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Congressional Page Wins Schaefer Mile
Congressional Page kept his winning streak intact Saturday, Oct. 3 to win the 10th running of the $100,000 Michael G. Schaefer Mile at Hoosier Park Racing and Casino. Guided by Jose Lezcano, Congressional Page is now five for five for owner Larry Johnson and trainer Michael Trombetta.
Congressional Page started from the outside post nine as the race favorite. Lezcano was in no hurry to control the race, opting to sit off the early pace setters and travel in a stalking position around the racetrack. Stolen Chevy and Rafael Hernandez led the charge on the inside followed by J’s Sundance Halo and Ronnie Allen Jr. on the outside.
“This horse (Congressional Page) has been working well, and he ran today like we thought he would,” said Lezcano, who has been among the top jockeys in the country the past three years. “After we broke from the gate, he tried to run off since he came in off six-furlong events. I tried to settle him down early.”
Heading toward the final turn, Ebbtide was moving up along the inside to begin a new challenge for Congressional Page. But heading into the turn, Congressional Page responded well and began to make his move toward the leaders, taking control without incident for the stretch drive.
“I saw Calvin Borel’s horse (Ebbtide) running in beside me and it put some pressure on him (Congressional Page),” said Lezcano. “But around the turn, I was watching him behind me and he didn’t have any place to go, so at the eighth pole, I saw the race was over.”
In the stretch, Congressional Page began to draw away from the field, posting a three-length victory at the finish line. Let It Rock and Terry Thompson made a four-wide rally to finish second while the horse from Chile, Anarko, closed well for rider Leandro Goncalves to finish third.
Congressional Page now has more than $150,000 in career earnings. The win in the Schaefer Mile was the first attempt around two turns for the four-year-old son of Orientate, who won the 2001 Indiana Derby and went on to win the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint.
“We bought this horse (Congressional Page) as a yearling,” said Johnson. “It took us until this year to get him to the races. He’s had all sorts of issues leading up to this year. He’s been racing well and we brought one out for the Indiana Derby, so we thought this would be a good fit for him and brought him along as well.”
Johnson also co-owns Despite The Odds, who ran in the Indiana Derby. The trip to Indiana was a first for all of the connections of Congressional Page and Despite The Odds.
