Private Union looks to pull minor upset in Hillsdale Stakes

Private Union can clear the maiden ranks Wednesday at Indiana Grand in the $75,000 Hillsdale Stakes.

The once-started 2-year-old is one of nine Indiana-bred juvenile colts and geldings entered in the six-furlong Hillsdale, which shares top billing Wednesday with the $75,000 City of Anderson, another six-furlong race, this one for Indiana-bred 2-year-old fillies.

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Betsdownletsride is all but certain to be favored in the Hillsdale. A homebred owned by Darlene and Herbert Likens and trained by Cipriano Contreras, Betsdownletsride debuted with an easy win over Indiana-breds in July and, more impressively, returned to win an open first-level allowance race with a game front-end performance Aug. 11. By Sangaree, Betsdownletsride scored first out going five furlongs and showed last time he can handle six furlongs. But while he’s well-enough drawn on the outside, a couple other front-running types should at least keep him honest.

As for Private Union, he, if nothing else, rates as the Hillsdale’s most expensive horse, fetching $55,000 at a 2-year-olds in training sale this past May. And it looks like he can run.

Trained by Mike Maker for Three Diamonds Farm, Private Union, a son of Liaison, began his career Sept. 1 in an Indiana-bred maiden sprint by getting sawed off out of the gate as the horse outside him broke inward while the rival drawn inside him broke out. Racing from the back of the pack, Private Union cruised into contention past the quarter pole, when greenness proved his final undoing. He was unable to maintain a straight course, sending his flank into the hindquarters of Shotgun Joe, who would finish second behind the solid-looking winner Harbor Court, as Private Union checked in third. Shotgun Joe returned to win a Sept. 23 maiden race.

Maker adds blinkers for Private Union’s second start. Private Union can stick closer to the lead than he did in his debut and stands a good chance of posting a mild upset, though likely at a price lower than his 5-1 morning-line odds.

Another horse unlikely to go off at a price as high as her 4-1 morning line: Hungarian Princess, a key contender in the City of Anderson. Hungarian Princess finished fourth, beaten more than 13 lengths in her second and most-recent start, but 9 1/2 of those lengths came from Coach’s winning margin in that open 2-year-old filly allowance. Coach, trained by Brad Cox, posted a 72 Beyer Speed Figure, the top 2-year-old dirt number this Indiana season, and Hungarian Princess actually finished with good energy.

First time out, she tracked he pace, took command before the eighth pole, and drew smartly away to beat Indiana-breds by seven lengths.

Third in that race was the City of Anderson’s 8-5 morning-line favorite, Diamond Solitaire, who returned to romp by more than 10 lengths, geared down late, in an Indiana-bred maiden sprint Sept. 15. The horses Diamond Solitaire defeated were far softer than the three in front of Hungarian Princess, who probably isn’t 7 3/4 lengths better than Diamond Solitaire, the distance between them in their common debut, but doesn’t have to be.