Heavenly Hellos surprises in Horseshoe Indianapolis Stakes

SHELBYVILLE, Ind. (May 18, 2022) – Heavenly Hellos surprised a field of seven with a strong finish in 14th running of the Horseshoe Indianapolis Stakes, a Black Type event held Wednesday, May 18. Ridden by Edgar Morales, the longshot filly scored the win over a turf listed as good in a time of 1:38.51.

Heavenly Hellos and Morales left the gate with intentions of moving toward the lead but were swallowed up by horses on both sides with the same intentions. Delightful Moment and Adam Beschizza claimed the top spot early from the outside with Dreamworker and DeShawn Parker sitting right outside of them in second. Morales was able to place Heavenly Hellos in third, three-wide heading down the backstretch of the one-mile event.

Moving into the final turn, Heavenly Hellos held her ground on the outside and every horse in the field was within just a few lengths of the leader. Heavenly Hellos dug in gamely from the center of the track and never let up, rallying past Dreamworker on the inside and fending off Alittleloveandluck with Paco Lopez on the outside to score the win by a neck in the four-horse photo. Alittleloveandluck finished another neck ahead of Dreamworker for second.

“It was a little wet on the inside, that’s why we drifted out,” said Morales, who has had a super start to the meet at Horseshoe Indianapolis and earned his 12th win in the stakes. “We got bumped at the start, but they were going a little slow on the lead. We were able to move up and took the outside and she finished strong.”

Heavenly Hellos added her name to the history of the Horseshoe Indianapolis Stakes, becoming the biggest longshot to win in the 14-year history of the race. The sophomore filly by Overanalyze paid $74.80 for the win. It was her second win in five starts for 2022 after not reaching the winner’s circle last year as a two-year-old. Rey Hernandez trains the three-year-old for Marcus Barbour’s Victory Racing Stable. She was a $9,000 purchase from the Keeneland September Yearling Sale and now has more than $130,000 on her card.

“This filly’s mother (Rich Find) actually raced here and won a stakes,” said Barbour. “We have been trying and trying to get her on grass. Today was her shot and we were praying it kept on the turf. This filly is made for the turf.”

Rich Find won the first Oliver Stakes, now known as the Caesars Stakes, held on the turf in 2004. The race began in 2003 when the track opened under the name of Indiana Downs, but the turf course was not available until 2004. The female version of the race, the Indiana Downs Distaff, began in 2009 and is now known as the Horseshoe Indianapolis Stakes.

As far as what is next on the agenda for Heavenly Hellos, Hernandez said, “We will enjoy this win and see how she came out of it and decide what our next move is.”

Photos by Coady Photography