From Horseshoe Indianapolis:
The 7-year-old Dana’s Beauty won for the 13th time in her career to become a millionaire, taking the $100,000 Indiana General Assembly Distaff Handicap at Horseshoe Indianapolis by a diminishing neck over the fast-flying Strikingly Spun.
It was Hall of Famer John Velazquez’s first victory at Horseshoe Indianapolis, according to Equibase statistics. It also kicked off a big day for Mike Maker, who later teamed with Velazquez to win the $100,000 Michael G. Schaefer Memorial with Willy D’s.
Owner John Stewart of Resolute Racing purchased Dana’s Beauty for $450,000 at the 2024 Keeneland Horses of Racing Age Sale and turned her over to Maker. The plan was to breed her and race her in foal for a few races, but the mare didn’t get pregnant. But Dana’s Beauty is doing just fine at her first career on the track: The winner’s share of $58,800 brought her earnings to $1,034,495.
“It was great,” said Stewart’s daughter, Sarah. “We had so many good things from her when she was at Turfway over the winter. We expected her to win, and she did. She ran great.”
Velazquez pressed the pace set by favored She’s Lookin Lucky, hooking up in the final eighth-mile. But Strikingly Spun, with Joe Ramos aboard, was closing fast from last on the outside. Dana’s Beauty got to the wire, just in time, with She’s Lookin Lucky winding up another neck back in third under another Hall of Famer, Mike Smith.
She’s Lookin Lucky rolled off fractions of 23.49 seconds for the first quarter mile, :46.93 for the half and 1:09.68 for six furlongs. Dana’s Beauty hit the mile in 1:33.09 with the final time 1:39.57 for 1 1/16 miles over firm turf, just missing the course record of 1:39.49 (and since broken by Encino’s 1:39.38 in the Jonathan B. Schuster).
“It was pretty straight forward,” Velazquez said. “There really wasn’t much speed other than Mike (Smith on She’s Lookin’ Lucky) and myself. I didn’t want to go head-and-head with him. By the time we got to the backstretch, my horse engaged on the bridle. It took a while to pass Mike’s horse, and I thought maybe I was in trouble. Then the horse on the outside came up and she went on. That’s what made me pass Mike, because she got competitive with the horse on the outside.”
For her career, Dana’s Beauty is now 13-6-9 in 47 starts. The daughter of Not This Time out of the City Zip mare City Siren returned $8.20 for the win.
“Just a really nice hard-knocking filly who loves firm turf and poly,” Maker said by phone. “Thankfully we didn’t have any rain today.”
Dana’s Beauty was sixth in her previous start, in Belle Mahone (G3) at Woodbine. Said Maker: “She didn’t care for that track. We’ve tried Canada twice. She doesn’t like crossing the border.”
He said he sees no difference in her at age 6 and 7.
“She always looks well,” he said of Dana’s Beauty, who was bred in Kentucky by John Liviakis. “Very sound horse. Loves her job.”
