Pearl Tiara, Hard Luck Justice favored in pair of state-restricted stakes
Pearl Tiara and Hard Luck Justice are rising stars in the Indiana-bred ranks and both will see stakes action Wednesday at Indiana Grand.
The horses go in separate mile and 70-yard races for 3-year-olds bred in Indiana.
Hard Luck Justice will start as a strong favorite against nine others in the $150,000 Governor’s. Pearl Tiara leads a field of 11 fillies in the $150,000 Indiana First Lady.
“We’re really excited about her,” trainer Tim Glyshaw said of Pearl Tiara.
Pearl Tiara has won back-to-back races this meet for the partnership of Loren Hebel-Osborne, Carol Hebel, Claudia Pirman, Fred Pirman, and David Osborne. She accounted for a conditioned allowance sprint June 7. Princess Tiara then stretched out to two turns for the second time in her career. The filly by Majestic Harbor – a Grade 1 winner at a mile and a quarter – rolled by 8 3/4 lengths in a division of the Hoosier Breeders Sophomore Stakes on June 23.
“Because of her sire, who my owners own as well, we always thought about going two turns,” Glyshaw said. “She ran in a two-turn race once last year as a 2-year-old and stumbled at the break. It was a horrible experience for her. Last time out, she broke well and sat just right off the pace. We’re hoping that’s her norm in two-turn races.”
Pearl Tiara earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 80 in the Hoosier Breeders Sophomore, which is the best career number in the Indiana First Lady. She will break from post 3 on Wednesday, under regular rider Fernando De La Cruz.
“The key to her is breaking,” Glyshaw said. “If she breaks, she can sit right off the pace with the sprinters that are coming into the race. Hopefully, we can get first jump on them.”
Indiana Grand has 22 stakes for Indiana-bred or Indiana-sired horses this meet, and all recently received notable purse boosts, some retroactively after regulatory approvals in July.
“It really helps,” said Glyshaw, who has an 18-horse division at Indiana Grand. “She could have a really big year. Indiana-bred and -sired horses, their 3-year-old year is a year to make a lot of money, if you have a really nice one. Hopefully she has a really good future in front of her.”
The chief threat Wednesday could be Diamond Solitaire, who was second in the Hoosier Breeders Sophomore Stakes. She is moving back to the main track after a turf start and will break from the rail under Martin Garcia.
In the Governor’s, Hard Luck Justice is looking for his third straight win. He captured a division of the Hoosier Breeders Sophomore Stakes on June 23 at Indiana Grand, winning by 6 1/4 lengths. One start later, Hard Luck Justice put up a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 86 for winning a mile and a sixteenth allowance over older Indiana-breds by 9 1/2 lengths on July 20.
Samuel Bermudez has the mount from post 4 for Joselyn Salazar and trainer Lonnie Hinds.