Hungarian Princess, Verry Ameila square off in Checkered Flag Stakes
The established Hungarian Princess will meet the blossoming Verry Ameila in a competitive running of the $100,000 Checkered Flag, which is one of two stakes Wednesday at Horseshoe Indianapolis.
The $100,000 Brickyard features two past winners of the race in Chipofftheoldblock and Double Tuff. The field also includes Gulfstream shipper Meetmeinkingston, who is a half-brother to near millionaire Bucchero.
Both stakes are six-furlong races for 3-year-olds and up bred in Indiana.
The Checkered Flag is for fillies and mares, and Hungarian Princess figures to go favored as a four-time stakes winner coming off a win in the $102,000 Shelby County for Indiana-breds on June 8 at Horseshoe Indianapolis. She was a one-length winner in her first out since October.
“I thought it was real impressive off a long layoff,” trainer Marvin Johnson said. “It looks like we’re coming into this race good. The old saying is they’ll bounce second trip off a long layoff. I’m not seeing that in her at all.
“She’s got a bad habit . . . she likes to win!”
Hungarian Princess is 8 for 15 and has won three of her last four starts. She races for her breeder, Swifty Farms. Samuel Bermudez has the mount from post 2 in the nine-horse field Wednesday.
“I think she prefers to stalk,” Johnson said. “I’m not real happy with the post. A lot of times you’ve got to show more speed down in there than what you would like to. If you were on the outside peeking in, you could kind of let those on the inside dictate what you do. Now we’re down on the inside, and we’ll have to show a little more speed from the get-go.”
A quick pace would suit Verry Amelia, who is moving back into the Indiana-bred ranks after winning a first-level allowance over open company May 23 at Horseshoe Indianapolis. She will break from post 6, under Santo Sanjur.
“She always comes from a little bit off the pace,” said Tony Duran, who trains Verry Amelia. “I think there’s a lot of speed in the race. That will help her.”
Verry Amelia has been flattered since her allowance win, with the runner-up from the race, My My Munny, coming back in her next start to win a $30,000 claiming race at Churchill Downs. Verry Amelia earned a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 78 for the allowance, and it’s the best last-race number in the Checkered Flag.
“The last race came up a little tough, and she won pretty easy,” Duran said. “She came back great and she’s fresh. She always runs good when she’s fresh. I expect a pretty good effort.”
Duran co-bred and co-owns Verry Amelia with his wife, Katie. They race as Rancho Monarca.
In the 11-horse Brickyard, Johnson will send out Nobody Listens. He is moving back to dirt following an allowance win on turf for which he earned a career-high Beyer of 96. It came over five furlongs, and he led throughout for a 3 3/4-length win May 31 at Horseshoe Indianapolis.
“He’s kind of pretty one-dimensional,” Johnson said. “He’s got to be on the lead or thereabouts.
“He’ll run dirt or turf. I do think he prefers the five-eighths distance more so than the three-quarters.”
Nobody Listens is 5 for 11 on the main track at Indiana.
“He’s been awful nice to us,” Johnson said.
Joseph Ramos has the mount from post 11.