SHELBYVILLE, Ind. (Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022) – King Ice and DeShawn Parker showed extreme patience in the 23rd running of the Indiana Futurity Wednesday, Oct. 5. The duo finally found racing room in the stretch to surge home and claim the title in the $100,000 stakes race which was part of All Stakes Day featuring purses in excess of $500,000 at Horseshoe Indianapolis.
King Ice was the favorite of the field, but he was not announced in the early stages of the race. The freshman son of Keen Ice sat at the back of the pack in the 12-horse field and was vying for last early on. Macho Justice and Orlando Mojica were focused on the early lead with Good Forever and Marcelino Pedroza Jr. lurking on the outside. Many times in the first half of the one mile 70-yard race, King Ice was covered up by horses on all sides.
Heading into the final turn, King Ice did advance by a few contenders between horses and saved some ground along the inside to come up closer for the stretch drive. Midway through the stretch, Parker had no room to advance, so his only option was to wait for the right time to move to the outside. He got that opportunity with an eighth of a mile to go and Parker pulled him almost sideways to get him out in the clear. Once King Ice had a straightaway, he moved into attack mode, striding home for the win with a powerful finish, one and three-quarter lengths ahead of Win Me Over and Eddie Perez on his inside. Dealer and Rodney Prescott finished third.
King Ice paid $7.00 for the win. It was his second straight trip to the winner’s circle for his connections, Ron Hillerich’s Hillerich Racing LLC and Bernie Flint’s LTB Inc. George Leonard handles the training for the colt, who is now two for four in his brief career.
“He got a little further back and I’d like to see him, he he’s a professional and he found his way,” said Leonard on King Ice. “I’m very thankful to the connections of this horse for giving me this opportunity. He’s a nice colt.”
Leonard was joined by several of the owners for the trophy presentation, including Wyatt Hillerich of Hillerich Racing, who also bred the colt. His dam, Express Run, is a former stakes winner in Indiana for the connections and earned more than $343,000 before retiring to the farm’s brood mare band.
“We are so glad to be here, and all the credit goes to George (Leonard),” said Wyatt. “We are so thrilled to be involved in this breeding program in Indiana. He was impressive today and he’s really something special.”
Photos by Coady Photography
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