Mystery Unbridled gets the nod in To Much Coffee Stakes

SHELBYVILLE, Ind. (Nov. 6, 2019) – At the top of the stretch, Indiana Grand Track Announcer Bill Downes saw race favorite Operation Stevie making a big move to the lead and noted the leader, Mystery Unbridled, better be ready to counter him. Unbridled Mystery and Sammy Bermudez did just that, fighting their way to the wire for the win by a nose in the 22nd running of the $150,000 To Much Coffee Stakes during closing day of the 2019 meet at Indiana Grand.

Mystery Unbridled likes to be on the lead and Sammy Bermudez did just that with the grey gelding. There was a cavalry charge to get early positioning but by the time the field of 12 had reached the first turn, Mystery Unbridled had the call on the inside. Flowerpecker and Jose Riquelme applied pressure on the outside all the way down the backstretch, but Mystery Unbridled never wavered. Race favorite Operation Stevie was second to last early down the backstretch and began to move up slowly for the second half of the race and there was no doubt he would be challenging in the final strides.

Operation Stevie made a big move around the turn and was on even ground with Mystery Unbridled at the top of the stretch. It appeared at first Operation Stevie would go right on by but Mystery Unbridled fought back. The two exchanged the lead numerous times in the stretch duel and were still fighting at the wire, with Unbridled Mystery timing his head bob just right for the win. Solitaire Game and Orlando Mojica finished third. The time of the one and one-sixteenth mile race was 1:45.13.

“He (Mystery Unbridled) likes to be on the front and he likes to hustle,” said Bermudez, who completed the day with two wins on the card. “He had a little more guts than last time. I’m very thankful he came back. I could feel my horse was digging in.”

Bermudez was referring to his last encounter aboard Mystery Unbridled when the duo tangled with Operation Stevie in the $100,000 Gus Grissom two starts back. Mystery Unbridled found himself in a similar situation and lost the race by a head to Operation Stevie. Trainer Mike Weaver explained the path to the next test in the To Much Coffee Stakes.

“After his last stakes race, I shouldn’t have run him back (in an allowance in mid-October),” said Weaver. “I knew there was five weeks off between stakes and so I thought I’d run him back one more time, but it was too quick. But today, I knew there was a little something left in the tank and that’s what got him to the wire.”

It was the sixth career win for Mystery Unbridled, who is owned by Tami and James Eads and Dianna Weaver. The five-year-old son of Unbridled Express increased his career bankroll to more than $233,000 with his win in the To Much Coffee, which was his first career stakes win. Mystery Unbridled has earned a new setting for the winter.

“He’s headed to Florida with Randy Klopp,” added Weaver. “He’s going to winter in the sunshine.”

The To Much Coffee, named after a standout mare that raced during the early stages of Indiana pari-mutuel racing in the mid 1990’s, was the final stakes race of 2019, completing a season with Thoroughbred stakes purses in excess of $4.3 million. Racing dates for 2020 are expected to be released by the Indiana Horse Racing Commission at the regular December meeting.