Indian Brava looms large in Chariot Chaser Handicap

The first horse Mercedes Stables ran at Northlands Park, Rock and Glory, dominated her opponents in the $53,700 Wild Rose Handicap for fillies and mares last Saturday. Expect a similar performance from Indian Brava in the $50,000 Chariot Chaser Handicap on Friday night. The six-furlong sprint for 3-year-old fillies attracted eight horses, but Indian Brava appears to be in a class by herself.

Bred and owned by Mercedes Stables, Indian Brava showed good speed in winning her first two starts at Oaklawn Park for trainer Robertino Diodoro. She also was in the mix early when she finished third to Promise Me Silver in the $100,000 Instant Racing in her third start. Promise Me Silver remained undefeated in eight starts when she won the Grade 3 Eight Belles on May 1 at Churchill Downs.

With leading rider Rico Walcott riding Indian Brava, the price will be prohibitive.

:: Bet Northlands with DRF Bets. Get up to a $500 cash bonus! Find out more today.

Northlands Park seems like an odd place for such a prominent owner in the United States to be running horses. According to Diodoro, the stakes schedule at Northlands is the main attraction.

“The money is still good at Northlands, and the stakes schedule is set so you can keep a horse there the whole meet,” Diodoro said from Canterbury Park. “At Canterbury, you might have to wait a couple of months for a race or ship them somewhere else.”

Diodoro said his strong presence at Turf Paradise had a lot to do with him training horses for Mercedes.

“Their racing manager, Richard Fuller, approached me about taking some of their horses there that didn’t quite fit in Southern California,” said Diodoro. “It’s worked out very well. Richard is one of the smartest people in the business I’ve met, and it helps that he has really clicked with my three assistants, who I rely on to keep things running smoothly.”

Diodoro said he has roughly 125 horses in training, including 25 for Mercedes.

“With that many horses going, I couldn’t do it without good help,” he said.

KEY CONTENDERS

Indian Brava (Last 3 Beyers: 70-83-72)

◗ Indian Brava’s third-place finish behind the undefeated Grade 3 winner Promise Me Silver in just her third start makes her a standout.

◗ She showed that she can handle the local surface when she worked a sharp half-mile in 46 seconds May 12.

Eustacia (Last 3 Beyers: 50-41-53)

◗ Trained by Greg Tracy, the 2014 champion 2-year-old filly in Alberta used her good speed to win two stakes at Northlands last year.

◗ She figures to move forward after finishing third in her first start as a sophomore in a non-conditional allowance race March 16 at Turf Paradise.