Apollitical Mission topped the charts of the Harley Greene Derby Trials Thursday, May 15 at Horseshoe Indianapolis. The sophomore sprinter turned in the fastest time of the night among three trials filled with 26 contenders.
Ridden by Rolando Pina, Apollitical Mission broke from post two and was on top of the field in the first jump. The son of The Transmission led all the way to the wire in the 350-yard dash for the victory by a neck in :17.690. AP Political Patriot, last year’s winner in the Restricted Grade 3 QHRAI Stallion Service Auction Futurity, closed late for jockey Jose Ruiz for second followed by Paradise Beach and Edgar Diaz.
Apollitical Mission paid $6.20 for the win. Teamed up with AP Political Patriot, the two horses ranked first and second among fastest times headed to the Greene Derby Final, set for the first all-Quarter Horse Day of 2025 Saturday, May 31.
Apollitical Mission is a homebred raised by breeder Walter “Dick” Harrison before his passing. Harrison’s son, Phillip Harrison, now owns the gelding, who earned his third career win in nine starts. He has only missed the board twice in his racing career. He is trained by Tim Eggleston, who currently leads the Quarter Horse Trainer’s Standings this season.
Eggleston also connected for a win with Beach First, who recorded the third fastest time on the night. Also ridden by Pina, the sorrel gelding also got an early lead from the center of the track and drew away from his opponents late in the race to win by one and one-quarter lengths in :17.826. Jess A Beach Man and Edgar Diaz finished second over Magnum Beach and Fernando Morin.
Beach First was the favorite, paying $4.80 for the win. The Escondido Beach sophomore is owned by Gregg Farris and was bred by Sheri Miller, who stands Escondido Beach at her farm in northern Indiana. It was the first start of the year for Beach First, who now has two career wins.
The third and final trial of the night brought back a stakes winner from 2024 for his first start of the year. Zoomin Feature, winner of last year’s $194,000 Gordon Mobley Futurity, was all business from start to finish, posting a one-length win under wraps by Edgar Diaz in :17.951. WRs Apollitical Gal and Diego Villamil Bocanegra finished second over Flashy Beach DHD and Francisco Quintero.
Zoomin Feature paid $8.20 for his win. The Campos Family Venture owned son of Jess Zoomin is trained by Claudio Barraza and is now three for six in his young career.
The full field of qualifiers for the Harley Greene Derby Final, in order of time with jockey, includes: Apollitical Mission (:17.69, Rolando Pina); AP Political Patriot (:17.727, Jose Ruiz); Beach First (:17.826, Rolando Pina); Zoomin Feature (:17.951, Edgar Diaz); Jess A Beach Man (:18.04, Edgar Diaz); Magnum Beach (:18.12; Fernando Morin); WRs Apollitical Gal (:18.131, Diego Villamil Bocanegra); Escondido Gold (:18.193, Diego Villamil Bocanegra); Paradise Beach (:18.203, Edgar Diaz); and Wildcat Lover (:18.24, Eduardo Diaz). Trainers Tim Eggleston (Apollitical Mission, Beach First, Wildcat Lover) saddles three for the final along with Trainer Claudio Barraza (Zoomin Feature, Jess A Beach Man, Paradise Beach). Trainer Natasha Perez will send two to the Greene Derby Final (WRs Apollitical Gal, Escondido Gold).
The $75,000-plus Harley Greene Derby will join the $75,000-plus Born Runner Classic on the first all-Quarter Horse Day of 2025. First post is 10:45 a.m. Saturday, May 31. The late morning card will also feature the $30,000 Maiden Stakes Final along with trials for the Horseshoe Indianapolis QHRAI Derby. The stakes will be the first of 30 slated for 2025 for Indiana Quarter Horse racing featuring a record total of more than $2.3 million in purses.
Other all-Quarter Horse racing dates for 2025, all Saturday programs, include June 28, July 19, Aug. 9, Aug. 30, and Oct. 4. Indiana Champions Day Saturday, Oct. 25 will feature four finals, including the Restricted Grade 3 Miss Roxie Little Futurity.
