Linda’s Lace Retains Title in Merrillville Stakes
Linda’s Lace did it again. She added another Hoosier Park stakes victory to her credentials, taking home the title of the $84,000 Merrillville Stakes Saturday, Aug. 27 at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino. Now eight-years-old, the veteran race mare earned her 10th win over Hoosier Park’s oval for owner-trainer Bob Zahl.
Linda’s Lace is known for her closing kick but occasionally, she will step out of the gate quickly and gain an early advantage. Jockey Terry Thompson opted to use her late closing kick in the six-furlong event, waiting as Facey’s Spirit and leading rider Leandro Goncalves took control of the top spot down the backstretch. Thompson waited patiently behind most of the field, moving up slightly for the final quarter of a mile.
In the lane, Linda’s Lace dug in and began to put her opponents away one by one. It wasn’t until halfway through the stretch that the daughter of Sveikatas took over and scooted away from the field, winning by one and three-quarter lengths in a time of 1:11.40. Eskimo’s Best and Orlando Mojica rallied up for second followed by Whistlin’ Jean and Victor Lebron, who also used a late burst of speed late to get up for third.
“She (Linda’s Lace) is a nice horse that is better with two turns,” said Thompson. “Today, I just let the younger horses set the pace and made a move and rode it out. She got a bad head bob last time out, so I expected her to finish well this time.”
Linda’s Lace earned her first victory of the year with the win in the Merrillville. She is now a two-time defending champ for the stakes race, which is in its 17th running. Zahl has had Linda’s Lace her entire career. She now has in excess of $438,000 in career earnings. All but one of her wins has been at Hoosier Park during her six-year racing career.
“I can’t believe she (Linda’s Lace) paid $18.60 to win,” said Thompson. “That’s a good price for her. I hope the gamblers here got all over that.”
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Photo by Linscott Photography