No secret about Nachor Secret’s talent in Blue River Derby Final at Horseshoe Indianapolis

Nachor Secret has returned as a new horse in 2024. The bigger, better stronger version of the Habits Secret son. Ridden by Martin Munoz, Nachor Secret dominated the field in the 22^nd running of the $133,900 Blue River Derby Final Saturday at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

Nachor Secret (photo) came into the race off a second-place finish to the fastest qualifier from the trials, AP Miss Lunas Tide. He began from post five in the field of 10 and was the center of a lot of contact coming out of the gate, but he stood his ground and rallied straight out of early trouble to gain a short advantage.

Midway through the 400-yard dash, Nachor Secret hit another gear, lengthening his stride and rolling under the wire as a three-quarter length winner in 19.649 seconds.

Priddy Fabulous and Saul Lopez held their ground inside for second followed by Nachor Secret’s stablemate, Tin Knocker and Diego Villamil Bocanegra for third.

“He broke good,” said Munoz through translation by trainer Ricardo Martinez. “The further he went, the better he got today.”

Nachor Secret earned race favorite status, paying $5.00 for the win. The grey colt is out of Martinez’s stallion, Habit’s Secret. Martinez raced both the sire and the dam of Nachor Secret and is reaping the benefits of that investment with the success of Nachor Secret.

It was his second career stakes win this season, coupled with the Harley Greene Derby victory. Overall, he is five for 10 and has only missed the board one time in his career. His overall earnings tally now tops $169,000.

Habits Secret competed at Horseshoe Indianapolis for Martinez, winning 10 of 26 lifetime starts before he retired him to stud duty at Dr. Roger Beam’s Midwest Equine and Veterinary Hospital in Trafalgar, Ind. The No Secrets Here stallion has many accolades already. He was the number five freshman leading sire in the nation in 2018 and is a 100 percent money producer. Nachor Secret is his latest star in a long line of stakes winners and isn’t done yet.

“We’ll keep him (Nachor Secret) in the Indiana bred program and finish up with that,” added Martinez on the future of Nachor Secret.

This is the second win in a row for Martinez in the Blue River Derby. He connected with Tachas Secret last year in the event, another product of Habits Secret.

Gordon Mobley Futurity

Zoomin Feature, picked up by L.D. Daniel Martinez for the first time, zoomed home for the win in the $193,700 Gordon Mobley Futurity Final in a time of 17.991 seconds.

Zoomin Feature was one of three from the barn of trainer Claudio Barraza to reach the Mobley Futurity Final. With first call jockey Edgar Diaz taking the spot aboard Paradise Beach, that left Barraza to search for a jockey for Zoomin Feature, who won his trial but was ranked seventh on the list of the 10 finalists. He was able to secure Martinez, who was available for the race.

Martinez broke out of the gate well and headed straight for the wire. The freshman gelding got an early advantage, putting his opponents in a disadvantage early as he was ahead by more than one length in the center of the track. Zoomin Feature (photo) bore down gamely as the late closers were approaching, including stablemate Paradise Beach on the far outside with Edgar Diaz aboard.

In the end, he was a clear cut winner by one-half length over HF Just Reno and Rolando Pina, who got a nose in front of Paradise Beach for second.

Zoomin Feature paid $30.00 for the win. The Jess Zoomin gelding is a homebred, born and raised at Campos Family Ventures training center in Central Indiana. It was the second win in the Mobley Futurity Final for Barraza, who connected with Botticelli Beach in 2021.

“This horse (Zoomin Feature) broke bad in his trial,” explained Barraza. “He brought through a hole between two horses to win, so he knew he had talent despite all the mistakes he made in that race. We have been doing really well together this year (referring to Owner Campos Family Ventures). It’s great to see them get this win. I want to thank all my help too. They have been putting extra work in at the barn.”

Zoomin Feature is now two for three in his brief career. He instantly became a six-figure earner for his connections with his win in the Mobley Futurity Final.

Heartland Futurity

Sometimes, all you need is a little luck and a chance. That is exactly what happened with Caughtmeatagoodtime and Fernando Morin in the $168,520 Heartland Futurity Final at Horseshoe Indianapolis. Everything lined up perfectly for the pair as they rallied home for the win in the richest purse offered ever for the Heartland Futurity in the 16^th running of the 350-yard dash for two-year-olds.

The journey to the final had a twist for Caughtmeatagoodtime. Starting from post one, Morin had Caughtmeatagoodtime ready to roll when the gate sprung open. The freshman gelding was in contention for the lead the entire way.

Horses were bearing down on him hard in the final strides, including race favorite Arbitro and Edgar Diaz, the fastest qualifier from the trials. But Caughtmeatagoodtime never wavered. In the end, he was able to repel all his opponents for the win by a head over Arbitro. RR God and Cowboys and L.D. “Daniel” Martinez finished third.

“He (Caughtmeatagoodtime) broke really, really good and he responded so well,” said Morin, who was aboard for the first time. “He is a great horse. I asked him about half way down the stretch and he responded. Ricardo (Martinez) has done a great job with him. He’s a great trainer.”

Caughtmeatagoodtime (photo) paid $25.20 for the win. The son of Lota PYC is now a perfect two for two for trainer Ricardo Martinez, who acquired him for Indiana before the trials of the Heartland Futurity. He is a homebred, born and raised by owners Whiting Ranch.

Caughtmeatagoodtime is now three for four in his young career, after breaking his maiden at Sam Houston before transferring to Martinez.

“He already had a win before I got him,” explained Martinez, who saddled three for the Heartland Futurity Final. “The first thing I noticed about him is he is focused all the time. He goes in the gate, and he stands there and doesn’t move. I told Fernando (Morin) I was going to put him up on this horse. I also told him, ‘If anyone blinks, you are done.’ I told him he will take it.”

The interesting point for Caughtmeatagoodtime was he wasn’t an automatic qualifier from the 47 horses vying for a spot in the top 10 for the Heartland Final. He won his trial in a time of :18.451, which was also the same time Barr Lyla scored her trial in. The two tied for the last spot on the finals list. Trainers met in the racing office and an official shake was held, giving Caughtmeatagoodtime to take the last spot in the final lineup over Barr Lyla.

It was the fourth win in the Heartland Futurity Final for Martinez. He holds the stakes record with his standout sprinter Woop Dee Doo, the sorrel sway backed gelding who was a multiple stakes winner in Indiana. He covered the 300-yard dash in :15.348 in 2015 to set the record. This season is the first year the race was held at 350 yards.

The 22^nd season of live Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing extends through Nov. 14. Racing is held Monday through Thursday at 2:10 p.m.

For more information on live racing at Horseshoe Indianapolis, visit www.caesars.com/horseshoe-indianapolis/racing or find the track on Social Media @HSIndyRacing.