Ramos steers Latigo to victory in Nobody Listens Stakes
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A bold mid-race move by jockey Joe Ramos paid dividends when Latigo charged to a 3 1/4-length victory Wednesday at Horseshoe Indianapolis in the $100,000 Nobody Listens Stakes.
Not that Latigo needed a lot of help in this Indiana-bred contest for older horses. The best horse on paper, Latigo went off at 4-5 and paid $3.80 while winning for the 11th time in 23 starts. For all that good work, Latigo only had one stakes win before taking the measure of nine rivals Wednesday while racing over a sloppy, sealed surface. That victory came some three years ago going one mile, and Latigo since has found his groove as a sprinter. In the Nobody Listens, he zipped six furlongs in 1:08.95.
Latigo, a 6-year-old trained by Randy Klopp, who co-owns the gelding with Scott Spiess, has shown more early speed the older he’s become, as he's pressed or closely stalked the pace in most of his recent outings. Wednesday, Latigo broke just a touch slowly, was slightly squeezed in the first stride, and after a furlong found himself seventh, about five lengths behind the pacesetters.
Ramos was not content with his position and had the horse beneath him to get a better one. He asked Latigo for some run and immediately got it, Latigo slicing between rivals once, then again splitting horses to get into second while moving from the No. 3 path all the way to the rail going into the turn. Around the bend, Latigo gamely held his spot inside and about a half-length behind 17-10 second choice Goodlooknjustice, at the quarter pole nearly had drawn even, and cornering for home began opening a lead he widened to the wire.
Goodlooknjustice, enervated by a fast 44.07 half-mile split, faded to fifth as Molly’s Town finished a one-paced second, 2 1/2 lengths in front of third-place Neutron. Bred by Deann Baer and Greg Baer, Latigo is a son of Jimmy Creed and Steel Courage, by El Corredor.
Checkered Flag
In the $100,000 Checkered Flag, the sister race to the Nobody Listens, 16-1 shot Crosley narrowly denied Klopp and Ramos a stakes sweep, scoring a three-quarter length victory.
Crosley ($35.20) had been only mildly competitive in two similar spots this year but benefited from a perfect trip under Samuel Bermudez. Breaking from the rail, Bermudez snugged his mount along the fence and a couple lengths behind the pacesetters, coming off the rail for a run in upper stretch. Crosley, moving with determination and force, split Lil Gin and Class and the Klopp-trained, Ramos-ridden favorite The Kid Pataky. Unfazed by tighter quarters, she forged to the front at the sixteenth pole.
Lil Gin N Class and The Kid Pataky finished in a dead-heat for second as Crosley stopped the timer in 1:10.01 racing six furlongs over the sloppy, sealed track.
Crosley, a homebred, campaigns for John Langemeier’s Spooky Hollow Racing and is trained by Langemeier. The 4-year-old filly, now a four-time winner from nine starts, is by Indiana stalwart stallion Pass Rush and out of Amberly Village, by Flatter.
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