SHELBYVILLE, Ind. (Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023) – Climber, the 2022 Indiana Horse of the Year, is back in training. The now four-year-old filly returned to the Genaro Garcia Stable in early February to prepare for the 2023 racing season, which begins Tuesday, April 18 at Horseshoe Indianapolis.
Garcia, who races under the name of Southwest Racing Stable and owner Bruce Murphy purchased Climber after her first career start as a two-year-old. They only raced her three more times before making the decision to turn the Divining Rod filly out and letting her develop for her three-year-old season.
That decision proved to be the correct one as Climber went on to win three stakes races, including the $200,000 Indiana First Lady Stakes, the $150,000 Cardinal Stakes, and the $100,000 Hoosier Breeders Sophomore Fillies Stakes. Climber is on a very short list of horses who have won three stakes in one season, a very difficult feat to achieve. Overall, she won five races during the year and boosted her career earnings total to more than $328,000. As a result of her success on the track, she was named 2022 Indiana Horse of the Year at the ITOBA Banquet in January.
At the conclusion of the season last year, Garcia sent Climber to the farm to relax and unwind. However, the filly was not in full agreement with that decision.
“The first few weeks off the track, she was nervous and wouldn’t relax,” said Garcia. “She wanted to be back at the track. She finally settled in, but she is enjoying being on the track again. Our main goal this year is to keep her happy and sound and hope for another good year.”
Garcia entrusts groom Jorge Castro with Climber’s daily routine. He noted she is easy to take care of and is a dream horse to have in the barn.
“We are very fortunate to have a horse like her in our barn,” added Garcia. “Jorge (Castro) has taken care of her the entire time and done an excellent job. She’s a happy horse and very friendly. She just loves being at the track.”
Photos by Tammy Knox