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Trust N Seven Wins Merrillville Stakes
Trust N Seven found her way back to the winner’s circle in stakes action Saturday, Aug. 29, winning the 15th running of the $70,000 Merrillville Stakes. Guided by Leandro Goncalves, the three-year-old filly rushed home in the final strides to earn the title, her third win in four outings over Hoosier Park Racing and Casino’s oval.
Starting from post four in the 12-horse lineup, Trust N Seven broke with the majority of the pack and stayed comfortable amidst horses through the first portion of the six-furlong race. Around the turn, Goncalves had the Trust N Luck filly in gear to advance, slowly getting her into position for the stretch drive as Blu Vapor and Emanuel Cosme continued to lead the way.
In the stretch, it took a few strides to get Trust N Seven into top gear, but once she found her momentum, she began to surge forward. She was able to chase down the leader in the final strides of the race to win by a margin of one length at the wire. Blu Vapor was game for second followed by Arro Echos and Tommy Pompell for third.
“We had her mother and her grandmother,” said trainer Mike Lauer. “She has turned out to be a good filly for us and she’s raced well over this track. She is also very versatile and can either lead or come from off the pace.”
Owned by Lauer’s wife, Penny, Trust N Seven now has three wins in five starts for 2009. She increased her bankroll for the Lauers to more than $180,000 with her latest victory. The win in the Merrillville is her third career stakes win. She was also victorious in the $100,000 Miss Indiana at Hoosier Park last fall at two.
“She (Trust N Seven) is a very nice horse and she is easy to ride,” said Goncalves. “She does what she is asked. I worked her in the last 10 days and she is getting better and better. I really didn’t think she could win until the last 10 yards or so today, but she just kept getting stronger.”
The win for Goncalves was one of three on the card. A native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Goncalves finished second in the leading jockey standings last season. He is now based on the Kentucky circuit, but still competes several times a week in Indiana. Goncalves is ranked 13th in the nation this year with 172 wins through Saturday, Aug. 29.
