Harrah's Hoosier Park: May Baby heads Yoder's septet in Indiana Super Finals

James Yoder's stable has had a strong season within and out of Indiana and the numbers could improve dramatically on Friday when he sends seven horses to post on the more than $2.4 million Indiana Super Final Night program at Harrah's Hoosier Park.

Most well-known nationally would be the incredible May Baby, a sophomore trotting filly by Guccio that hopes to capture the $270,000 final, listed as race 11 of 15 on the Friday collection of stakes races.
"She's as good as she's ever been," said Yoder of May Baby, who has won six of nine starts this year and only missed the board on one occasion. Yoder did recall that day and it came in the Hambletonian Oaks, where the filly put in a strong second-place finish behind Hypnotic AM the week before the race but finished last in the spotlight stakes event. "We had high expectations going out East," said Yoder.

For May Baby, who had had foot issues as a 2-year-old, the trip to The Meadowlands and disappointment in the Oaks would hurt twice as badly. "She came with some foot soreness after those races."

May Baby didn't need much time to recover and enters Friday's contest off a string of three impressive Indiana Sire Stakes victories, defeating her competition by nearly 20 lengths collectively. May Baby took a career mark capturing a Sire Stakes event at Hoosier Park on October 7 of 1:52 2/5 giving Yoder all the confidence he'll need. "If there was one horse that I wasn't worried about drawing outside with, it was her," said Yoder in regard to landing post nine in a field of 10 that includes a trailer.

Queen Margherita (post 2) is a surprise to Yoder to have made the Super Final for 3-year-old filly trotters considering some of her earlier races. "We had her in a conditioned claimer," said Yoder of the filly that earned a spot in the final with a victory in the final leg on October 7.

Yoder has shown an exceptional eye for talent at the yearling sales, having purchased May Baby for just $8,500 two years back. At that same Hoosier auction, Yoder plucked Genie Rockwell, a filly by Always A Virgin, who will go for the $270,000 purse in the eighth race final for sophomore pacers.

"She's a nice filly and hasn't missed the board all season," said Yoder. "She's best if you can give her a trip." Post seven may not have been the best draw for her but she enters the race with two wins in her last three starts including a 1:49 score on September 11. "I came up the pylons that night and she finished strongly," said Yoder. While post of course is a factor, Grace Rocks, one of her main rivals on Friday, landed post nine in the field.

Ima Diamond Babe has been a big surprise for Yoder this year and he was quite pleased she landed a good post in the $270,000 (ninth race) final for juvenile trotting fillies. "I put her in the Kentuckiana Stallion Management race just hoping to get my money back," said Yoder of the September 25 contest. "She really kicked home nicely." A fourth-place finish behind multiple Grand Circuit winner Iteration gives Yoder the belief that she can not only race well this weekend but hopefully in the next two as she's eligible for the Breeders Crown at Hoosier.

Yoder also has Bad Shot, on the board seven of nine starts this year, in the 2-year-old filly trot. "I think she can get a good trip for my dad," said Yoder of the Mr Cantab-sired lass driven by Verlin Yoder. "She's a little more racy than Ima Diamond Babe."

There aren't many racehorses that miss nearly two years on the racetrack and perform at the level Katkin American has this year, but the 5-year-old gelding that has recovered from multiple sesamoid bone fractures has been brilliant winning six of his eight starts going into Friday's $70,000 Sire Stakes event for older trotters (race 7). "He missed 611 days," Yoder said, pointing out the timeline of the long absence. "We've still got to watch that left hind but it's been holding up nicely."

Katkin American drew post six in what Yoder hopes is a good prep for the next two weeks. "If all goes well, he'll go to the Breeders Crown next," Yoder said.

Martha Bigrig is the last of the septet for Yoder on the big card at Hoosier. The longshot will start from post 2 in the final for 2-year-old filly pacers (Race 3).

Friday's action kicks off at 6:30 PM and also includes standout 2-year-old filly pacer Somethingbeautiful (8-7-1-0 lifetime) attempting to remain perfect in Sire Stakes action.