Bodenheimer Wires Field in Indian Summer Stakes
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Photo: Rick Samuels
Bodenheimer wins the Indian Summer Stakes at Keeneland
From the moment she put 2-year-old Bodenheimer in training, Valorie Lund knew the colt was something special.
And on Oct. 4, when the colt shot out of the Keeneland gate and dove to the front of the field to win the $150,000 Indian Summer Stakes Presented by Keeneland Select by a length, Lund knew immediately that her confidence had been well placed.
"I'm really cautious with my 2-year-olds, so not a lot of them even make it to the races," said Lund, who trains the Washington-bred son of Atta Boy Roy on behalf of her sister, Kristin Boice, and mother, Marylou Holden. "Early on I told my sister, 'This colt is good enough that if he stays sound, we could maybe go to the Breeders' Cup with him.'"
Now with the Indian Summer in his pocket, Bodenheimer has earned an automatic berth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2T) and will return to Keeneland to contest the race Nov. 6.
"He has done everything right," Lund said. "He's been an iron horse, and he's smart and he's fast. He's fulfilled everything we thought about him early on, and now we're going and it's exciting."
Ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr. in the 5 1/2-furlong race, Bodenheimer broke on top in the six-horse field and led at every point of call. He set fractions of :21.60 and :44.56 through the first three-eighths of a mile and held a comfortable 3 1/2-length lead at the top of the stretch.
The only serious threat to Bodenheimer came in midstretch as Cowan and jockey Ricardo Santana Jr., who saved ground in the backstretch, kicked forward in an effort to run down the leader in the final strides.
Cowan gained steadily on Bodenheimer and managed to cut the frontrunner's lead to one length. But the late drive was simply too late for Cowan, who could only manage second-best as Bodenheimer crossed the wire in 1:02.70.
"When he broke on the lead—and he made the lead pretty easy—I turned to momma and said, 'They're not going to catch him,'" Lund said.
Bodenheimer drives home to the wire under Brian Hernandez, Jr.
Cowan was followed by Agog, Good With People, Roderick, and Petit Verdot to complete the order of finish.
Lund purchased Bodenheimer in 2019 for $27,000 from the consignment of Blue Ribbon Farm to the Washington Breeders' Association Yearling and Mixed Sale. The colt broke his maiden on debut July 29 at Canterbury Park and won the Prairie Gold Juvenile Stakes at Prairie Meadows Aug. 22. He entered the Indian Summer off a fifth in the Sept. 12 Kentucky Downs Juvenile Turf Sprint at Kentucky Downs.
"My wife (Jamie) watched this horse at Kentucky Downs," said Hernandez, who was also aboard Bodenheimer in the Juvenile Turf Sprint. "She said, 'You know that horse is going to win the Indian Summer.' She said it all week, so I've gotta give her all the props of knowing how good he is and to Valorie for doing such a good job. He's a fast horse. He left there good—he did that with me at Kentucky Downs as well. He leaves there fast. He kinda puts the race to 'em, and that's what he did today. He was the fastest horse in the race."
Bred in Washington by Larry Romaine, Bodenheimer is out of the A.P. Indy mare Beautiful Daniele. Lund, who trained the colt's sire, said he favors the stallion in terms of sheer speed but that Bodenheimer has more in common with his mother when it comes to his physicality.
"Physically, he tends more toward the A.P. Indy line, in my opinion," Lund said. "Yes, he's fast, but (he) really favors his dam, who is an A.P. Indy daughter."
Atta Boy Roy, another Washington-bred, started in the 2010 Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) and finished 10th. Only six Washington-breds have ever made a start in the Breeders' Cup World Championships, and Atta Boy Roy was the most recent.
With a Breeders' Cup to look forward to and hopefully more winners already in the pipeline, Lund said she will be hoping for many more victories to come as she moves her operation—and Bodenheimer—to Kentucky for good.
"I'm a Northwest girl, and I have been forever," Lund said. "But I'm moving lock, stock, and barrel to Kentucky. West Coast racing isn't doing very well, and Arizona where we usually winter isn't going to open this year. I've been thinking about it for a couple of years, and we decided that now is the time. So I'm moving everything, including broodmares, babies, racing stock—everything is coming to Kentucky. It's either already here or it's on its way."
Bodenheimer's three wins have helped him bank purses of $141,225.