Lauer homebreds stand out in Indiana-bred stakes

The Money Dance went and hid in a dark corner when tried on turf May 26 in the Arlington Classic, but Wednesday at Indiana Grand he should be ready to take center stage.

Back on dirt – and back in the company of Indiana-breds – The Money Dance probably has all the right moves to win the open division of the $100,000 Hoosier Breeders’ Sophomore Stakes. And he could be part of a big party for trainer Mike Lauer, who also has the odds-on favorite, Flurry, to win the $100,000 fillies division of the Hoosier Breeders’ Sophomore.

The Money Dance, bred by Lauer and his wife, Penny, already has knocked out more than $150,000 in earnings, and that’s without having even dipped into the lucrative Indiana-bred stakes program. He debuted last year at Indiana Grand in a statebred-restricted maiden race, but his next eight starts came in open competition, and until the turf experiment that went awry last month, The Money Dance more than held his own. The Money Dance, who races without Lasix, blossomed when he was stretched to route distances earlier this year, and after a blowout maiden win at Oaklawn Park, he captured a first-level allowance race at Belmont. That form easily makes him a leading contender for Wednesday’s sixth race (post time 4:25 Eastern), though there is some depth to this field.

Wholelotachocolate has neither raced outside Indiana-bred competition nor gone farther than a sprint distance, but he debuted earlier this meet with a 10-length maiden win and came back to beat first-level allowance rivals with relative ease. Still, if Wholelotachocolate goes off as a strong second choice, the value in the race might be seeking alternatives to partner with The Money Dance. Sir Brogan remains a maiden after two races, but his two-turn debut last time was strong, and he was narrowly beaten by Bandido de Amores, another horse with a chance Wednesday.

The fillies division of the Hoosier Breeders’ Sophomore is carded at the same 1 1/16-mile distance as the open race and immediately follows it. And if form holds, the other eight horses will follow Flurry across the finish.

Flurry, another Lauer homebred, lost her career debut last year by a nose, but has won her subsequent four starts by nearly 36 combined lengths. Her Beyer Speed Figure plummeted to a 40 in her only two-turn start, but she nevertheless won that race, the $100,000 Miss Indiana last October, by more than three lengths. She’s drawn on the rail Wednesday and has the speed to make the front and the tactical versatility to sit off the pace if she doesn’t.

And if Flurry should falter, the Lauers have two more homebreds in the race, Obsolete – who can easily be second if she runs to her form – and Miracles Take Time. By day’s end, they may indeed be doing a money dance at Indiana Grand.