Pearl Tiara takes on older rivals in Hoosier Heartland Stakes

Pearl Tiara will make her first stakes appearance against older horses Wednesday when she attempts to win her fourth straight race in the $100,000 Hoosier Heartland at Indiana Grand.

The mile and a sixteenth stakes is for fillies and mares bred in Indiana. It shares a card with the $100,000 Empire.

Princess Tiara is part of a seven-horse field and the lone 3-year-old in the lineup. She began her streak June 7, when she won an entry-level allowance sprint over older rivals at Indiana Grand.

Pearl Tiara became a stakes winner one start later, on the stretch-out to a mile and a sixteenth. She accounted for the $102,000 Hoosier Breeders’ Sophomore Stakes on June 23 at Indiana. The filly added another stakes win last out, in the $150,000 Indiana First Lady around two turns Aug. 4 at Indiana.

Pearl Tiara has been prominent in her recent races and could show the way or track the sprint-to-route entrants Hitthefloorrunning and Expect Indy.

Pearl Tiara is a daughter of Majestic Harbor who races for the partnership of Loren Hebel-Osborne, Carol Hebel, Claudia Pirman, Fred Pirman, and David Osborne.

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Fernando De La Cruz, who has ridden Pearl Tiara throughout her win streak, has the mount from post 5 for trainer Tim Glyshaw.

The chief threat could be Fireball Baby. The multiple stakes winner is moving back into the Indiana-bred ranks after just missing against open company in a first-level allowance July 1 at Indiana.

The Empire brings together the second- through fourth-place finishers from the $103,000 Bucchero on Aug. 25 at Indiana. Max Express, Cash Logistics, and Redskiesatnight met on turf, but will be moving back to dirt for the mile and a sixteenth race for 3-year-olds and up bred in Indiana.

Max Express was second in the Bucchero after breaking from post 11 in the field of 12. He has an improved post, No. 6, for Wednesday. The Matt Lauer trainee might also benefit from the move back to dirt as he’s a four-time winner on the main track at Indiana.

Samuel Bermudez has the mount Wednesday. Max Express is looking for his first stakes win in the Empire.

Cash Logistics was third in the Bucchero. He is another who might step up on the move back to dirt as he’s a five-time winner on the main track at Indiana Grand. Alex Achard has the mount for trainer Genevieve Londono. Cash Logistics was a stakes winner on the local main track in 2020.

Redskiesatnight was fourth in the Bucchero. He’s back on the surface of his last win. Redskiesatnight was stakes-placed at this distance on the main track at Indiana Grand in 2020. De La Cruz, the horse’s regular rider, has the mount for trainer Brad Cox.

◗ Boca Boy, winner of last year’s $400,000 In Reality division of the Florida Sires Stakes at Gulfstream Park, seeks his second straight win at the Indiana meet in race 6. He goes in a second-level allowance sprint over 5 1/2 furlongs. He won at a similar level last out, with a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 90.