Runninagainstdwind took the most important step of his life. The very last step made him a winner in the 29th running of the $133,720 QHRAI Derby during Indiana Champions Day at Horseshoe Indianapolis. Ridden by Fernando Morin, the sophomore sprinter won by a slim margin to secure the title in the second oldest race in the state behind the Governor’s Stakes, both held during the inaugural season of pari-mutuel Quarter Horse racing in 1997 at Hoosier Park.
Cowboy on the Fly and Isidro Banuelos had the best jump out of the gate and led the field through the initial stages of the 400-yard dash. He was joined by Terra Fina and Yovani Flores-Minos. Midway through the race, Runninagainstdwind came into the picture and began to vie with Cowboy on the Fly for the lead. At the wire, it was Runninagainstdwind for the win by a neck over Cowboy on the Fly. Terra Fina held positioning for third.
Runninagainstdwind was a longshot, paying $37.80 for the win. The Uncle D gelding is owned by Carlos Ramos and trained by Ricardo Martinez. It was one of two in the race for Martinez, who also saddled the top performer from the trials, Kadillaking, who ran into road trouble early in the race.
“He is a horse that has been doing well, just not much luck,” said Martinez. “This time, he came back from the trials better, so we thought he might run well today. He was doing better, but he’s had some bad racing luck. And in the (QHRAI SSA) Derby, he didn’t break good, and it cost him the race.”
Runninagainstdwind was the fifth fastest qualifier from the trials. The win in the QHRAI Derby was his first in stakes action. He now has four wins in 12 starts over the past two seasons and boosted his career bankroll to nearly $150,000 with the win.
The 23rd season of live Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing runs through Thursday, Nov. 13. For more information on racing at Horseshoe Indianapolis, visit www.caesars.com/horseshoe-indianapolis/racing or find details on social media @HSIndyRacing.
