Larry Rodgers and Coast Racing’s Indigo Woods returned from a layoff in impressive fashion, capturing the $100,000 Allen “Black Cat” LaCombe Memorial Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course on Saturday, 7 March.
Ridden by Axel Concepcion for trainer Brendan Walsh, the Irish-bred filly covered 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.80 over a firm turf course, winning by a half-length over Faithful Departed (Yoshida) with Bohemian (Essential Quality) finishing third.
The victory followed Walsh’s win in last week’s Black Gold Stakes with Black Hornet (Essential Quality), the companion race to the LaCombe.
Loveliest set the early pace, posting comfortable early fractions while Indigo Woods tracked just behind the leaders. Concepcion guided Indigo Woods wide entering the far turn, where the filly made a bold bid for the lead. She surged clear in the stretch and held off a late charge from the longshot Faithful Departed.
Indigo Woods, who broke her maiden in her lone previous start in October at Churchill Downs, improved her career record to 2-for-2 with earnings of $97,800.
Bred in Ireland by Tinnakill Bloodstock, Indigo Woods is out of Brushed Gold, a multiple Stakes-placed daughter of Touch Gold. The immediate family also boasts several Graded Stakes winners including Wet Paint (G1 Coaching Club American Oaks), Nastique (G1 Ladies H.), Skylighter (G2 Indiana Oaks), and Pixelate (G2 Del Mar Derby), to name just a few.
Blue Point has now sired 28 individual Black Type winners, headed by triple G1 winner, Champion Miler and new Darley stallion, Rosallion. His latest crop of yearlings made up to a million guineas in the sales ring.
Blue Point stands at Kildangan Stud at a fee of €100,000, Oct 1, SLF.
