News and STORIES

Shared Sense Beats Major Fed in Indiana Derby; Shedaresthedevil Takes Indiana Oaks

Author: Don Mckee
Published: Thursday July 09, 2020
Godolphin's Shared Sense ran strongly on Wednesday to take his first career stakes victory at Indiana Grand. He finished three lengths ahead of Major Fed in the $300,000 Indiana Derby (G3).

With the victory, Shared Sense was awarded 20 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, pushing him closer to qualifying for the race. He will need his connection to supplement him for $45,000.

Shared Sense, not an original nominee to the Triple Crown, came into the Indiana Derby as the favorite at 5-2 odds. His previous race was a runner-up effort in a June 13 allowance optional claiming race at Churchill Downs against Art Collector, an entrant in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G2). 

The Running

After settling in early under jockey Florent Geroux in the Indiana Derby, Taishan took the lead with fractions of :23.93, :47.69, and 1:12.27 in the 1 1/8-mile dirt race.

Shared Sense was sitting in eighth out of nine leaving the first turn, and he began to move forward down the backstretch. On the second turn, he made his way to fifth before pushing forward to pass up horses. At the same time, Major Fed did the same, rallying wide from last.

The two battled it out with the field down the stretch, and Major Fed finished a half-length ahead of Necker Island in third.

James Graham, the jockey for Major Fed, claimed foul against the winner after alleging interference with a quarter-mile left. Stewards reviewed it and disallowed the claim.

"I went to the 3 1/2 path to get in the clear, and James came running next to me on Major Fed, and we had a little bit of a bump," Geroux said. "He was trying to block me in a bit, like he should. There was maybe some race-riding there but nothing bad. We didn't put anybody in danger. There was a little bit of contact but not enough to change the outcome of the race."

Shared Sense finished in 1:49.46 on a fast track.

Shedaresthedevil in Indiana Oaks

Geroux and trainer Brad Cox already had taken the other graded stakes at Indiana Grand on the day, with their Indiana Oaks (G3) victory with Shedaeresthedevil.

The Daredevil filly inched closer to the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) with the five-length victory in the $200,000 event.

She is now in third on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard with 90 points.

"She's got enough points to get in," he said. "I won't say we'll make it easy on her, but as easy on her as we can to try to get her into the Oaks the best way and get her there with some confidence."

Coming in as the 3-5 favorite among a field of eight, Flurry Racing Stables, Qatar Racing, and Big Aut Farms' Shedaresthedevil settled in second behind Miss T Too.

As six furlongs went in 1:11.03, Shedaresthedevil was only a head behind the leader.

At the three-eighths pole, Geroux made his bid, and the filly began to move forward. Impeccable Style tried to chase but Shedaresthedevil sped down the lane.

The filly finished the 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:43.50, receiving an additional 20 [points toward the Kentucky Oaks.

"She was waiting a little bit down the stretch. Last time at Churchill, she was a little more focused because she's there every day, and here she didn't know (surroundings) too much," Geroux said. "She was waiting a little bit on horses and waiting for my signal to keep going. I gave her a few taps at the eighth pole just to keep her focused, and it was just a matter of how many lengths by which she was going to win."

"Big favorite. We expected her to run well," Cox said. "She'd been training the part out of her last race at Churchill, where she ran a big race. It was a good trip — she responded well. I thought she looked great at the quarter pole. 

"Florent had to kind of reach around and keep her alert the last sixteenth of a mile. He said she kind of got a little lost late. But when he asked her the last sixteenth, she really kicked on. Overall, it was a big effort, exactly what we were looking for. I was real pleased with her."

The rest of the field followed with Impeccable Style in second, followed by Bayerness, Fire Coal, Miss T Too, Gibberish, Spartanka, and Alandra.