Speed duels lead to late-running winners in divisions of the Hoosier Breeders Sophomore Stakes

Front-runners dominated the early portion of the Indiana Grand card on Wednesday, and that proved to the downfall of the favored speed horses in the two Indiana-bred stakes races later on the program.

Badabing Badaboom rallied from last behind a fast pace to win the $103,750 colts and geldings division of the Hoosier Breeders Sophomore Stakes, and a race later Sassy Miss Officer stalked an even faster pace on the way to an absolute romp in the $103,050 fillies division.

With jockeys trying to ride to the track-surface profile, pace duels did in all the speed horses in both races, particularly the fillies division, in which 6-5 favorite Carmalley Chrome battled in the 1 1/16-mile race through a sprint pace - 22.90 seconds for the first quarter-mile, 45.64 to the half – with rail-drawn Tequila and Salt. It was Tequila and Salt who won the speed battle but lost the war, as Sassy Miss Officer, tracking comfortably first along the rail then three paths wide around the second turn, took command at the top of the stretch and went on to an 18 1/2-length win.

She ran 1 1/16 miles on a sloppy, sealed track in 1:45.29 and paid $12.40 to win. Tequila and Salt somehow held second, a head in front of My Erin, as Carmalley Chrome was eased out of the race.

“I don’t know why she paid so much, because I loved her in the race,” said winning rider Leandro Goncalves. “We had a plan to let the speed go, get her outside, and it worked out good for me. By the three-eighths pole I was looking inside and outside for anybody. I said, ‘This is a joke.’”

Sassy Miss Officer is a 3-year-old by Brother Derek and out of the Officer mare Officer Philly. Mark Cristel bred, trains and owns the winner,and trained her dam. Sassy Miss Officer now has three wins and two seconds in her two-turn starts, but failed to hit the board in both her sprint races.

“I made two mistakes running her three-quarters,” Cristel said.

Badabing Badaboom also has found his niche in two-turn races, and he won the colts and geldings division Wednesday by 5 3/4 lengths. Badabing Badaboom ran decently in three sprint races to start his career, but cleared his maiden fourth out with a dominant performance making his two-turn debut. That race came June 7, and trainer Mike Lauer wasted little time sending Badabing Badaboom right back out to face winners for the first time.

Under Marcelino Pedroza, Badabing Badaboom galloped along in last, 10 lengths behind Mr. Manning and Sights and Sounds (a second Lauer trainee) through a half-mile in a testing 46.49 seconds. Pedroza got a sweet run as Badabing Badaboom closed swiftly around the far turn, hugging the rail for much of the bend before steering out to about the three path and getting a split at the quarter pole. Badabing Badaboom wound up about five wide straightening for home, at which point the race was over, and the winner increased his margin to the finish.

Mr. Manning stayed on gamely for second, a head in front of Grand Ginjo. Derby Express, the 2-1 favorite, was ridden with the crop more than a half-mile from the finish and faded to seventh.

Badabing Badaboom ran 1 1/16 miles on a sloppy, sealed track in 1:43.88 and paid $25.80. He’s a son of Spring at Last and the Petionville mare Ring Ring Ring, bred by Mike and Penny Lauer and owned by Penny Lauer.