Hungarian Princess shines in Indiana Stallion Fillies Stakes

SHELBYVILLE, Ind. (Oct. 28, 2020) – It was the first of four stakes races featured on the inaugural Indiana Champions Day, placing the spotlight on the state’s breeding and racing program, and the title belonged to Hungarian Princess in the 23rd running of the Indiana Stallion Stakes Filly Division. The freshman filly drew off from the field in the six-furlong event for her second straight victory in stakes action.

Trained by Kim Hammond, Hungarian Princess had a good inside starting spot from the gate and was able to leave alertly as America Rules and Tommy Pompell rushed out early on for the top spot. Several horses went along with the front runner as Hungarian Princess held her ground inside for jockey Sammy Bermudez.

As the only turn of the race approached, the field began to fan out some behind America Rules, giving Hungarian Princess the perfect spot to stay close and await the stretch. In the stretch, Bermudez tapped the filly once and she was on her way to the lead, eventually opening up to a four and three-quarter length advantage at the wire under a hand ride. Diamond Solitaire and Alex Achard closed well along the inside to finish second with Pearl Tiara and Joshua Morales moving on the outside for third. The time of the sprint was 1:11.79.

“There was a lot of speed in this race and I didn’t want the lead, but I didn’t want to get covered up either,” explained Bermudez. “I just wanted to stay close, so the trip worked out perfectly.”

Owned and bred by Swifty Farms, Inc., Hungarian Princess was the favorite of the field and now has three wins in four starts. Her bankroll increased to more than $114,000 with the win.

“Turning for home, I saw the seven (America Rules) was being asked hard and I had a lot of horse,” said Bermudez. “I just waited as long as I could before asking her. It’s fun to ride a horse like this. I wish all of them were this easy to ride.”

For Hammond, it was her 33rd win of the meet. Horse racing’s all-time leading female trainer for wins with a career tally of more than 2,300 is currently third in the standings this season. She is Indiana’s all-time leading female trainer.

Photos

by Coady Photography