Thursday, July 6, 2023
It was a second straight post-sale victory for Hot Little Thing on Wednesday when the Highgate graduate won the Checkered Flag Handicap to become the first post-sale stakes winner for Highgate.
Hot Little Thing was coming into this race after winning an Allowance by three lengths in her first start after selling with the consignment at the Keeneland April HORA Sale. Much like that race, she stayed close to the pace as she shadowed a duel for the lead down the backstretch and around the turn in the six-furlong dirt race. Once the field hit the stretch, she made her move and started steadily closing the gap between her position and the lead.
In the final sixteenth, she still had work to do but there was no stopping her march to the lead, and she was a neck in front when she flashed under the line.
#7 HOT LITTLE THING ($6.20) sits off the pace then fires in the stretch to win the 🏆 Checkered Flag Handicap at @HSIndyRacing under jockey Alex Achard. Congratulations to @BLynchRacing and the connections of this 3-year-old filly by Army Mule.
The Brickyard Handicap is next! pic.twitter.com/uVZEuMDz1v
— TVG (@TVG) July 5, 2023
It was a third straight victory for the two-time stakes winning filly, who won an Allowance by 6 ½ lengths a little over a week before selling with Highgate in April. She was sold for $125,000 to Schumer and Howson and Houldsworth as the second highest priced filly of the sale.
She’s the second stakes performer of the week for Highgate after Midnight Rising finished third in a Grade 3 on Saturday.
Highgate is set to sell four racehorses at the Fasig-Tipton July HORA Sale on Monday. See all four here.