynamic with Parker putting Moves Like Magic on the lead from post 1 and going head and head with Discreet Beauty through a robust half-mile split of 47.15. Those two, the first and second choices in the race, went slower and slower around the far turn and through the homestretch, but nothing behind them came home with any zest, either, and in the final furlong it was Moves Like Magic pulling away for a two-length win. Fireball Baby finished nearly five lengths farther back in third as Moves Like Magic ($4.60) stopped the timer in 1:46.02 over the wet going on a dark, dreary late afternoon.

Not so dark, nor so dreary, if you were Sherri or Jeff Greenhill.