Rare Bhajatty foals in separate stakes

There are stallions who toil in obscurity, and there there’s a stud in Indiana named Bhajatty. Bred in 2017 by Shadwell Farm, the son of Carpe Diem never raced. Daily Racing Form’s database doesn’t even contain a record of his sire and dam. Bhajatty went to stud in 2020, stands at the Indiana Stallion Station, and has sired four named foals. That’s right, four. Three have raced, and the two that have won somehow – a million-to-one chance – both start in rich stakes races Wednesday at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

Seeyouinabit, a legitimate 20-1 shot on the track’s morning line, faces a full gate of other Indiana-bred 3-year-old fillies in the $200,000 First Lady Handicap.

One race later, the improving Sir Bahjy, Bhajatty’s pride and joy, a three-time winner from eight outings, a last-start six-figure stakes victor, is part of a full field of 3-year-old Indiana-bred colts and geldings in the $250,000 Governor’s Handicap.

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Bruce and Lorie Murphy – successful Indiana owners – bred both horses, own them with Southwest Racing Stables. Genaro Garcia trains.

The Wednesday stakes are contested at one mile and 70 yards on dirt and function as handicaps in name only, called such to avert a no-Lasix policy that otherwise would govern them.

Sir Bhajyis a considerably faster horse than Seeyouinabit but has landed in a much tougher race. He exits a late-running victory in the $100,000 Hoosier Breeders’ Sophomore, and the fact Sir Bhajy got up in that six-furlong dash bodes well for an upset chance. Produced by the Proud Citizen mare Proud Dreamer, whose lone win came around two turns, Sir Bhajy in dirt routes has gone 3-2-1-0. His peak Beyer Speed Figure leapt from 59 to 74 in the June 11 sprint stakes tally, and Sir Bhajy, making his third start of the season, just might have made a leap as a 3-year-old.

He’ll need another forward move to handle the leading lights in the Governor’s, all of whom drew outside posts in a race that can accommodate a dozen runners and drew 16 entrants. Mondavila, on figures the fastest horse in the race, has made one of eight starts beyond a sprint trip and, albeit with the wrong trip, checked in a distant ninth. He’s also liable to get caught up in what projects as a fast, taxing pace.

Mackadoo’s contending two-turn performances came on turf, but Chicory Blaze looks legit. He raced around two turns in all four of his starts, and while his second win came on turf, Chicory Blaze appears equally capable on dirt.

Seeyouinabit needs to run meaningfully faster to contend in the First Lady, though unlike most of her rivals, she’s a proven horse in dirt routes. Superficially, she’s the B Team for her connections, who also start Don’t Miss Out. Don’t Miss Out has only sprinted. And she doesn’t have the power of Bahjatty flowing through her veins.

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