BY BROCK SHERIDAN

Paradise Farms Corp. and David Staudacher’s Me and Mr. C stuck a nose in front of frontrunner Underdressed in the final jump to win the $102,975 Jonathan B. Schuster Memorial at Horseshoe Indianapolis Saturday. The Jonathan B. Schuster saw a field of 10 4-year-olds and older go a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the turf.

Under jockey Gerado Corrales, Me and Mr. C raced mid-pack about five lengths behind Underdressed, who galloped alone on the lead through slow quarter-mile splits of :24.08, :49.53 and 1:14.19. Underdressed continued to have a clear lead on his rivals turning for home as Me and Mr. C still had three lengths to make up after navigating through traffic while three-wide around the turn. Underdressed was still a length-and-a-half in front of longshot Gallant Guy in second with an eighth of a mile to the finish when Me and Mr. C began to make up ground on the outside. Me and Mr. C surged past Underdressed in the final jump to win the photo finish in 1:44.39 on the good turf.

Underdressed was a length-and-a-half in front of third-place finisher Verstappen with Strong Tide, Gentle Soul, Maasal Warrior, In Love (Brz), Gallant Guy, McLovin and Kentucky Ghost completing the order of finish.

It was the second consecutive victory for Me and Mr. C after winning the $90,000 Soldier’s Dancer going a mile-and-70-yards on the Gulfstream Park synthetic on June 11.

Despite winning his previous race, the Michael Maker-trained Me and Mr. C returned $21.60 to win at odds of 9-1.

Bred by Stonehedge LLC, Me and Mr. C is by Journeyman Stud’s leading Florida sire Khozan out of Abiding, by Dynaformer and improved his record to nine wins, six seconds and five thirds in 33 career starts with earnings of $457,619. The 6-year-old gelding is a graduate of the 2019 OBS March Sale where he was a $50,000 RNA from the consignment of Paul Sharp.

Abiding also produced multiple stakes-winner Abiding Star, by Uncle Mo, a winner of $700,565. From six foals, all have started of which five are winners. The late Gilbert Campbell purchased the unraced Abiding for his Stonehedge breeding operation while she was in foal to Hard Spun for $85,000 out of the 2010 Keeneland November Sale.