Leading Change turns back Our Moneyman in Indiana Derby; Maximum Offer upsets Oaks

Bet down to 1-2 favoritism, Leading Change dug down to prevail in Saturday’s $300,000 Indiana Derby (G3), repelling Our Moneyman by a neck at Horseshoe Indianapolis. Brad Cox trains the promising three-year-old son of Gun Runner for Wathnan Racing (Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani), and Irad Ortiz Jr. guided the unbeaten bay colt.

Along with the Derby, Horseshoe Indianapolis offered the $200,000 Indiana Oaks (G3) on their signature racing program, and Maximum Offer made all the pace in a frontrunning upset.

Leading Change stretched to two turns for the 1 1/16-mile Indiana Derby following an exciting debut win over seven furlongs at Churchill Downs on June 7, registering a 96 Brisnet Speed rating for the 6 1/2-length romp. He was put to the test by a solid foe, as Our Moneyman was last seen finishing second to Blue Grass (G1) winner Further Ado in the Matt Winn (G3), and Leading Change gained valuable seasoning while stopping the teletimer in 1:41.98. 

After pressing Out of the Woods through opening splits in :23.40,:46.42, and 1:10.16, Leading Change made his bid for the lead in upper stretch, but Our Moneyman was also advancing to join the fray on the far outside as they straightened for home. An exciting stretch duel developed, but Our Moneyman could never get past as Leading Change kept finding more to the wire. 

Out of the Woods gave way in deep stretch but held third, and Zihnal, Mister T, and Creole Chrome rounded out the order.

A half-brother to 2020 Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Shedaresthedevil, an earner of more than $2.7 million who counted three Grade 1s among her eight graded stakes wins, Leading Change is out of Starship Warpspeed, a daughter of Congrats, and Wathnan purchased Leading Change for $800,000 as a yearling at the 2023 Keeneland September sale.

Overlooked as the 5.50-1 fifth choice among six rivals, Maximum Offer sprinted clear from the Indiana Oaks starting gate and established slow opening fractions (:24.74, :48.95, and 1:12.14) on a short lead, and the Kenny McPeek-trained daughter of Maxfield saved plenty left for the stretch drive, drawing off to a 2 1/2-length win. The gray filly earned her first stakes triumph in her fourth try and completed 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.65.

Betty’s Pearl rallied for second as the 1.90-1 second choice, a neck better than Nahla in third. Next came 6-5 favorite Prom Queen, who came up empty in the stretch after being well-positioned up close through the opening stages, and Star Actress.

Bred in Kentucky by KMN Racing, Maximum Offer sold for $170,000 as a yearling at the 2023 Keeneland September sale and is the fourth stakes winner, and first graded, out of the Pure Prize mare No Better Terms. She recorded unplaced finishes in her previous stakes attempts, finishing last of five most recently in the Acorn (G1) at Saratoga, but Maximum Offer delivered an improved performance Saturday.

In other stakes, In the Stars led a 1-2 finish for owner G. Watts Humphrey in the $100,000 Indiana General Assembly Distaff H., launching a bold bid beneath Luis Saez to win comfortably over runner-up Princess Attitude. Rusty Arnold trains In the Stars, and the four-year-old filly notched her first stakes triumph when finishing 1 1/16 miles in a snappy 1:39.44 on turf listed as firm. Vickie Oliver conditions Princess Attitude for Humphrey.

Godolphin’s homebred Kapoor shrugged off an outside post and the stretch to two turns in the $100,000 Mari Hulman George Memorial H., sprinting to the fore at the break and leading all the way. Junior Alvarado was up for Bill Mott on the four-year-old filly, who had won four consecutive sprint starts by convincing margins before finishing last of seven as the favorite in her stakes debut, the six-furlong Winning Colors (G3) at Churchill Downs in late May. Kapoor competed 1 1/16 miles in 1:41.75.

Bendoog surged past pacesetter First Division and escaped a savaging from his rival in deep stretch, driving clear late in the $101,850 Michael G. Schaefer Memorial S. Alvarado was up on the seven-year-old horse, who scored by 2 1/2 lengths over runner-up Gould’s Gold and traveled a mile and 70 yards in 1:39.44. Bill Mott trains and co-owns with Frank Fletcher. Runner-up in the 2024 Suburban (G2), Bendoog was exiting a head second versus allowance rivals at Saratoga in early June.

Alvarado made it three stakes wins on the afternoon when piloting Seminole Chief to a 14-1 upset in the $102,500 Jonathan B. Schuster Memorial at 1 1/16 miles on turf, prevailing by about a length after pressing the early pace. Now a three-time stakes winner, Seminole Chief was making his second start for Joe Sharp, dropping into the claiming ranks for the first time to win a $75,000 claimer on Churchill’s turf in his previous outing. The five-year-old gray gelding had lost six straight before the recent resurgence, and Seminole Chief was timed in 1:40.16.