Spirited Justice shines in Back Home Again Handicap at Horseshoe Indianapolis

Spirited Justice and Luis Contreras closed out a big day of premier racing Wednesday with a victory in the final Thoroughbred race of the day, taking home the title in the $100,000 Back Home Again Handicap at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

It was the second premier win of the day for Trainer Tomas Medina, who also won the $100,000 ITOBA Stallion Season Handicap with Rapid Justice.

Spirited Justice (photo) was the favorite and left the gate with authority from post five. Contreras had a big hold on the filly, trying to rate her for the remainder of the six furlong sprint. Spirited Anne and Walter Rodriguez were tracking the top pair on the inside with Diva Las Vegas and Sophie Doyle staying close from the outside.

Around the turn, Spirited Justice began to open up on the field. By the time she was in the stretch, she was ahead of her opponents by four and one-half lengths, coasting under the wire for Contreras by nearly three lengths as the winner. Eltinge and Marcelino Pedroza Jr. moved up the inside to finish second over Spirited Anne for third.

“She is amazing,” said Contreras, who moved his tack to Indiana for the first time this season. “I am very happy the way she ran. She broke sharp, and I knew she had a lot of speed, but she showed it today.”

Spirited Justice paid $6.60 for the win. It was the third win in four starts for the Lantana Mob filly, who now has more than $100,000 on her card. She is owned by Seeley Chay Justice and was bred by Justice Farm. Medina now has conditioned her to a small three-race win streak.

“I am very fortunate to have her in my barn,” said Medina. “I am especially glad for all the help that they got this win today with her. They work very hard and I want to say thank you to them.”

For Contreras, it was a first for the veteran jockey. The Mexican born rider was one of the top jockeys in Canada for more than a decade and was named the Sovereign Award Outstanding Jockey in Canada. With more than 60 career Graded Stakes victories, including Canada’s top race, the Queen’s Plate, Contreras can now say he has a premier win in Indiana with his victory aboard Spirited Justice.

“I am very happy to get my first stakes win here,” added Contreras. “I plan to stay in this area and race at Turfway in the winter. I really like it here.”

Circle City Handicap

Q’s Topnotch (photo) showed just how much potential he has in his young career, swooping by and taking home the title in the $100,000 Circle City Handicap.

Guided by Marcelino Pedroza Jr., the Indiana sired freshman is now a premier racing winner for his connections.

Q’s Topnotch began from post eight and was quick out of the gate, but so were three others. He was four-wide down the backstretch vying neck and neck with Troubleonthegreen and Fernando De La Cruz between horses with Seen You Later and Carlos Barbosa holding their ground on the inside. Geole, ridden by Erik Asmussen, was also in the mix inside Q’s Topnotch.

All four horses stayed together around the only turn of the six furlong sprint. It wasn’t until they straightened out that Q’s Topnotch got a slight advantage on the outside. As he pulled away from the horses to his inside, Young Angus and Joe Ramos were gaining ground with their late closing kick. However, they could not catch Q’s Topnotch, who was a winner by two lengths at the wire. Young Angus was second over Seen You Later.

“He (Q’s Topnotch) normally breaks sharp and did again today,” said Pedroza Jr., a three-time leading jockey at Horseshoe Indianapolis. “We stayed outside, and he seemed comfortable. When I asked him for more speed, he responded really well. Even though he’s just two, he handled everything like a professional.”

Q’s Topnotch paid $11.00 for the win. The homebred son of Qurbaan was bred and raised by Bruce and Lori Murphy at their farm near Crawfordsville, Ind. They are now in partnership with Genaro Garcia’s Southwest Racing Stable. Garcia, who is Indiana’s all-time leading trainer by wins, trains the flashy chestnut gelding.

“Genaro (Garcia) and his team have done an outstanding job with this colt,” said Bruce, who owns and operates Murphy Trailer Sales. “This colt ran here and then ran against open company (Prairie Meadows Stakes at Prairie Meadows). We are very fortunate to have a colt like this.”

Q’s Topnotch is now three for four in his young career and undefeated at Horseshoe Indianapolis. His win in the Circle City moved his career bankroll over the $110,000 mark. He is the son of Murphy’s stallion Qurbaan, who stands at the Indiana Stallion Station in Anderson, Ind., one of the new and exciting additions to the breeding program for the state.

“Our Indiana bred two-year-olds are getting better and better,” noted Murphy, who has invested heavily in the program. “I encourage everyone to continue on. We are seeing the program get better and better each year.”

To Much Coffee Handicap

CJ’s Storm brought home the upset win in the 28^th running of the To Much Coffee Handicap at Horseshoe Indianapolis. The race is named in honor of one of Indiana’s first standout Thoroughbred, To Much Coffee, who found success outside the borders of Indiana.

