Louisiana Lover tops Blue River Derby Trials

SHELBYVILLE, Ind. (July 9, 2020) — The third and final division of the Blue River Derby had some strong firepower in it with the return of last year’s two-year-old Indiana champion HH CJ Shake. Right alongside was another solid contender in Louisiana Lover, who got up in the final stride to win the quickest of three trials on the day at Indiana Grand.

Ridden by Sammy Mendez, Louisiana Lover started from post six and it took The Louisiana Cartel a few strides to get his momentum up. HH CJ Shake was on the lead early and began to pull away from the field, but Louisiana Lover surged late to pick up the victory by a head and gain top qualifier status in the process. Rock Hard Candy and Victor Olivo finished third. Time for the trial was :20.137.

Louisiana Lover is owned by Dula Racing LLC and trained by Randy Smith. He is now five for eight in his career.

In the second division, Blue Eyed Newman had a grip on the field from the start. The sorrel son of Escondido Beach rallied out cleanly toward the lead and never looked back under a well-balanced ride by Shanley Jackson. Beach Benny and L.D. Martinez closed well on the outside to finish second with Jess Z Bob and Juan Marquez following the same route to finish third. The time of the trial was :20.139.

“I just listened to what Mr. Randy (Smith) told me,” said Jackson, who was aboard the Gordon Timm owned and bred gelding for the first time. “And he ran just like he said he was going to run. You just have to listen to the trainer in these instances.”

Blue Eyed Newman is now four for eight in his brief career. The win in the Blue River Derby trials was his first start as a three-year-old, something Smith has been waiting for.

“I thought he was a horse that needed to run down the track,” added Smith. “He was such a big horse last year at two, he needed more distance and I thought he’d be a better three-year-old. We don’t do anything special with him. We just try to keep him happy.”

The first division saw AZ Sum Rock placed up to first following a disqualification. Ridden by Sergio Ramirez, the Azoom sophomore earned his second career win and was officially timed in :20.374. Thunder Beach and Sammy Mendez were moved up to second, just a nose ahead of Cartels Cash Feature and Natasha Fritz for third. AZ Sum Rock is owned by Daniel Delucas and trained by Julio Almanza.

The $100,000 Blue River Derby Final is slated for Thursday, July 23 running 400 yards. The top 10 qualifiers for the Blue River Derby Final, with jockey and time, includes: Louisiana Lover (Sammy Mendez, :20.137); Blue Eyed Newman (Shanley Jackson, :20.139); HH CJ Shake (Juan Marquez, :20.155); Beach Benny (L.D. Martinez, :20.226); Jess Z Bob (Juan Marquez, :20.343); AZ Sum Rock (Sergio Ramirez, :20.374); Thunder Beach (Sammy Mendez, :20.375); Rock Hard Candy (Victor Olivo, :20.407); Shakeitonthebeach (Sammy Mendez, :20.583); and Kissmelikethat (Cristian Reyes, :20.593). Smith will saddle four in the final (Louisiana Lover, Blue Eyed Newman, Thunder Beach, Shakeitonthebeach) while Paul Martin will saddle two (HH CJ Shake, Jess Z Bob).

Photos by Coady Photography