Indiana Downs: Mare has three foals win in four-day span

Owners Steve Markwell and Sam Froedge recently won three races at Indiana Downs with homebreds who are out of the same mare, There Runs Hattie.

Markwell and Froedge purchased There Runs Hattie at the 2000 Keeneland September yearling sale for $25,000 and she went on to be graded stakes placed while winning nearly $240,000. When her racing career was over, the partners decided to breed her.

“She is really well bred, being by Rahy out of a Green Dancer mare, so we decided rather than sell her, we would breed her ourselves,” Markwell said.

Backside Blackie, the first offspring of her dam, was named for the late Blackie Huffman, who trained There Runs Hattie. Backside Blackie, a 5-year-old by Yes It’s True, won a second-level option claiming race April 16. On April 20, both Kaz U Can, a 4-year-old filly by Broken Vow, and Lillian Gish, a 3-year-old filly by Quiet American, won at Indiana Downs. Kaz U Can won a first-level allowance, while Lillian Gish won a $15,000 maiden claiming race.

All three horses are trained by Tim Glyshaw and were ridden by Leandro Goncalves.

“I didn’t want to run Backside Blackie at Keeneland, and we would have to run her for $40,000 at Churchill, so I figured we would try this spot,” Glyshaw said. “Leandro rode her really well or I don’t think she would have won.”

Kaz U can, owned in partnership with Wayne Hennig and Larry Beyers, also stepped up for Glyshaw.

“We had to run her for $25,000 at Fair Grounds to get her second win and I thought we would try her in an allowance before taking her to Churchill,” Glyshaw said.

Lillian Gish, who is owned in partnership with Hennig, won by nearly 10 lengths.

Glyshaw also trains Zeke McCool, a 2-year-old colt by Lion Hearted out of There Runs Hattie, who is nearing his first workout. Markwell and Froedge also have a weanling by Discreetly Mine out of There Runs Hattie and she has been bred back to Pure Prize. There Runs Hattie is currently at Winter Quarter Farm.

Markwell is not sure about future plans for There Runs Hattie.

“She has been great to us but we are going to cut back,” he said. “We will keep the weanling but probably sell her next foal. We may end up selling her.”

* Goncalves is running away with the Indiana Downs riding title, with 15 wins through Thursday. Marlon St. Julien is second with 8 wins and Rodney Prescott is third with 7.

Last year’s leading trainer, Tom Amoss, leads the standings with 5 wins from 12 starters.