CJ’s Storm and Alberto Burgos (photo) had a challenging task at the start of the race, beginning from post nine in the 12-horse lineup. Burgos requested some early speed and was able to get toward the front before the first turn of the one and one-sixteenth mile event.

Chocolate Moose and Sammy Bermudez held down the inside top spot to set the tempo, and CJ’s Storm sat just off his flank, under a patient hand by Burgos.

Heading into the final turn, Follow the Money, who had sat third the entire way for Fernando De La Cruz, began working hard to catch the top two. This prompted CJ’s Storm to pick up the pace as well. At the head of the lane, CJ’s Storm and Chocolate Moose were hooked into a big battle all the way down the stretch.

In the final strides, CJ’s Storm was able to pull away and get the advantage by one and one-half lengths for the win at 21-1 odds. Chocolate Moose was a clear cut second over Follow the Money.

“This horse (CJ’s Storm) always gives me everything he has,” said Burgos. “Every time, he always improves. When you don’t think you have a good shot, he proves you wrong. He is such a nice horse and tries so hard every time.”

CJ’s Storm paid $57.00 for the win. The five-year-old graduate of the ITOBA Fall Mixed Sale as a $6,200 yearling purchase earned his fourth win in seven starts for 2025. He added the To Much Coffee title to the William Henry Harrison, earned earlier in the meet.

 ITOBA Stallion Season Fillies Handicap

There was no mystery about who had the most speed in the 12^th running of the ITOBA Stallion Season Fillies.

Spooky Ridge and Joe Ramos (photo) ran away with the race, scoring their first win of 2025 and following in the footsteps of her older sister Crosley, last year’s winner of the ITOBA Stallion Season Fillies.

Starting from post three, Spooky Ridge laid off the early pace setters as Gatling Girl and Marcelino Pedroza Jr. took over the top spot on the inside, joined by Sakra’s Quest and Fernando De La Cruz to her outside. Spooky Ridge found a spot in mid pack heading to the halfway point of the one mile, 70 yard race.

Heading into the final turn, Spooky Ridge had maneuvered her way to the outside and was gobbling up ground with every stride as the field turned for home. At the head of the lane, Spooky Ridge took over and exploded, moving out to an eight and three-quarter length victory at the wire under a hand ride. Innisfree Lass and Alberto Burgos also closed gamely for second over Seeyouinabit and Manny Esquivel for third.

“I have ridden her several times before and we just couldn’t get the trip we needed,” explained Ramos, a two-time leading jockey at Horseshoe Indianapolis. “We just needed the opportunity to get a good trip. We found the right place today to let her find her stride. That inside hole that opened up. I think that is what won the race for us today. John (Langemeier) did a great job getting her ready, and I thank him for allowing me to continue to ride her.”

Spooky Ridge paid $5.80 for the win. The Forever d’Oro three-year-old is a home bred by John Langemeier’s Spooky Hollow Racing.

ITOBA Stallion Season Handicap

Rapid Justice had rapid movement around the final turn that led him to a perfect spot for the win in the 12^th running of the $100,000 ITOBA Stallion Season Handicap. 

Rapid Justice (photo, left) came into the race seeking his first win of 2025 and only his second of his career. Jockey Gabe Saez was a late rider change and broke from the outside post nine in the one mile, 70 yards event. They got away near the back of the pack as Dr Alex Is In and Fernando De La Cruz was the pacesetter on the inside tracked closely by Mondavila and Joe Ramos on the outside.

The top two were ahead by open lengths during the first half of the race before the rest of the field began to gain ground on them, including Rapid Justice.

Around the final turn, race favorite Sir Bahjy and Marcelino Pedroza were in full gear and making up a lot of ground on the outside. Following his path was Rapid Justice. At the top of the lane, Sir Bahjy took over and battled with Mondavila to get the lead, but it was Rapid Justice that proved to be the biggest threat in the late stages of the race.

Saez was widest of all with Rapid Justice and battled hard to get by Sir Bahjy, getting the job done at the wire by a margin of a neck. Gin and Whiskey and Sammy Bermudez moved up to finish third.

“In the final turn, I had the choice to go inside or go outside,” added Saez. “I saw on his form he had been on the inside and didn’t have quite the punch he needed, so I had that in mind when I decided to go wide with him.”

Rapid Justice paid $13.20 for the win. The three-year-old son of Lantana Mob is a home bred, owned by Justice Farm. Tomas Medina manages the training duties of the Indiana sired sophomore, who boosted his career earnings over the $140,000 mark with the win.

It was the first premier racing victory for Rapid Justice, who was making his 12^th career start. He had a pair of third place finishes earlier this year in Premier racing action with all his starts at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

The Shelby County Post is a digital newspaper producing news, sports, obituaries and more without a pay wall or subscription needed.