Indygo Mountain time

Timing’s everything. On Dec. 18, Indygo Mountain was scratched out of an allowance race at Fair Grounds in New Orleans because of a foot problem. If that had happened in April – well, it could have scuttled some ambitious plans. But happening in December it’s merely a setback, more interruption than anything and something that could be forgotten in a few months.

Indygo Mountain, a powerful chestnut son of A.P. Indy who scored his maiden victory by more than six lengths at Churchill Downs, will make his stakes debut Saturday in Fair Grounds’ Lecomte.

“The bad thing is we missed a race and a work with him,” said his trainer, Bret Calhoun, referring to the foot abscess that cost the big colt some training time. “But he’s doing real well now.”

Calhoun said Indygo Mountain won’t be 100 percent for Saturday’s race. Indygo Mountain, in other words, won’t be as good as he should be in the coming months. But that’s why he’s running, to move in that direction.

Indygo Mountain officially worked a half-mile Wednesday in 48.80. But Calhoun said the colt actually worked a mile, with the clockers not picking him up on their watches until he reached the half-mile pole.

That can easily happen on a morning when there’s traffic and several horses breaking off at different points on the track at almost the same time. And so Indygo Mountain actually finished up in 48.80, which would place that workout, if it can be judged without being seen, in the impressive category. And he’ll work again Monday, Calhoun said.

As for Silver City, another promising 3-year-old in Calhoun’s barn, he’ll go to Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., for the Dixieland Stakes on Jan. 18. Calhoun had hoped to run Silver City, an impressive winner at Churchill, in the Lecomte.

“But I don’t have him ready to go a mile yet,” Calhoun said. “We worked him a mile, and he worked good, but not good enough.” Since then, on Saturday, Silver City worked a bullet five furlongs in 59.80, and so for the moment he’ll sprint.

Comments

[Alfredo]

Here's the field for the Lacomte
1 Friesan Fire
2 Au Moon
3 Citizen
4 Patena
5 Big Push
6 Dynamic Force
7 Professor Z
8 Uno Mas
9 Indygo Mountain

Thanks Gary, always good to hear from a trainer that his contending horse is not quite 100% especially when he will be taking some money.

I'm leaning toward David Carroll's Au Moon. He broke is maiden convincingly at CD in late November and Julien Leparoux stays at the controls.

[Gary West]

Yes, that kind of candor is terrific. Horse racing could use more of it. That said, even though Indygo Mountain isn't at his best, I suspect he's still good enough to win. And I expect Friesan Fire to run a big race. He was too rank in his last, and Larry Jones will have him more settled for this. Good luck.