Fireball Baby ignites in Lady Fog Horn Stakes

SHELBYVILLE, Ind. (Oct. 28, 2020) – Fireball Baby and jockey Marcelino Pedroza had a game plan, and the result was a win in the inaugural running of the $100,000 Lady Fog Horn Stakes at Indiana Grand. The race is named in honor of the standout Indiana mare Lady Fog Horn, who remains as the state’s all-time winning female performer for earnings with more than $825,000. The race was part of Indiana Champions Day, placing the spotlight on the state’s breeding and racing programs.

Two heavy hitters were in the Lady Fog Horn and were getting all the attention early in the stakes race as Unbridled Class and Expect Indy shared honors as favorites of the field. Got Spirit and Isaiah Wiseman were the quickest out of the gate for the one and one-sixteenth mile race and led the way early on with Unbridled Class and Rodney Prescott tracking in second on the outside and Expect Indy staying close inside for Emmanuel Esquivel in third.

Around the final turn, the field began to bunch up and a new leader emerged in Unbridled Class. However, her time on the lead was short lived. Fireball Baby and Pedroza were widest of all heading into the stretch and took control of the race, striding out to a four and one-half length advantage at the finish line for the win. Unbridled Class and Expect Indy were in a battle for second, with a nose separating them at the wire, giving Unbridled Class the slight edge. The time of the route was 1:45.76.

Fireball Baby was a bit of a surprise at the windows, paying $8.40, $3.60, and $2.20 across the board. The four-year-old daughter of Noble’s Promise is a true homebred for Richard and Tammy Rigney’s Rigney Racing. They raced both the sire and the dam, Bubbles and Babies, and Fireball Baby has always been very special to them. Noble’s Promise, a Grade 1 winner for the Rigney’s, died in 2018 after only siring a few crops. Fireball Baby was among the final crop of foals from their prized stallion, who stood in southern Indiana.

“She has always been so special to us,” said Tammy Rigney. “We really aren’t sure what we want to do with her next. Our daughter, Claire, is beginning to get into eventing and she would really like to have her, so we aren’t sure if we will retrain her for Claire to ride or breed her and raise babies out of her for the Indiana program.”

The Rigneys have 11-year-old twin daughters, Claire and Madison. Both were in the winner’s circle for the win and both handled the post-race interview with Rachel McLaughlin, on-air racing analyst for Indiana Grand. Claire announced that it was great to see her win her last race, and that she was retiring.

“That was the plan coming into the race,” said Philip Bauer, who has trained Fireball Baby her entire career. “We have certainly felt the effects of 2020 and didn’t come into the meet as we planned. Marcelino gets along with her so well, and she raced so well. She beat the two best horses in this division tonight (Expect Indy, Unbridled Class). From the three-eighths home, it was a little bit of a shock how well she ran. We will let this soak in and see where we are at.”

Although the Rigneys don’t have a stallion anymore, they are still well immersed in the breeding and racing business. They currently have at least 20 brood mares from their Kentucky operation with no plans to slow down. They also remain involved in the Indiana breeding program.

Tony Granitz, trainer of Lady Fog Horn, and Otto Thorwarth, longtime exercise rider for the standout Indiana sired mare, were in the winner’s circle to assist with the presentation to the Rigney’s for Fireball Baby. Lady Fog Horn was sold at auction for $300,000 after her retirement in 2017 and is now part of the fleet of brood mares at Shadai Farm in Japan.

Photos by Coady Photography