Florida-breds Hurricane Ike and Good Lord made up a Florida exacta by finishing first and second in the $104,300 Michael G. Schaefer Memorial Stakes at Hoosier Park in Anderson, Ind., Saturday. The one mile stake for 3-year-olds and older was part of a 12 race, 10 stakes race card highlighted by the $500,000 Indiana Derby and the $400,000 Indiana Oaks.
Bred in Florida by Stanley Boileau, Hurricane Ike won for the first time since winning an optional claiming race and an allowance race in consecutive fashion at Hoosier Park last year. The 5-year-old son of Graeme Hall, who stands at Eugene Melnyk’s Winding Oaks Farm in Ocala, Fla., is owned by Ike and Dawn Thrash who took home the $60,077 winner’s share and have seen Hurricane Ike now win $508,070 in his lifetime.
Shortly after the start of the Schaefer, Hurricane Ike found himself just to the outside of Hoorayforhollywood on the lead as those two went the first quarter-mile in :23.19 and the first half-mile in :46.46. Meanwhile Good Lord stalked in third just ahead of another Florida-bred in Shadowbdancing in fourth.
That order remained pretty much in tact until the top of the stretch when Hurricane Ike began to pull away while Good Lord began to make up ground on Hoorayforhollywood. Down the stretch Hurricane Ike began to draw clear while Good Lord was still in his best stride while catching Hoorayforhollywood. At the wire Hurricane Ike was a length in front of Good Lord with Hoorayforhollywood was another length back in third.
Forty Nine Watts got up for forth while Shadowbdancing could do no better than fifth.
Trained by Michael Stidham and ridden by Terry Thompson, Hurricane Ike returned a healthy $18.60 to those who supported him with $2 win tickets and he paid $8.00 to place and $4.40 to show. Good Lord, who was bred in Florida by Marilyn Fazo Seltzer, paid $4.20 and $3.00 while Hoorayforhollywood also returned $3.00 to show.
Good is by Greatness, who stands at Stonewall Farm Ocala and is a $115,000 graduate of the 2008 Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company August Yearling Sale.
Photo by Reed Palmer
