SHELBYVILLE, Ind. (Sept. 28, 2019) – Abe and Uriel Cervantes delivered an honest effort to capture the title in the 11th running of the $116,800 Sterlie Bertram Memorial Stakes Saturday, Sept. 28 at Indiana Grand. After posting the second fastest time in the trials, Abe came rolling back to score the win in impressive fashion for his first trip to the winner’s circle in 2019.
Owned, bred and trained by Randy Thompson, Abe began his journey from post five in the 10-horse lineup. Cervantes went to work on getting Abe engaged in the race early and had a small advantage in the 400-yard dash from the start. Midway through the race, Valiantinecandyrocks and Jose Beltran began to inch up along the inside to pose a threat for Abe and One Smart Jess, the other trial winner, was gaining momentum on the outside for Juan Marquez. As the finish line neared, Abe was in full speed mode and rallied home the winner by one and one-quarter lengths. One Smart Jess got the best of a tight photo for second over Valiantinecandyrocks. The time of the dash was :20.005 seconds.
“He broke really good and was out by himself early,” said Cervantes, who scored the biggest win of his career aboard Abe. “He was feeling a little alone on the front and I had to switch sticks and tell him we weren’t done here yet. He responded and raced very well tonight.”
A bit of a surprise at the windows, Abe paid $14.00, $6.40, $4.20 across the board. The win was the third of his career for the Jazz Be First Indiana sired three-year-old who now has in excess of $210,000 in his career. It also marked the second stakes win of the season for Thompson, who teamed up with Cervantes for the win in the $75,506 QHRAI Stallion Service Auction Derby in late August.
Thompson is among the track’s all-time leading owners. He won back to back titles at Indiana Grand in 2012 and 2013 and campaigned Air Born Leader, a horse he raised that remains as one of the top five all-time leading horses of all-time in Indiana with more than $470,000 in earnings. The striking grey son of Leader of the Class won six stakes during his career. Now 11, Air Born Leader serves as a pony horse for Thompson’s Quarter Horse barn at Indiana Grand.
“I wouldn’t be able to do this without good help,” noted Thompson following his win with Abe, who was born on Abraham Lincoln’s birthday and was named in honor of the great president. “I owe a lot of my success to good help in the barn.”
Joining Thompson in the winner’s circle for the trophy presentation of the Bertram Memorial was his assistant, Shelby Weintraut. Weintraut works closely with Abe and shared Cervantes’ confidence in the gelding coming into the final.
“Abe has had a slow start to the season this year, but he’s finishing up well for us,” noted Weintraut.
The victory for Abe was his second stakes win of his career, also scoring the title in the $182,000 Gordon Mobley Futurity at two last year at Indiana Grand.
The fifth of six all-Quarter Horse racing nights will be held Saturday, Oct. 5 at Indiana Grand. Trials for the Miss Roxie Little Futurity, Governor’s Stakes and the QHRAI Derby will be included on the night, setting up the final all-Quarter Horse night of 2019 set for Saturday, Oct. 26. Martha Claussen, nationally known Quarter Horse racing analyst, will be in attendance to provide additional handicapping assistance and the Quarter Horse Racing Association of Indiana (QHRAI) will provide long-sleeved t-shirt giveaways as well as $2 race wagers to the first 100 people. The evening will also include the popular contest Quarter Four with a $20 race wager drawn each time a top four Quarter Horse jockey wins a race on the card.
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